ChemDM - Chemical Dancing Models

The main goal of the project was to create a new curriculum encompassing latest approaches and methods of learning, as well as systematic use of digital tools in the educational process. After imp...

During the four TPMs, some of which took place via the Zoom application, teachers exchanged experiences, new ideas, and suggestions, while collaboratively working on curriculum development. Discussions also covered all project management-related issues, ensuring its quality, and activities related to disseminating project results. The achievement of project goals and planned outcomes was facilitated by organizing two LTT activities. These activities provided training to teachers on the usage and possibilities of the program and its potential applications in the classroom. This enabled the development of digital competences among teachers, as well as their key skills. The 2nd LTT activity served as a curriculum pilot, allowing teachers to gain insights into the quality of the developed curriculum and receive feedback from students. Based on this feedback, teachers could improve the curriculum. Students had the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of chemistry, digital skills, collaborative skills, research skills, critical thinking, and language skills using new interactive methods. Project activities also included the elaboration of the methodology for monitoring project implementation, work on the project's intellectual output,

The main goal of the project was to create a new curriculum encompassing latest approaches and methods of learning, as well as systematic use of digital tools in the educational process. After implementation, educational materials and examples of good practices were provided; both the curriculum and an accompanying handbook for teachers were made available, enabling the systematic use of digital technologies in classrooms and contributing to the capacity and readiness of institutions to transition to digital education through innovative learning approaches, while simultaneously providing necessary support to the teaching staff. In the STEM field, the most common challenge is the visualization of abstract concepts or phenomena in nature at the microscopic level. The introduction of the new curriculum increased the possibility of visualization, both for molecules and more complex structures, as well as for intricate natural phenomena. In this way, students found it easier to understand and explain how more complex processes function in all living organisms, as well as ways in which digital tools can be used. This has greatly facilitated the mastery of educational outcomes in regular teaching, improved results, and promoted the field

The main outcome achieved is the curriculum for a new chemistry subject, offered to high school students as an elective course "3D World of Chemistry”, with an accompanying handbook, tasks and examples. The curriculum enables the establishment of interdisciplinary correlations with a wide range of subjects. This subject allows for connections between chemistry and mathematics (solving problems and various calculations, etc.), studying the structures of different biomolecules correlates with biology, and the program offers the calculation of various physical properties of compounds, such as density, polarizability, etc. This represents an excellent correlation between chemistry and physics. Some parts of the curriculum go beyond the framework of the regular chemistry curriculum, providing excellent preparation for the future job market and strengthening digital competencies, thereby increasing the interest in the STEM field. Students can conduct virtual experiments to better understand the covered topics, especially those they find abstract and challenging. This encourages interactive and collaborative learning, problem-solving, and critical thinking. The use of digital tools has numerous benefits for both students and teachers.