Steam in times

The main objective of this project was to engage students in STEAM while creating an enjoyable learning environment. Engaging students in STEAM was critical because of its importance. Students dev...

The main objective of this project was to engage students in STEAM while creating an enjoyable learning environment. Engaging students in STEAM was critical because of its importance. Students developed math anxiety early on, often due to the way this subject was taught in a drill-like manner, hence relying upon memorization instead of understanding and experimenting. For this reason, the project focused on engaging students in primary education in a cross-curricular approach to STEAM with the help of history to better understand the applications of science and mathematics throughout the times and how they eventually evolved to what it was at that time. This approach aimed to explore the historical heritage behind the scientific and mathematical development we had at that time while motivating students to pursue these fields in an enjoyable and non-formal way. Math and history had intersected for thousands of years after all. This project provided the support educators needed to implement manipulations in their lesson plans and improve the hands-on approach to STEAM subjects, especially to help prevent math anxiety from primary education, preparing students for a better experience with these subjects later in their education.

All activities planned in the application form have been implemented with the participation of the three partners. The Manipulating math throug history manual; 36 Manipulation blueprints and 36 Pedagogical materials have been created. The guide will help teachers to adopt a cross-curricular approach and link the STEAM curriculum to European heritage and history principles. It is practical and user-friendly, with a clear structure and concrete explanations in situations to facilitate daily use by the target groups. The blueprints consist of exercises and manipulatives to provide all the necessary information for the teacher, but also plans, graphic representations of manipulatives for reproduction, scale models or building blocks of activities. The pedagogical material corresponds to each plan with explanations for introducing the materials in the lesson (introduction, application, checking, testing). This product describes in detail the lesson plan and the activities implemented in it. These pedagogical materials are examples of how to structure a lesson by integrating the drawings and activities. Tips "Do's and don'ts" were also created to help teachers. All the products have been translated into 4 languages.

At the outset of the project, our primary goal was to engage students in STEAM education in an interesting manner, actively involving them in the process. Many students fear mathematics, which is traditionally taught through memorization and repetition. Through the project's multidisciplinary approach and hands-on learning, students were given the opportunity to explore the historical context of scientific and mathematical developments and how they have shaped the modern world. During the testing phase, conducted after the project results—pedagogical guidance, blueprints, and teaching materials—were ready, it was demonstrated that we had succeeded in stimulating the natural curiosity of the children. They approached the tasks with enthusiasm in a relaxed and informal environment, understanding the enduring connection between mathematics and history. Teachers received useful resources and support for incorporating practical activities into their lessons and teaching strategies. In this way, the goal of reducing mathematics anxiety in young students and equipping them with the skills and confidence necessary for their future development was achieved. Grant amount allocated to the activities was sufficient.