Regional Science Centres for STEM education in primary schools- LORI

About this project

<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif">With the project LORI the project promotor plans to solve the problem of insufficient space for STEM education and activities in Town Ludbreg, the lack of adequately equipped classrooms and insufficiently developed STEM skills of teachers, educators and students in primary education. For these reasons and through this project Town Ludbreg and partners &nbsp;will support the improvement and enhancement of STEM skills of teachers, educators and primary school students and will establish LORI, a modern and adequately equipped Regional Science Center for Primary Education for STEM activities.&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 11pt">The LORI centre will be located in Ludbreg, in the reconstructed premises of the old mill. The centre will develop STEM and ICT programmes in cooperation with project partners The Polytechnic of Međimurje in Čakovec and NGO FIRS Scandinavia from Norway. The programmes will incorporate subjects from chemistry, programming, mechanics etc. The added value of the project is in the partner from Norway, who will help identify equipment for the centre, including establishing Newton rooms, their specialised concepts for STEM learning, which will incorporate activities developed by the partner. As an ultimate goal of the project, the centre will be established as an independent institutions which will provide programmes for schools in the Town of Ludbreg, Varaždin County and wider area. The goal is to include the activities of the centre in school curricula in the area and provide quality supplementary education for school students.</span></span></p>

Bilateral cooperation results

The project greatly benefited from its bilateral partnership with the Norwegian organization First Scandinavia, which provided access to the international Newton network, renowned for its innovative educational methods in the STEM field. This collaboration facilitated the adoption of advanced educational modules, including topics such as sustainable energy and aviation, significantly enriching the program content of the Regional Science Center LORI. The Norwegian partners offered technical support and training, including equipment installation and teacher education in line with Newton standards, ensuring the high quality of project implementation and the center's future activities. The results of this bilateral cooperation include the establishment of a modern center with advanced infrastructure and equipment, the enhancement of teachers' competencies through professional training, and the adoption of advanced teaching methods in STEM education. Moreover, the partnership encouraged knowledge and experience sharing between Croatian and Norwegian teachers, creating a platform for further development and the application of best practices in education. Plans for continued bilateral cooperation focus on maintaining and enhancing ties with First Scandinavia and the Newton network to ensure ongoing access to innovative educational modules and programs. Further support from Norwegian partners is anticipated for teacher training and expanding the network of collaborators, allowing the center to maintain a high level of quality and relevance in its programs. This partnership continues to provide long-term benefits to the educational system and the local community while strengthening international connections and knowledge exchange.

Project partners

• First Scandinavia Donor project partner· Norway
• Primary School Ludbreg Project partner· Croatia
• Primary School Veliki Bukovec Project partner· Croatia
• Varaždin County Project partner· Croatia
• The Polytechnic of Međimurje in Čakovec Project partner· Croatia
• Primary School Sveti Đurđ Project partner· Croatia