The Global Science Opera Leverage students participation and engagement in science through art practices (GSO4SCHOOL)

Project summary

The GSO4SCHOOL project's main aim is to propose an innovative method to motivate school students and teachers to participate in interdisciplinary science and-arts initiatives and to develop and establish a network that will work together, exchange practices and maintain the Global Science Opera activities in the Future. The project aims to raise both school students' and teachers' skills in social, science, cultural and arts aspects. This will be achieved through the development of training materials, the training of educators, scientists and artists, and the implementation and evaluation of project activities.

The GSO4SCHOOL consortium brings together key players in the field of Creativity in Education, Science Education, the arts, Outreach, innovation excellence, as well as in the validation and evaluation of activities who have invested major efforts in introducing frontier initiatives in schools and youth organisations in Europe and beyond. The consortium partners regularly involve schools, students and teachers in their activities and projects.

The main pillar of the project will be students' collaboration and co-creation. School students will have the opportunity to develop services and products, and operate the network as a learning organisation that will produce annual performances, educate other school students and teachers at the local and/or National Level through the cooperation of relevant stakeholders and promote the creative methods of GSO4SCHOOL in Europe and beyond. Furthermore, the project proposes an impact assessment methodology in order to capture the interest and motivation of students in science education as well as the social impact of the activities.

The main impact of the project will be:

- improved long-term understanding of science learning, the roles of the learner, with better-informed citizens engaging with the grand challenges, while developing a collaboration culture among participants through the "universal language" that art provides.

- Ensured scientific and interdisciplinary competencies as well as digital literacy for all, improved employability and informed citizenship.

- Bridging gaps between science education and teacher education research, teacher preparation, teaching practices and learning.

- Better understandings of the effects of collaboration between science education providers, local stakeholder and educational networks.

- Development of a culture of responsibility, responsiveness, innovation and broad participation in all aspects of science, science and entrepreneurship education, and science communication.