The project "Coding is Fun!" in media!

Project meeting of the program „Coding is Fun!” at Primary School No. 1 in Ustka was a summary of three years cooperation between teams from Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Turkey and Poland. The tasks undertaken by teachers from European schools focused on developing skills and knowledge related to robotics, astronomy, mathematics, physics and computer science. The result of cooperation in the project is an unconventional approach to education, which has been noticed, appreciated and presented to a wider audience on TV.

Coding is Fun! - meeting in SP1 in Ustka

Realization of the Erasmus + program „Coding is Fun!” comes to an end. Teachers from friendly schools from Spain, Belgium, Portugal and Turkey met at the fifth and last project meeting in Primary School No. 1 in Ustka. During the stay in Ustka from 8th to 11th June, there were many activities, workshops and meetings. It was a meeting summarizing three years of work. This time it was the Polish school that was the main coordinator of activities led by Ms Ewelina Pietrzyk. The tasks undertaken by teachers from 5 European schools focused on developing skills and knowledge related to robotics, astronomy, mathematics, physics and computer science. So far, project meetings have taken place in Spain in Almansa, Belgium in Maaseik, Portugal in Leiria and in Turkey in Karacabey. The workshops in Ustka end the project activities, but Astro STEM clubs will still operate in schools, which in an interesting and inspiring way encourage students to explore the cosmos, teach them to code and use computer technology because without it, it is difficult to imagine today’s world. Students and teachers also improve their language skills, which may turn out to be very useful in the future.

During their stay in SP1 in Ustka, guests from European schools participated in various activities. The teachers were welcomed by the youngest children from the first grades with the song „It`s time to say Hello”.

Project partners took part in:

– Astronomy lesson with the third grade, during which the knowledge of the solar system was explored, and then students and teachers created art works together,

– Physics lessons about electrical circuits,

– PE lesson with coding elements,

– Maths lesson with coding,

– ICT lessons, during which the operation of a 3D printer was presented, and then teachers assembled robots from printed elements; creative classes of creating models of the Codink Hero using 3D pens and coding figures, images and names using Lego Spike Prime sets.

-Teachers together with students arranged puzzles, which of course were used to create robots, and during additional classes at the school common room, they created buildings and robots from various types of blocks.

All activities were unique and creative. At school everyone could also admire an exhibition of over 100 models of the Solar System, spaceships and robots that our students have built. In Polish School there was also a spherical cinema, which provided children and teachers with extraordinary emotions and allowed them to discover the secrets of the space world from a 360ᵒ angle. During the project meetings, all countries try to familiarize participants with their history, traditions and customs. In Polish school in Ustka, the third grade together with the class teachers prepared a beautiful, colorful and emotional musical called „The Gift of the Baltic Princess”, which made a great impression on the teachers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuquPU9jzwg

The school also held a competition for the most interesting disguise for the hero of the project, Codink. It is difficult to describe the creativity and ingenuity of children, it must be seen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClOKxPx2zi8

Teachers from Europe were also invited to a meeting with the Mayor, the Secretary and the Head of the SSOKS. The conversation in the Town Hall was very nice. The guests were interested in information about education, Ustka’s development strategy, and our town’s activities for refugees from Ukraine. They shared with the town authorities their experiences regarding the functioning of education in their countries and of course expressed their appreciation for our resort, stated that Ustka is a beautiful, charming town, which they would gladly visit again. Therefore, they have hope for a new project in cooperation with our school. The guests were very interested in the fact that the building of the Town Hall previously housed SP1, and both the Headmistress Bogumiła Lenard and the Mayor Jacek Maniszewski were students of our school.

School workshops were completed by a visit to the MARKOS company, which specializes in glass fiber reinforced composites, based on over 30 years of experience in design, construction and execution. The leading MARKOS products are wind farm housings, lifeboats and rescue boats, tourist, work and special purpose boats. Thanks to the visit, the teachers could learn about modern technologies used in the company operating in our area. The next point of the meeting was a visit to the Harbor Master’s Office in Ustka, where we compared astronavigation from the past with a modern ship control and navigation system in the sea area today.

Visits to companies, museums or educational centers thematically related to the program in an interesting and practical way encourage project participants to learn more about modern technologies. The project „Coding is Fun!” comes to an end, but the knowledge and skills acquired during the workshops in all partner schools stay with us and it is only up to us how we use it. The projects are cooperation, skills development, knowledge extension and learning about different educational systems. But it is also a great adventure for students and teachers, they are people who, thanks to the project, are friends and want to cooperate with each other in the future.

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Fourth LTTA meeting in Turkey- 23-27.03.2022

Head master Yusuf Aka, deputy head master and school coordinator Musa Öztürk, English teacher Gökselin Bahar Hayal and other teachers and students from TOKİ ŞHT YZB. ERHAN KINDIR İLKOKULU in KARACBEY, Turkey were the hosts of the fourth meeting of the „Coding is Fun!” project implemented under the Erasmus + program. During their stay, teachers from partner countries: Spain, Belgium, Portugal and Poland learned about the Turkish education system and the rules of working with younger children in 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades and in the kindergarten section. The main purpose of the visit was to participate in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) workshops, in which 15 teachers from partner countries and several from the host group took part.

