Project: Science4Girls
This project intends to design and implement learning activities withing the theme of climate change that encourage girls to enroll in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The design of the activities is done in close collaboration between students, teachers, and researchers.
Project information
Project manager
Martin Östlund
Other project members at Linnaeus University
Katrin Lindwall, Rebecka Green, Katarina Rönndal
Participating organizations
Linnaeus University, Lacko International School, Sweden; University of Eastern Finland, Finland; Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal; Pasvalys Lėvens Basic School, Lithuania; Gheorghe Titeica School, Romania; Srednja elektro-računalniška šola, Slovenia; Working with Europe, School of Vilafant, Span
Financier
Co-funded by the European Union's Erasmus+ programme
Timetable
1 Nov 2020–31 Oct 2022
Subject
Computer science and media technology (Department of Computer Science and Media Technology, Faculty of Technology)
Website
Science4girls.eu
More about the project
STEM is short for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The project Science4Girls will be addressing the important issue of fostering girls' curiosity towards science and engineering challenges, and encouraging them to consider future professional choices in these domains. Some new digital tools and methods will be used to achieve the objectives above.
To increase girls' interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics has been an ongoing challenge for many other projects and educational stakeholders. However, Science4Girls will be exploring this topic by specially considering the following innovative aspects:
- Gain understanding regarding girls' current aspirations and values, and use this to leverage from their interest towards science and engineering.
- Explore the potential of open science schooling to design and deploy enticing learning initiatives within these domains, grounded in real-life challenges and actors.
- Explore how current and pressing problems connected to climate change can be a motivational driver and instil commitment towards learning activities.
Linnaeus University is joining this effort as project coordinator. Additionally, we will be also exploring the aspects stated above by proposing particular learning activities that connect science, engineering, novel digital tools for learning and concrete schools' practices. This demands a close collaboration between the different stakeholders to ensure that all goals are achieved.
The project is part of the research in the Computational Thinking and Coding Skills in Schools (CoCoS) research group and the Linnaeus Knowledge Environment Digital Transformations.