SL2E International Summer School 2024
7-12 July 2024
Schools as Living Labs in STEAM Learning Ecologies and Policy Contexts
The SL2E International Summer School 2024 introduces its participants to concepts, methods, practices, and policies centered on the intersection of open schooling, living labs, out-of-school science learning, and STEAM learning ecologies.
The Summer School prepares practitioners and decision makers to catalyse positive change in education. It inspires and empowers them to open up schools and other learning spaces to the society and current challenges, working together with the community to address common problems, fostering learners’ initiative, creativity and expression, and creating inclusive paths for everyone within continuums of learning opportunities.
Thanks to an organic link to Europe’s current efforts to improve science education, the SL2E International Summer School 2024 offers its participants an empowering framework and unique practice opportunities to explore and engage in state-of-the-art ways to turn schools and other learning spaces into catalysts of positive change within their local communities.
Throughout a week rich in lectures, seminars, workshops, peer interaction as well as social activities, Summer School participants design and develop their own open schooling-inspired, living lab-based, STEAM education-related projects and initiatives, with their own aspirations, needs and conditions in mind.
From within Europe’s current efforts for open schooling, we envision schools and other learning spaces which are open to society, becoming agents of community well-being in cooperation with other stakeholders by creating new partnerships in their local communities.
Through rich conceptual background and an array of practical examples, SL2E participants get to know and apply the living lab methodology as a flexible technique that they can use to develop student-centred open schooling activities in their own educational settings. Participants gain knowledge and skills enabling them to lead students’ active initiative and participation in innovative living-lab school projects and initiatives within their own professional circumstances.
In these, they empower students to co-create solutions to real problems from their own real-life experiences, through synergies with the local community and other societal actors, in the context of cross-curricular, experiential, project-based, integrated science learning. They also help all students to develop a genuine interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), by leveraging approaches involving creative thinking and applied arts (the “A” in STEAM).
All this is not meant to happen just within the walls of the classroom or the school, and it is not beneficial just for the students. SL2E International Summer School 2024 presents concrete ways in which the school and every open schooling-oriented organization can engage learners in science learning paths for all, in learning continuums connecting formal and informal learning environments and enterprises.
This is made possible thanks to the powerful concept of learning ecologies, in which all relevant actors are brought together in local partnerships: formal, non-formal and informal education providers, enterprises, the civil society. Within an interconnected knowledge ecosystem, all actors are given space and motivation to take initiative and central roles to foster improved science education for all and enhancing learners’ Science Proficiency.
Although rooted in science education research and practice, the approach is open to innovative and imaginative application in any curricular and thematic area. It enables embedding education in everyday life and problem solving linked to current challenges, making it more relevant and inclusive.
On this rich background, SL2E International Summer School 2024 participants also get familiar with the nature and challenges of current efforts to make the emerging evidence about the benefits of open schooling STEAM learning ecologies a driving force in European and national policymaking.
The SL2E International Summer School 2024 is a comprehensive and inclusive professional development programme that brings together researchers, practitioners and decision makers from across the wide field of education in Europe and beyond.
The Summer School is designed to offer inspiration and a valuable interdisciplinary learning experiences to school teachers, non-formal and informal educators at various levels, researchers, as well as any other open schooling, living lab, and STEAM stakeholders. Intensive dialogue, exchange, and mutual learning among participants is meant to produce better knowledge and shared understandings of opportunities, challenges and needs.
Although rooted in science education research and practice, the overall approach of SL2E is open to innovative and imaginative application in any curricular and thematic area, making education more relevant and inclusive, embedding it in everyday life and problem solving linked to current challenges.
The goal of the SL2E International Summer School 2024 is to empower participants to bring positive change in schools and other learning spaces, which will help increase learners’ ability to solve problems, collaborate with different people, and understand crucial aspects of today’s world, including global and local challenges, the relevance of science and technology in our lives, responsible research and innovation, social responsibility, the research and industry sectors and their needs, open science. We consider these elements as key to learners’ informed decisions and choices in their various roles as citizens and in their future careers.
This is translated into the following objectives of the Summer School:
- To familiarize participants with current concepts, methods, practices, and policies centered on the intersection of open schooling, living labs, out-of-school science learning, and STEAM learning ecologies.
- To provide participants with opportunities to explore in practice how to design and develop open schooling-inspired, living lab-based, STEAM education-related projects and initiatives, with their own aspirations, needs and conditions in mind.
- To offer participants ample space for dialogue, mutual learning and exchange of experiences and good practice within a community of peers from a variety of professional and cultural backgrounds, who are brought together by their interest in enhancing education and leveraging its powers.
- To foster participants’ rounded professional and personal development by balancing lectures, seminars, workshops, peer interaction and social activities in an overall balanced and effective week programme.
The Summer School is grounded on an overall bottom-up approach, emphasizing educational practice in real-life conditions and practitioners’ agency, rather than high-level conceptualizations.
