Geospatial thinking is a blending of knowledge and skills that supports people in identifying and interpreting location, distance, relationships, orientation, movement, change, patterns, and trends in geoenvironmental space. As a cross-cutting ability for STEAM disciplines, social sciences and humanities, as well as for several tasks of daily life, it is an imperative ability which must be cultivated. In the era of “digital natives”, open linked data, digital earth, ubiquitous mapping, citizen science, location-based services, and geospatial intelligence have been integrated into everyone's lives. Students in particular, have been raised in a digital media world, requiring a media-rich learning environment. A new civil society of Spatial Citizens is thus emerging, with the perception, consciousness, and ability to understand, map, communicate, and design their world. GOSTEAM aims to develop educational hands-on STEAM activities in the fields of Geographic Information Science and Technology, Cartography, and Environmental Science for shaping the next generation of geospatially and environmentally aware citizens. TThe objectives of GOSTEAM are: a) to transfer academic knowledge and research practices to secondary education and b) to apply, in and outside the classroom, research methodologies and new technologies that tackle complex geospatial problems. GOSTEAM targets teachers/educational staff and secondary education students in four European Countries, cultivating student’s cognitive abilities and skills, such as problem-solving and critical thinking, in the interdisciplinary context of environmental literacy and global awareness. The GOSTEAM consortium has been formed on the basis of the high-quality expertise of the partners, their geographical distribution, and previously successful collaboration. Six partners (2 higher education institutions, 3 schools, 1 science centre) from 4 EU countries (Sweden, Austria, Italy, Greece), offer: (a) pedagogical expertise for designing innovative learning experiences for the project’s target groups, (b) expertise in Geospatial Science and Environmental Studies, and (c) expertise in assessment, learning outcomes, and recognition mechanisms. The activities planned follow three main lines of action: (i) pedagogical research and design, (ii) transfer of academic knowledge and research expertise in secondary education, and (iii) in and outside the classroom implementation and validation activities. Methodologically, GOSTEAM will draw the attention of students to geospatial topics by simulating the work of the researcher in the classroom, endorsing a better understanding of geospatial sciences, and promoting inquiry-based science teaching and learning. A compact management will assist the partnership to produce all planned results, including Project Coordination and Reporting, Quality Control and Management Assessment, Communication, and Dissemination and Exploitation. Tangible results expected during the project include: • Development of educational hands-on STEAM activities in Geospatial and Environmental Science • Deployment of strategies and methodologies to link hands-on activities to formal curricula • Implementation and validation of activities in four countries • Setting up of a special GOSTEAM Community within the Open Schools for Open Societies Portal (OSOS), to support collaboration • Organization of a joint staff training activity and of eight multiplier events • Creation of the “Handbook on Geospatial Education for STEAM”. A significant impact on the partner organizations and the educational community is envisaged during and beyond the project’s life cycle, at various scales. At European scale, the GOSTEAM community on the OSOS Portal will be easily assessed by a wide European education community. The established Special Interest Group (SIG) on Geospatial Thinking, by AGILE (Association of Geographic Information Laboratories in Europe) serves as a dissemination hub at European and International levels. GOSTEAM Handbook will be circulated to policy makers and educational authorities to demonstrate the value of the project’s innovative approach so that they seriously consider it. GOSTEAM results have the potential of longer-term benefits, beyond the funding period. The educational framework, the hands-on activities, the community on OSOS, and the Handbook on Geospatial Education for STEAM will favour the adoption of the GOSTEAM approach and resources beyond its completion by educational staff and policy-makers and will influence future policies and practices. GOSTEAM consortium is planning to use the project as a ground for a pan-European initiative to shape the next generation of geospatially and environmentally aware citizens. In order to achieve this goal, the GOSTEAM network will be not only sustained, but also expanded via e-twinning actions.
GOSTEAM aimed to design, implement, and evaluate educational hands-on STEAM activities in the fields of Geographic Information Science and Technology, Cartography, and Environmental Science. These fields deal with monitoring, measuring, analyzing, representing, and understanding the natural and anthropogenic environment using up-to-date and coherent approaches. The overall objectives were to: a) transfer academic knowledge and research practices to secondary education and b) apply, in and outside the classroom, research methodologies and new technologies that tackle complex geospatial problems. The project aimed at bringing positive and long-lasting results on two axes: the 1st axis addressed participating organisations, teachers and other educational staff through the deployment of strategies and methodologies to link hands-on activities to the formal/informal curricula and to train teachers and educators to implement and validate these activities; the 2nd axis addressed students themselves by implementing with them specially developed hands-on STEAM activities and gaining insights on how new ICT technologies operate and how they help us understand geospace and its phenomena.
Geospatial thinking is a blending of knowledge and skills that supports people in identifying and interpreting location, distance, relationships, orientation, movement, change, patterns, and trends in geo-environmental space. Research studies suggest that: - Spatial thinking is a key competency for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics); - Spatial skills accurately predict who will pursue a career in STEM; - They are a key capability for achieving STEM innovation, as 90% of STEM PhD holders graduated in the top quadrant of spatial competence in adolescence; - Spatial education could significantly increase participation in STEM. - Spatial thinking is also useful in the Arts (becoming "STEAM") and has been linked to relevant careers - educational activities (e.g. mapping) also develop students' art knowledge and skills (composition, color use, visual perception and balance, multimedia, etc.). The project’s key objective was to foster geospatial thinking skills for raising students’ interest in STEAM disciplines and careers. European cooperation is a necessity for the formation of spatially and environmentally aware European citizens.