Objectives

School development plan:

During the last couple of years the school has been participating in a number of in-class STEM activities but also outside school. Although the school has received a national STEM quality label a clear strategy how to implement an explicit strategy into the school development plan is missing. This project will put emphasis on STEM topics and will highlight their importance in daily routine at school:

Objective 1: The school designs a clear STEM strategy containing EU related topics that is represented in the official school development plan for the upcoming educational period (2024/25).
Objective 2: The STEM-EU strategy is implemented in a minimum of regular 4 STEM subjects within the curriculum of the higher grades (ISCED 3) from autumn 2024 onwards.

European school strategy:

Within the range of Erasmus+ project the school has focussed projects and mobilities on STEM topics combined with EU topics such as sustainability, protection of environment, plastic waste and reduction, digitalisation, green travelling etc. However, teachers see Erasmus+ projects rather as language-based projects and cannot make a link between their STEM subjects and European strategies and policies related to STEM topics.

Objective 1: The school defines a minimum of regular 4 STEM subjects in which they connect the contents of STEM with EU topics.
Objective 2: A minimum of 3 teachers are designed to be responsible for the design, implementation, evaluation and dissemination during the lifetime of this project.
Objective 3: The school defines a set of STEM and EU skills that students need to acquire within this project.

STEM subjects at school – low number of students

Putting STEM subjects on a European level give STEM topics more importance and relevance not only to teachers but also to students. At the moment the number of students and teachers who see STEM topics from a European perspective is rather low, thus we see a reduced reputation of these topics.

Objective 1: The number of students that opt for STEM is stabilised during this project.
Objective 2: The reputation and visibility of STEM related to EU topics in and outside of school will be raised.

Innovation in certain STEM fields for teachers and students – real life approach

STEM subjects still suffer from the reputation that they are taught in a rather conventional and traditional teacher centred way. Therefore many students abstain from being interested in STEM topics as they want to participate in innovative and up-to-date learning scenarios especially with a real life approach. With this project the school will open the door to implement innovative methods in the field of STEM and to cooperate with organisations and institutions outside of school, especially focussing on EU matters.

Objective 1: Selection of a minimum of 10 innovative STEM and EU appropriate learning scenarios for STEM classes.
Objective 2: Implementation of an equal ratio of formal, non-formal and informal learning scenarios in STEM classes.

Regional political STEM strategy based on a European context – Innovation with JM

In Styria there is a regional STEM strategy promotes by the Styrian regional government and the Austrian ministry of education that fosters STEM activities in the region. However, they do not provide general schools with sufficient funds to carry out STEM based activities in a satisfying way. With this project the school will be able to apply the Styrian STEM strategy and base it on a European context. Thus STEM activities at school will be designed not only according to the Styrian STEM strategy bus also harmonised with European values and priorities and current policies of the EU-Commission and EU-Parliament.

Objective 1: The school designs an innovative educational programme that harmonises European related STEM strategies of the Styrian regional government, the Austrian ministry of Education and educational policies of the EU-Commission and EU-Parliament.
Objective 2: ISCED 3 students use authentic, innovative and EU related STEM material, networks, courses, workshops, activities offered by the Styrian government and the Austrian ministry of education.

NEED to use the existing regional, national and European STEM network to promote the importance of STEM

The school is already part of an existing regional STEM network. However, in order to strengthen its scope and to get new impetus the school needs, teaching scenarios and to enlarge its network on a national and European level.

Objective 1: ISCED 3 students cooperate with a set of 4 universities in the field of STEM and EU-related topics.
Objective 2: ISCED 3 students cooperate in the field of STEM and EU with a minimum number of 4 local companies in order to implement this project.
Objective 3: ISCED 3 students cooperate in the field of STEM and EU with a minimum number of 3 institutions (e.g. Federation of Austrian Industry, The international office of the regional school authorities, Südwind etc.)

NEED to cooperate with EU-institutions and EU-related organizations

The school avidly seeks to intensify the cooperation with EU-institutions and EU-related organisations in order to implement this project also in a European context. Students, teachers and other stakeholders need to experience the European spirit and cooperation themselves carrying out their STEM activities. This way they will see the European Union as an opportunity to gain personal and professional benefits.

Objective 1:ISCED 3 students cooperate with a minimum of 5 regional EU-institutions (Europe Direct, Styrian Office in Brussels, The Permanent Representation of Austria to the European Union, etc) in order to discuss, elaborate and cooperate in the field of STEM and EU.
Objective 2: ISCED 3 students get an insight of the main principles of how EU-institutions (EU-Parliament, EU-Comission, European Council and Council of the EU) work.