How can be a Maths or Physics lesson transformed in an exciting experience? How to stimulate students´ passion for natural sciences, robotics and cutting-edge technologies?

 

During the CHOICE@SCHOOL Open Day organised on the 27th of October 2022 in a beautiful 16th century hall at Liceo statale scientifico Benedetto Croce, teachers and students who co-created the CHOICE Open Education Resources (OER) showed how STEM disciplines can be fascinating and useful for our society.

 

In interactive demonstrations and experiments, we discovered how mathematics become art, how chemistry and physics applied in practice bring ecological solutions to our daily lives and homes, how robotics and programming can help communities to deal with waste, what mathematical theories can be used to explain political and economic decisions, and finally that biology and natural sciences can be explored through physical activities such as hiking and snorkelling in our territory while learning about respectful tourisms.

 

The CHOICE project adopts the STE(A)M approach to STEM education, building on the inter-connection between STEM and other disciplines, and between theory and practical application. The OERs proposed by CHOICE, promote non-formal experiential learning, allowing learning of complex concepts by internalizing them through experience. The learning process is achieved through action and active experimentation involving emotions and senses while lowering stress levels and increasing curiosity. The effectiveness of learning itself is increased and the concepts learned are more easily stored in long-term memory. Furthermore, by using this approach, CHOICE aims to make STEM subjects more appealing and tangible for students, encouraging them to pursue academic studies and careers in this field.

 

These innovative interactive educational practices are described, and the resources are collected on the CHOICE Massive Open Online Course (MOOC), offering teachers and students didactic and learning materials, as well as illustrative videos and quizzes.