Students and staff

The eSTEM follow-up meeting and training seminar in April, 2017

The follow-up meeting of the eSTEM project („International Diploma for School Teachers in STEM Education / eSTEM”, Erasmus + Key action 2 „Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices - Capacity Building in Higher Education) has been held at the Academic Center for Natural Sciences of the University of Latvia, Jelgavas street 1, from 20th to 21st April 2017. The eSTEM training seminar was organised by the University of Latvia in the week afterwards.

Representatives of eSTEM project from Egypt were very appreciated to the team members of the University of Latvia for their efforts and organization of the eSTEM training seminar which was held in Riga, Latvia from 24th to 28th April 2017. The eSTEM team from Nile University reported on this seminar's activities as follows: Day 1 1st presentation: PISA Project  
  • It was about PISA (program for international student assessment) project and its affect to indicate the student’s levels in different OCED countries.
  • Checking some PISA results for some subject in different grades.
  • The benefits of PISA system as a good indication for the student progress which also represent good indication for the country education level.
 2nd presentation: Inquiry-Based Learning in Sciences
  • Start the presentation with the “Fire your Hand” activity then discuss what happened and why that our hand didn’t get burn
  • Identify the benefit of inquiry based learning meaning.
  • We saw some examples of activities could be applied with the students in the classes of science, then everyone gave his opinion about which one is inquiry based learning or not.
  • Open discussion using “kahoot.it” about the effect of inquiry based learning in science teaching and if the presentations is inquiry based learning or not .   
Day 2 1st Presentation: STEAM Workshop
  • This presentation made by manager of Education Initiative Center NGO in Latvia.   
  • It was about the benefit of STEAM specially the art side in the Latvian education.
  • Train some teachers in Latvia about STEAM education and observe some activities that could help them in the teaching.
  • The benefit of outside activities STEAM education like in public gardens of forests in Latvia.
  • We were divided into four groups and work on two activities to identify the benefit of STEAM.   
1st activity
  • Every group got a fruit (apple) then investigate and write down the point we saw about it then related these points to the nearest fruit in our life which is apple.
  • This activity is very good for science class as a good explanation for students to investigate the properties of apple by themselves.   
2nd activity
  • Build Hydraulic Scissors Lift Table using injection needles, hoses, color water and some of tongue depressor piece of wood.
  • This activity is very good demonstration for the students to understands the relative motions and make some calculations. 
 2nd Presentations: Some schools facilities in Latvia
  • The presentation about some schools facilities in the school of Latvia which are very far from Riga (very near from Russia).
  • Their activities about math and sciences teaching and the relations between them in the same activity.
Day 3 Visit Centrum Secondary School in Kuldiga which is 150 far from Riga
  • Presentation about the school and its history.
  • See the school facilities and recognize some of their activities in math like 3D room.
  • Se their garden that thy use to help the students in the sciences classes.
  • Go to outside of the school in the town with two students from the school and teacher from it to see some of their outside. activities related to the math, history and geography.
Day 4 Visit Riga city school (Teikas Secondary School)
  • Presentation about the school and its history.
  • Take around in the school with 4 senior students in the schools.  
  • See the school facilities and their chemistry labs.
  • Visit the wood workshop of the schools where students could use CNC machine router and some of wood tools to make some artistic jobs.
Visit “Lielvards” Education Company
  • They show us some of their facilities that they offer to Latvian Schools even software of hardware.
  • See some hardware kits and 3d Printers which they are supplier for it.
  • Test some software which they are offering to the schools like:
    • Active inspire by Prometheam;
    • Classflow.com.

Day 5

The final discussion about the seminar was organised in the old campus of “University of Latvia” to discuss about the seminar and evaluated to the following points:
  • Improvement of education specially in Egypt using STEM way.
  • Inquiry based learning is good process to explore the subject.
  • The both teacher and the student need to understand the significant of the STEM.
  • Recognize the motivation to use STEM process .
  • School forest outside school activity is very good example for real life education.
  • Link theory to the practice (life inspire Activities).
  • Make use of e-resources and their effects in the educations.
  • Working in team as shown in our round in the Latvian Schools .
  • Create e-resources suitable for students ages and related to their daily life.
  • Go to e-resource or not go to e-resource, which way is better. Till the age of 9, it is very good use e-resource with the students but more than 9, the physical experiments are more appropriate and reliable for them.
  • The student activities that we observed and the students who accompanied with us in the schools we visited indicate that the students are responsible for steps in their tasks, experiment or activity.  
  • Observe good connections between the teachers and the students.
Finally, the eSTEM partners agreed to discuss the following points when the University of Latvia will visit Egypt next July:
  • Effect of LU training to eSTEM (Diploma Design and specialization tracks);
  • How implement the ideas seen in the training  in Egypt.

eSTEM follow-up meeting's agenda

eSTEM training seminar's agenda eSTEM project's website  

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