This project aims at strengthening STEM skills for the blind in consortium countries and other European countries, through developing the necessary intellectual and tangible outputs for the visually impaired students, as well as their teachers, so as to motivate them create STEM based projects and improve technology and digital skills, while favoring opportunities for participation, social inclusion and interaction with their classmates. It also aims at diffusing best practices developed not only in countries with a long tradition in inclusion education, but even in those less developed in this educational area, via the creation of a handbook and an e-learning platform, about student STEM projects. The implementation of this project in European level will contribute to transferable outcomes and good practices between countries with different types of inclusion schools and different integration levels of STEM trend to education In order to achieve these goals a “train the trainers” philosophy will be conducted, aiming to capacity building of inclusion schools teachers, about the STEM methodology, the assistive technologies (3d printing) and the educational material which will be used. The Consortium of this project has set the following objectives: 1. Making accessible the education of STEM projects for Visually Impaired (VI) students 2. Capacity building of teachers working on inclusion or special schools with Visually Impaired (VI) students in the application of STEM Projects with the use of 3D Printing. 3. The design and support of the E-learning platform “STEM projects for the Visually Impaired students” and other educational material which will support teachers and students working in inclusion education with VI students. Target groups: ● Visually Impaired (VI) students (those who are blind or have low vision), aged 12-18 years old, attending in an inclusion school or a center specialized in visual impairments ● Teachers, who want to cultivate their visually impaired students’ knowledge on STEM ● Students, aged 12-18 years old, attending an inclusion school with VI classmates. The INSIDE project, based on the current educational trends, will use the following methodologies: 1. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a way of thinking about teaching and learning that helps give all students an equal opportunity to succeed. 2. Project Based Learning, PBL. STEM projects use the PBL practice wherein students are active participants in their own educational development. 3.Education/training supported by e-Learning Platform and Open Educational Resources. The INSIDE project will implement two training activities: C1 training activity will train teachers of inclusion schools to implement STEM projects for their classes and C2 training activity will engage students both Visually Impaired and fully sighted to test the educational material and evaluation tool of the INSIDE project. The partnership of INSIDE project will design and produce 5 Intellectual Outputs: O1 STEM Handbook for Inclusion Classroom O2 Webinars: 3D printing for STEM inclusion projects O3 e-Learning Platform “STEM for the Visually Impaired students” O4 Implementation/pilot activities O5 Evaluation, Validation and Quality through ICT tool In European level the impact of the project will be essential, as: - Contribution to Inclusion education Curriculum convergence between different European countries. - Promotion the modern skills and knowledge (critical thinking, problem solving, design thinking etc.) required for teachers and students, which are being developed through the implementation of the STEM approach in classroom. - In the long term, this will affect the increase of modernization, competitiveness and innovation of European education system. - Open invitation for the C1 training activity and for the Webinars. Participants from other countries apart from project countries will contribute to the dissemination and the increase of the sample for the implementation activities. - The project could be the spark for the design and implementation of similar projects for inclusion education concerning people with other types (than Visual impairment) of disability.
The partnership of this project had set the following objectives: - Making accessible the education of STEM projects for Visual Impaired (VI) students. - Capacity building of teachers working on inclusion or special schools with VI students in applying STEM projects using 3D Printing. - The design and support of the e-learning platform “STEM projects for the Visual Impaired students” and other educational material that supports teachers and students working in inclusion education with VI students.
Visually Impaired (VI) children are at risk of early school leaving. Denying these children their right to education has a lifelong impact on learning, achievement and employment opportunities, hence hindering their potential economic, social and human development. UNESCO (1994) recognized the right to inclusive education for every child with their abilities and learning needs. Moreover, the ultimate vision for European inclusive education systems “is to ensure that all learners are provided with meaningful, high-quality educational opportunities in their community, alongside their peers”. On the other hand, encouraging children to respond to queries and engage in playful activities in science, mathematics, engineering and technology (STEM) provides them with opportunities for skill development. However, VI students are usually excluded from STEM education because the project materials are designed for sighted students. But the versatility of 3D printing could be a helpful tool to create materials tailed to VI. Identified these needs for the full integrations of those VI, we were motivated to mitigate these needs early on through the project Social Inclusion of the VI Students Through STEM Project assisted by 3D printing.