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About the project
Regional Science Center RaSTEM project
The RaSTEM Regional Science Center project was financed from the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area for the period from 2014 to 2021 from the “Local Development and Poverty” program. The goal of the project is to establish a synergy in the development of formal and informal education for the purpose of developing a program for the STEM field, which is divided into two parts, one for students and one for teachers. The initial step relates to the creation of a program for the introduction of new STEM programs in elementary schools, and then activities to develop teachers’ abilities in the STEM field will be implemented. After the education and training of the teachers, the application of the created STEM program focused on the field of robotics and STEM technologies in climatology and meteorology will be implemented, where the teachers will transfer the acquired knowledge to the students. The final goal is the establishment of the Regional Science Center “RaSTEM” and improved STEM skills of teachers and students, which is also part of the contents by which the City of Šibenik strives to open up as many opportunities as possible to young people for the professions of the future and to connect education with entrepreneurial potential in this area.
The popularization of STEM programs contributes to the development of digital and scientific literacy, technological and other competencies aimed at children and young people. The STEM program model is based on the combination of multi-disciplines in science, technology, engineering and mathematics so that individuals become able to solve problems, think creatively and turn ideas into results. According to the worldwide “Trends in international studies of mathematics and science” (PISA) research, it was discovered that even the most successful EU member countries show a decline in the average of students in scientific skills. One of the reasons for the decline in the average in scientific skills is the spread of digital content, accelerated technological progress but also enormous amounts of information that influence the behavior of young people. However, technological means enable another quality of educational approaches through interesting ways of using technological means in the STEM field. Today, it is certainly necessary for educational environments to be improved by encouraging creative thinking and implementing innovative ideas according to the Science Strategy, education and technology. The project is aimed at encouraging interdisciplinary learning, i.e. the combination of all areas in solving a task that contributes to the development of various skills in students, such as: cooperation, teamwork, adaptability, innovation, etc., and the aforementioned qualities that will be activities to develop were also recognized by the Decision on adoption of the curriculum for the subject of Nature and Society for elementary schools in the Republic of Croatia. Although the development of STEM in primary schools in the Republic of Croatia has progressed significantly in the last few years, digital equipment and technologies are an important prerequisite for the development of the STEM way of thinking. The goal of this project is to establish a synergy in the development of formal and informal education for the purpose of developing a program intended for the STEM field, which is divided into two parts, one for students and one for teachers.