On the first training day, a meeting with students and school staff took place. Children cheerfully greeted the guests presenting the flags of all partner countries. Then the teachers had the opportunity to visit the school, talk to teachers from Turkey about the methods of conducting classes and the education system, while improving their language competences.

A very important element was the „STEM WORKSHOPS” classes, during which teachers and students designed and built propeller-driven cars. Thanks to the creativity of children, colorful electric vehicles were created and then set the propellers in motion without any problems. The teachers also had the opportunity to show cleverness and great skills by setting small plastic helicopters in motion. There was a small competition – the teacher who managed to launch the helicopter the highest was the winner.

The next workshops took place in the kindergarten group. Children and teachers solved mathematical puzzles and applied simple coding rules. It was an amazing fun combined with learning, which made both children and teachers happy.

The second day of the workshop was building rockets from recyclable materials. The teachers and the children were divided into teams and they showed a great imagination in creating spaceships.

The school also hosted workshops related to Turkish culture and customs. The teachers made bracelets of red and white yarn called „Martenicka”. Red color symbolizes blood and life, while white – purity and happiness. Martenice is carried on hands until the first blossoming tree or the first spring stork is noticed. They are then hung on a tree.

For coffee gourmets, special Turkish coffee workshops have been prepared.

Then teachers from partner schools visited GUHEM Aviation and Space Base in Bursa. In this interactive learning center you can follow a human’s dreams of flying and the development of aviation. You can also discover the mysteries of the space in a fun and exciting way.

The next point was a meeting with the main project coordinator – Ms Ewelina Pietrzyk, in order to summarize the project activities of the „Coding is Fun!” team so far and discussing the next tasks before the last visit to Poland.

During their stay in Turkey, teachers from partner schools were invited to a meeting with the mayor of Karacabey. The delegation of the project teachers was received with great openness and kindness. Coordinators from individual countries handed the hosts small gifts related to their localities.

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Third LTTA meeting in Portugal- 26.01-30.01.2022

The head master Rui Inglês and the teachers and students of the „Jardim do Fraldinhas” school in Leiria, Portugal, hosted the third meeting of the „Coding is Fun!”, project implemented under the Erasmus + program. During their stay, teachers from partner countries: Poland, Belgium, Spain and Turkey learned about the Portuguese education system and the rules of working with children from 4 months to 11 years old. The main purpose of the visit was to participate in trainings, workshops and classes promoting scientific experiments in technology, engineering, mathematics and computer science. 16 teachers from partner countries and a few from the host group participated in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) workshops.

On the first training day, a meeting with students and school staff took place. To welcome the guests, the students prepared a wonderful artistic program that symbolically depicted the Big Bang, the formation of the space, the formation of stars and planets, and the need for balance in the universe. Each class presented its elements of the show that were artfully combined into a whole one. Then the teachers had the opportunity to visit the school, talk to teachers from Portugal about the methods of conducting classes and the education system, while improving their language competences. Everyone was delighted with the variety of classes, friendly, unconventional interiors and the openness of children and staff. We felt at „Jardim do Fraldinhas” in Leiria like at home. A very important element was the „STEM WORKSHOPS” classes, during which teachers and students conducted experiments in the field of engineering, physics and chemistry, built simple mathematical machines and checked their correct operation, and learned the basics of SCRATCH programming.

The main purpose of the visit was to participate in trainings and classes promoting scientific experiments in technology, engineering, mathematics and computer science. 16 teachers from all over the world participated in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) workshops. Then teachers from partner schools visited the Monte Real air base, where they had the opportunity to learn about the most modern air force technology, the F-16 multi-role fighter squadron, principles of operation, and a complex system of supervision and troubleshooting. The visit to the military base made a great impression on the project participants. It proved how important it is in education to use ICT and develop technical competences.

The second day of the workshop began with a meeting between teachers and representatives of all students of the „Jardim do Fraldinhas” school. Coordinators from individual countries introduced their teams, talked about their schools and countries of origin. The students were curious about the customs prevailing in other countries, they asked about typical dishes and taking care of the natural environment. The next point was a meeting with the main coordinator of the project – Ms Ewelina Pietrzyk, who started the meeting by thanking Portuguese teachers for preparing workshops in a difficult time of the pandemic. The activities of the „Coding is Fun!” team so far have been summarized and next meetings in Turkey and Poland were planned.

Then, teachers from partner schools were invited to a meeting with representatives of the Leiria City Council – Councilor Luis Lopes and his assistant Hugo Bogalho, who presented their city and region in a passionate way, paying much attention to the value of education and plans for the development of the region. The meeting took place in the representative hall of the City Hall in Leiria, the delegation of the project teachers was received with great openness and kindness. Coordinators from individual countries presented the hosts with small gifts and gadgets related to their localities.

