Connecting STEM with Art

The project aims to induct the 3 partners in the area of renewable energy resources and sustainable production, promoting their cooperation and sharing of good practices through activities designe...

The project aims to induct the 3 partners in the area of renewable energy resources and sustainable production, promoting their cooperation and sharing of good practices through activities designed for students, which are meant to: 1. Develop their understanding of scientific concepts and processes in the production of sustainable energy 2. Increase their overall awareness about alternative sources of energy and how their usage can be enhanced 3. Improve skills and competences through interdisciplinary projects in the STEM field 4. Promote collaboration, teamwork and communication skills between students and teachers 5. Develop creativity, critical and analytical thinking 6. Enable teachers to share school models and practices in the areas of STEM, ICT and robotics and apply them to their schools 7. Improve selfawareness and intercultural awareness of the young European citizens promoting European citizenship and EU policies in the field of renewable energy usage. Objectives 3, 4 and 5 address the first and second priorities according to which support is given to individuals in acquiring basic skills and competences, critical thinking, creativity and forward-looking skills, too.

Each of the exchanges had an assigned topic: 1. Wind Energy and STEAM; 2. Solar Energy and STEAM; 3. Sustainable energy in the future – designing smart, green city models. During the C1 and C2 exchanges each team presented statistics about this type of energy in their countries and replicated/simulated the production of energy at a small scale, through STEAM projects. All the exchanges involved direct observation of energy production, outdoor activities and meetings with experts in the field who gave the participants an in-depth understanding of the advantages of each type of resource, shortcomings, problems and possible solutions. At the last exchange students developed common projects using their skills, imagination and creativity to make posters/designs/simulations to campaign for the use of alternative power and its importance for the sustainability of our planet.

Participants developed an understanding of how the wind and sun is used to generate electricity, gained a deeper understanding and awareness of the benefits and drawbacks of wind and solar power, were able to identify problem areas in the field with the help of an expert, observed how a power plant works, became aware of the necessity to use more renewables for the sustainability of our planet. Furthermore, participants evolved an understanding of the necessary innovation in energy technologies for future cities: sustainable materials, friendlier behaviors towards the environment, energy storage, energy-efficient designs for housing and public lighting and greener energy systems via renewable energy carriers. They used this knowledge creatively in order to produce their own model of a sustainable city. All participants developed communication skills, social skills and self-confidence interacting with other people in English. They learned about the culture of the host country. Teachers created teaching material, i.e. the description of integrated lesson plans, instructions of activities, which are related to the main project topics. All created material was shared with other teachers and will be used during the educational process