“Let’s Turn into Something Beautiful” included two project components: 1) learning session and invention of chemical products that enable us to reduce the use and generation of hazardous substances at a low cost; 2) generation of ideas on how to turn waste into beautiful handicrafts. This School Collaboration enhanced students’ knowledge in green technology. The outcome was posted on a blog/website and shared with the local community.
The objective of this School Collaboration was to raise awareness on water conservation at home, at school and in their local communities and to share ideas on how to save water. Students experiences were published on BlogSpot, which allowed all participants to learn about different approaches towards water conservation in Asian and European countries. Furthermore, students took pictures and videos of water facilities at home and produce videos based on their observations of how water is produced, used, and conserved in both regions.
“Asia-Europe Wildlife Heroes” was a School Collaboration that created awareness about the current condition of wildlife in Asia and Europe. The destruction of natural habitats, illegal poaching, the spread of invasive species and diseases are examples of anthropogenic activities that greatly contribute to the dwindling of wildlife. Our wildlife provides ecosystem services such as pollination, control of pests, nutrient cycling and decomposition. As active participants of a global community, students were challenged to participate in contributing to smart solutions to this worldwide challenge.
“Great Minds in STEM, Bridging the Gap” invited students from Asia and Europe to share the application of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in schools. Rather than teaching the four disciplines as separate and discrete subjects, STEM integrates them into a cohesive learning paradigm based on real-world. Students and teachers from Asia and Europe got a better understanding of the STEM by sharing information on the importance of STEM subjects and how they are taught in the schools. The collaboration tackled any misconceptions on STEM and created conducive and a happy learning environment for students in the schools.
“The Gallium Spoon” School Collaboration celebrated 2019 as the International Year of Periodic Table of Elements. It explored interesting facts about various chemical elements. Every school chose one or several elements to develop its history, main characteristics, applications, and some experiments with it. Students prepared reports, videos, pictures, presentations, etc. Furthermore, students designed fun games on the Periodic Table in different forms depending on the resources available in their schools (table game, scratch coding game, an app for a mobile phone, etc.). The Project was adaptable to different levels of technical knowledge of the teachers and school infrastructure.
“Space Exploration Buddies” School Collaboration was inspired by Valentina Tereshkova’s statement: “Once you’ve been in space, you appreciate how small and fragile the Earth is.” By 2050, the world’s population will reach 9.1 billion, as reported by the Food and Agricultural Organization. The United Nations is working with the European Space Agency on space solutions such as Galileo system or Earth Observation technologies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs). This Project encouraged students and teachers across Asia and Europe to create a “space network” on space technologies and developments.
“Mathematics Mystery Unveiled” invited students from Asia and Europe to explore the unknown areas of mathematics and its applications in their daily lives. Teachers shared the latest research of how mathematics has always amused people with the beauty of its method, results, experience, philosophy, information theory and arts. The students and teachers from Asia and Europe got a better understanding of the subject and tackled misconceptions on various topics we deal with. The students were encouraged to set a project based on mathematics, shared it among the peers by producing videos, articles, graphics and published it through multimedia platforms.
“Hacking Our Spaces” was a School Collaboration designed for students to learn and practice solving real-world problems using STEM and a Design Thinking approach. Participants researched on how STEM has impacted their lives and explore how STEM solutions can be leveraged to improve spaces like homes, schools, and communities around them. This was achieved by either acquiring some (block) programming using Microbits through an online platform, learning about different types of smart materials and their applications, or exploring other areas of STEM. Through a common online sharing platform, participants shared and collaborated with each other to study the different spaces of their partners and worked on solutions to hack the spaces with creative solutions to have useful functionalities.
Students conducted hands-on science experiments, and explored the secrets of this world. Without having to rely on laboratory apparatus, they made new discoveries in a fun, leisurely and creative way.
Through this Online Collaboration, students considered several problems relating to computer applications and coding, before developing practical skills to solve them.