After returning to school, teachers once again participated in interesting workshops with students prepared by lecturers from the Higher School of Technology and Leiria Management. Our task was to program the Ozobot robot and guide it along the designated route. It turned out that the basics of programming and coding did not pose many difficulties for the teachers – we have already learnt a lot in the project. Then the workshops were continued at Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão, where professors Filip Santos, Alexandra Baptista and Carlos Neves enabled teachers to explore the secrets of programming and robotics in a professional studio.

On the last day of the visit, representatives of partner schools had the opportunity to visit the Lisbon Science Pavilion, the center of science and experience. The guide showed the guests around the center, presented interesting exhibitions, experiences and shows. Then workshops took place in the science center, where each of the project participants could perform the selected experiment, check the operation of the device or physical phenomenon they were interested in. Some teachers showed extraordinary courage and overcame the force of gravity on a bicycle suspended on ropes.

The visit to Portugal was well prepared, perfectly organized, all planned activities were successfully completed despite the difficulties resulting from the pandemic. It allowed the participants to increase their skills in coding, programming, project-based work and communication in foreign languages. Another project meeting „Coding is Fun!” will be held in March 2022 in Turkey.

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Second LTTA meeting in Spain - 28.09-3.10.2021

School principal Ana Cuenca Piqueras, teachers and students from „ C.P. MIGUEL PINILLA ” school in Almansa in Spain were the hosts of second meeting of Erasmus + project „Coding is Fun!”. Teachers from other partner countries: Portugal, Poland, Belgium and Turkey during their stay learned basics of Spanish educational system, the rules of work with children aged 3 to 12 years and were visiting ICT classes sharing best practices.

The main purpose of the visit was to participate in trainings and activities related to the Astronomy, STEM and ICT methods. 16 teachers from partner countries and several from the host group participated in the LTTA (Learning Teaching Training Activities) workshops.

On the first training day, as a part of the „ATRO-STEM WORKSHOPS” classes, participants were introduced to the basics of coding, programming and different experiments connected with Astronomy. Teachers took part in several workshops with children:

• 3 years old class: “The Planets. Day and night”

• 4 years old class: “Bluebots in our class”

• 5 years old class: “Building constellations with plasticine”

• 1st Primary class: “Playing with Maths”

• 2nd Primary class: “Croc & Play”

• 3rd Primary class: “Building Space Launchers and learning about the Solar System with our robots”

• 4th Primary class: “Making nebulae”

• 5th Primary class: “Learning Maths with Plickers”

• 6th Primary class: “Electrical circuits and scientific experiments”

The next point was the meeting with the main coordinator of the project, Ewelina Pietrzyk, who started the meeting by presenting an action plan for the duration of the project until the new date August 31st, 2022. The project has been prolonged of 12 months because of Pandemic.

During the meeting, the coordinators discussed the activities which were done so far in schools, the rules of work for the website www.codingisfun.eu and the eTwinning platform. Teachers presented children’s works that were made during the pandemic. The dates for the next workshop meetings in Portugal, Turkey and Poland have been set. The teachers proposed and planned activities for the next months of work in the project. They were also discussed how important is dissemination of the project by different types of media. We already have some articles in magazines and short TV interviews. In all schools the Astro STEM Clubs have been already set up for students who can develop their knowledge of Astronomy and ICT.

In the afternoon, all teachers were invited to the meeting with the local authorities in the Town Hall. After that a visit to the Castle was planned as an important part of the project, which allows participants to learn about the culture and history of the cooperating countries.

The second STEM-DAY was in cooperation with the Association “ASTROFOTO ALMANSA. During the workshops, students from 6^th primary class were presenting scientific experiments. Then students and teachers took part in “Orientation game in the playground using QR codes”.

Members of “Astrofoto” association gave a lecture about the Sun and then all teachers were able to observe it through the telescope that they installed in the school playground.

The culmination of the workshop was the night observation of the sky, stars and planets. Teachers from partner schools were delighted to be able to observe Saturn and Jupiter.

On the last day of the Learning Teaching Training Activities, all representatives of partner schools were visiting the SCIENCE MUSEUM in Valencia. This great 21st century museum allows visitors to learn about the evolution of life, science, and technology in an educational, interactive and enjoyable way. Interaction is the main feature of the Science Museum, which bears the slogan: “It is prohibited not to touch, not to feel, not to think”. Teachers were visiting the Science Museum with an English tour guide and then the Steam workshops was organised. The participants also saw a film in the “Hemisfèric”. These experiences in the form of workshops were the culmination of training visit in Spain organised by the head master Ana Cuenca Piqueras and teachers from C.P. MIGUEL PINILLA. The meeting was perfectly organized, all the assumptions of the project were made, children and teachers took part in workshops and lectures, and they can now pass their experiences to students and teachers in their schools. Such a meeting was also a great opportunity to develop communication skills in foreign languages, the results of which are very visible among teachers.