Registered participants will receive a set of training materials and resources, including templates for the preliminary development of their own project ideas, which they will further advance during the Summer School.
Online digital spaces will be used before, during and after the Summer School for communication, distribution of preparatory material, common workspace and sharing among participants.
At the end of the Summer School, following the presentation of their work on the last day of the course, participants will receive a training certificate confirming successful completion.
To assess whether, and to what extent, the course has reached its expected objectives and results, relevant questionnaires will be administered, and discussions will be held within the programme. The results of this evaluation will be available to all participants.
During and after the Summer School, participants will become members of a large community of stakeholders which is maintained by the European projects organizing the Summer School. As members of this wide community, participants will have access to more materials, ideas, support, and opportunities for further training and collaboration with peers from across Europe and beyond with whom they share similar interests.
Sunday 7th of July (16.00-18.00)
Keynote Talks on Open Schooling, Out-of-School Science Learning and Science Proficiency, the Schools as Living Labs methodology, and the STEAM Learning Ecologies concept.
Monday 8th of July (9.00-13.00 & 15.00-17.00)
Introduction to the SL2E concepts and methods (interactive seminars): developing open schooling communities, creating STEAM learning ecologies, assessing science proficiency gains in learning paths through formal and informal learning spaces, co-creating educational policies for the future.
Visit to Cape Sounion and the Temple of Poseidon, Dinner at Cape Sounion (18.00-00.00)
Tuesday 9th of July (9.00-13.00 & 15.00-17.00)
Reflection on inspirational practices: Learning ecologies offering paths for all in continuums of formal and informal learning environments (presentations, workshops and discussions)
Participants co-developing their own educational practices – Part I (practical co-creation workshops)
Wednesday 10th of July (9.00-13.00)
Reflection on inspirational practices: Schools as living labs developing student-centred open schooling activities (presentations, workshops and discussions)
Participants co-developing their own educational practices – Part II (practical co-creation workshops)
Visit to the Acropolis Museum and the Acropolis, Dinner in Plaka (15.00-00.00)
Thursday 11th of July (9.00-13.00 & 15.00-17.00)
Reflection on policies: STEAM roadmap for science education in Europe (presentations, workshops and discussions)
Participants co-developing their own educational practices – Part III (practical co-creation workshops)
Farewell Dinner (20.00-24.00)
Friday 12th of July (9.00-13.00)
Participants presenting their designs to peers – Planning ahead for an SL2E learning and professional development ecosystem
The SL2E International Summer School 2024 offers its participants a rich, professionally and personally valuable learning and networking experience, which is grounded in findings and lessons learnt from several successful European projects.
The Schools as Living Labs (SALL) project (www.schoolsaslivinglabs.eu) proposes a flexible living lab methodology as a way to develop student-centred open schooling activities. The methodology has been co-created through systematic collaboration with the community of stakeholders, building on existing knowledge and best practices. It has been applied in real-life educational settings in more than 400 schools in 10 countries, and the resulting activities and their impact have been studied closely. The experiences and evidence gained have prepared the ground for sustainable living-lab-based open schooling activities in Europe’s schools, through strong community building, dissemination and communication activities, as well as impactful policy-oriented interventions.
The STE(A)M Learning Ecologies (SLEs) project (www.steamecologies.eu) is developing engaging open schooling-enabled science learning paths for all in learning continuums of formal and informal learning environments and enterprises, founded on the concept of local partnerships in the form of interconnected knowledge ecosystems: within them, all relevant actors (formal, non-formal and informal education providers, enterprises, the civil society) come together and take initiative and central roles to foster improved science education for learners of all ages.
The Road-STEAMer project (www.road-steamer.eu) is developing a STEAM roadmap for science education in Horizon Europe, i.e. a plan of action that will provide guidance to EU’s key funding programme for research and innovation on how to encourage more interest in STEM through the use of artistic approaches involving creative thinking and applied arts (the “A” in ‘STEAM’), and thus enable integrated science learning approaches and stronger connections between school education, higher education, informal and non-formal science education, and the world of business.
The Surrounded by Science (SbS) project (https://surroundedby.science) is developing and applying a systematic assessment methodology to analyze the impact of out-of-school science-related activities on a person’s science proficiency. Through a series of field studies and the use of innovative research instruments, the project is contributing to a better understanding of how the outcomes of such activities may relate to, and complement, the outcomes of formal science education. In this way, science organizations and science educators are helped to design more effective, targeted, and meaningful learning activities, and foundations are laid for the effective integration and accreditation of informal and formal science education.
Course fee
The course fee for all ESIA Summer Schools is 480€ (80€/per day) and fully within the funding opportunities of the Erasmus+ Programme.
