In the light of the need of stimulating interest in STEM careers among students in Europe and promote youth employability, educational institutions must rely on innovative and practical methods, engaging students in challenging activities and matching new educational needs to the teaching curricula. EXPERIMENTA combines practical approaches to promote STEM learning based on the principle of "Open schooling", which is achieved through collaboration between the schools and their local community. The specific objectives (SOs) of the project were: SO 1) Improve the educational offer for schools in the field of STEM, through the definition of practical tools and the exchange of good practices from different EU countries SO 2) Provide teachers with tools to facilitate the experimentation of the project's methodology within their own school contexts SO 3) To improve students' knowledge competences and skills in STEM subjects through a project-based approach, experiential learning and peer education methodology SO 4) Promote students' protagonism, the development of communities of practice on STEM education at the local level, creating a model replicable in all European countries.
EXPERIMENTA wanted to address the need of promoting a holistic approach to STEM subjects, based on empirical learning, peer education, and the community involvement in the education process of young students. Indeed, the project focused on the creation of a community of practice based on collaboration between schools, families and external stakeholders. In light of the need in European educational contexts to promote STEM paths from a young age, EXPERIMENTA was intended to be an attempt to apply a new methodology in different educational contexts. The results produced play a key role in the practical application of the principles underlying the EXPERIMENTA project, making it possible to replicate our pedagogical model based on a holistic and practical approach in other European contexts. The project idea originated from a good practice promoted for over 10 years by the Project coordinator based on the use of scientific methodology, particularly the experimental one. EXPERIMENTA addressed two key following priorities: 1.Promoting interest and excellence in STEM 2. Tackling learning disadvantage, early school leaving and low proficiency in basic skills.