As a part of the project “Strengthening STEM skills through ecology in the Elementary school Zrinskih Nuštar” – EKO-RURAL4STEM, teachers and educational staff of the Elementary school Zrinskih Nuštar visited the Norwegian partner, the Department of Electronic Systems from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.

During the week-long study trip, the teachers got an insight into the activities used to popularize the STEM field among children and young people in Trondheim, saw what the Norwegian practical and experiential approach to STEM education looks like, and exchanged experiences and examples of good practice with Norwegian colleagues from educational institutions in the STEM field.

They visited the city’s educational farm (Voll gård) and primary schools Blussuvoll and Flatåsen, where they had the opportunity to participate in regular classes. Thora Storm High School hosted the EKO-RURAL4STEM team at a practical micro:bit workshop and additionally introduced them to working with educational Lego robots. They also visited the STEM centre at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, which plays a role in formal and informal STEM education, participated in “STEM rounds” in physics, chemistry and biology, and made solar sunflowers and robots in practical workshops related to the use of solar cells. At the Trondheim Science Centre, they visited the talent centre, the planetarium and learned about the centre’s role in STEM education in cooperation with schools.

The whole team is excited to continue the activities with the students, who will have the opportunity to acquire new STEM skills with the help of new didactic equipment, materials and the experiences and examples of good practice collected in Norway.