The course fee covers:
- Expert lecturers for lectures, seminars and workshops
- All materials and equipment needed for the course
- Participation in the social programme & excursions (e.g. Sunset and dinner at Cape Sounio, excursion to the Acropolis and visit to the Acropolis Museum and dinner in downtown Athens, traditional night and farewell dinner, etc.)
Subsistence & accommodation
The Summer School will be held at Golden Coast Hotel & Bungalows, an A-class/ 4-star sea-side hotel which stretches on the golden, sandy beach of the Marathon Bay, near the historic location of Marathon, at the outskirts of Athens.
ESIA has made special arrangement with the hotel and are happy to offer to all participants a single or double room with all-inclusive services (i.e. breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks and free of charge services for outdoors sports and recreational activities).
The costs for subsistence are also within the ceilings of the Erasmus+ programme for KA1 mobility actions.
ACCOMMODATION AT GOLDEN COAST HOTEL 2023
COST FOR THE PARTICIPANTS (All Inclusive)
- Per person in SINGLE: 138 €/per night
- Per person in DOUBLE: 95 euro/per night
Extra persons (All Inclusive)
- TRIPLE room: 85 euro/per person/per night
EXTRA SERVICES (the following refers to other project participants that don’t pay the course fee)
TOURS & EXCURSIONS
Cape Sounio Tour (Price: 90 €/per person)
Monday @ 18:00
Includes:
-
- Transport by bus (Golden Coast – Cape Sounio – Golden Coast)
- Guided tour of Poseidon temple with Professional and Lisensed guide
- Entrance fees of the Temple of Poseidon
- Lunch at local tavern
- All taxes
Athens tour & Acropolis Museum (Price: 120 €/per person)
Wednesday @ 16:00
Includes:
-
- Transport by bus (Golden Coast – Athens – Golden Coast)
- Short panoramic tour by bus of historic center of Athens
- Services of a Professional and licensed guide
- Entrance fees of Acropolis museum
- Lunch at local tavern
- All taxes
+ Entrance fees to the Acropolis Archaeological Site ticket cost of 20 €/per person.
*** The above prices are calculated based on current costs, tickets to museums / archeological sites, fuel cost, VAT
The Summer School will be held at Golden Coast Hotel & Bungalows, an A-class/ 4-star sea-side hotel which stretches on the golden, sandy beach of the Marathon Bay, near the historic location of Marathon, at the outskirts of Athens.
It is the area of Marathon, that has hosted since the times of myths when Theseus killed the terrible bull of Marathon, to the times of the Persian wars and the Battle of Marathon, further on to our days and the marathon race and Marathon Run, the emblematic symbol of man’s quest for freedom and the will to defend his most noble deeds which constitute the foundations of the Human civilization. The plethora of natural, historical sites and museums of the area reveal in all details this unique historical voyage.
Participants are expected to arrive through the Athens International Airport, approximately 25 km (15,53 miles) distance from the hotel.
School Heads and Teachers participation in the summer courses can be funded by the ERASMUS+ Programme.
In case your school or organization does not have the funds to cover the costs of your participation in the Summer School, there is another option: you can apply to be funded by by the ERASMUS+ Programme.
Please note that the Erasmus+ KA1 application can only be submitted by the school or the organization – no individual applications can be submitted.
The deadline for application is 20 February 2024.
What is ERASMUS+?
Erasmus+ is the European Commission’s Programme for education, training, youth, and sport for the period 2021-2027. As an integrated programme, Erasmus+ offers more opportunities for the mobility of learners and staff and cooperation across the education, training, and youth sectors and is easier to access than its predecessors, with simplified funding rules and a structure that aims to streamline the administration of the programme.
Erasmus+ Key Action 1 (KA1) provides a unique opportunity for teachers, headmasters, trainers, and other staff of educational institutions to participate in international training courses in different European countries. Schools, universities, vocational education and training, and adult education organizations are all eligible to receive full funding to attend courses under a KA1 mobility grant. The Erasmus+ KA1 grant covers all the costs to attend teacher training courses: including travel, subsistence, and course fee.
For up-to-date information about Erasmus+ please check the Programme’s website. Your school will need to apply to your country’s National Agency, who is also the one who will evaluate the proposal. Therefore, your National Agency is also a very good point to start for more information.
Don’t forget to go through the the New Programme Guide and you will have all you need to know.
The steps to apply for an Erasmus+ KA1 School Education Staff Mobility grant are:
- Fill in the registration form to our Summer School with your details. This is an individual registration form, so if there are more than one participant from the same school, each one will have to submit a separate registration form. This way you have reserved a slot in the course in case your application for Erasmus+ funding is successful!
- Register your school/organization here: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-esc/index/ , if not already registered.
- Check the compliance with the programme criteria
- Check the financial conditions
- Fill in and submit the application form
- Respect the deadline
- Do not forget to inform us as soon as you get notified from your National Agency whether your grant application is accepted or rejected.
You can find all related information about submitting an Erasmus+ Application HERE.
We will be happy to guide you through the process.