ELI Community Blended STEM Family Learning and Coding Project
Year Awarded
2020
Amount
€50,000
- Organisation:National College of Ireland (NCI)
- Audience:Primary Students, Parents
- Format:Informal Education
- Location:Dublin
- Topic:Technology
Project Summary
ELI has run Coding Clubs since 2016 in DEIS primary schools and afterschool services in Dublin’s Docklands, with 198 children participating in 2019/20. Programme evaluations demonstrate increases in positive learning dispositions towards STEM. COVID-19 highlighted the need for more parental engagement, family learning activities and co-creation with parents of a home-based programme to support children’s STEM, computational thinking and coding skills i.e. Blended STEM Family Learning Project
Aims:
-develop young people’s understanding, knowledge and skills in coding, computational thinking, ICT and STEM through enjoyable learning experiences
-inspire and support young people to learn how to create technology
-enhance creativity and problem solving – at home, school, community
-encourage collaboration, peer to peer mentoring and project work
-raise young people’s STEM educational and career aspirations
-develop family STEM curriculum with parents to support their role as home educators
-promote family and community engagement with STEM learning
-upskill professionals around STEM programme delivery.
Actions:
-co-create with parents STEM Family Learning through eLearning support and activity packs
-co-create a career module with parents and professionals, which incites dynamic interesting conversations
-in collaboration with teachers, adapt Coding Club content, methodology and delivery to the challenges of COVID-19; introduce computational thinking, problem-solving and creativity.
-showcase events to increase children’s curiosity and engagement with STEM
-pilot above activities through blended delivery at home, primary schools and afterschool services.
-information and training sessions for parents and professionals on the importance of STEM and ICT proficiency post COVID-19 will be incorporated into each programme.