The international public voting of StarT 2019 was ongoing on our Youtube channel from the 18th of March until the 7th of April 2019. During this time everyone could share the videos and give likes for their favourites. Based on the number of likes and times the videos have been viewed, we are proud to announce that the favourites of the public 2019 are…
- The project “ASPAR T-2” by Turkish students from Merkez, Turkey! Congratulations to the students Talha Talip AÇIKGÖZ and Alperen KAHRAMAN from Niğde Akşemseddin Bilim ve Sanat Merkezi! Congratulations also to the supervisors of the project, Ertuğrul ÖZAR and Cüneyt AKYOL! Watch their video below:
- The best practice “Theatre for science” from GD-GSR (gestion déléguée du groupe scolaire la Résidence) learning community form Benguerir! Congratulations to the implementers, Fouad El Haski, Hachim Mortaqi and Rachid Wahabi! Watch their video below:
The “ASPAR T-2” project was carried out by a group of innovative upper secondary school students from Merkez, Turkey. Students Talha Talip and Alperen wanted to improve the design and functionality of wheelchairs, especially for disabled people without for example fingers or hands. This is how the students describe their project:
“The aim of the project is to provide disabled people who cannot control wheelchairs (with no fingers and arms) with the use of wearable technology to control the wheelchairs without needing help from anyone else. At the same time, we aimed to enable people with disabilities to move without needing others in the face of wheelchairs, door sills, ramps and pavements in public transport. In this context, using the wearable technologies, it is ensured that the wheelchair is controlled with sensors that detect arm movement. While doing all this, the interdisciplinary approach in the fields of software, design, mechatronics, robotics and science has been focused. In the process, ideas were gathered from various experts and non-governmental organizations.”
“ Theatre for science” is a best practice in which students take humankind to court for causing climate change. The events in the courtroom are displayed in the form of a play, and the students have prepared for the play by exploring the “scientific debate on the controversy of global warming and water depletion” and creating arguments based on scientific evidence. Watch their video to learn more about this inspiring way to approach climate change and scientific debate in classrooms! The teachers have also shared a report describing their best practice which you can access here.
Also the rest of the videos gained an admirable number of views and likes, and we at StarT are really happy to see that the public voting is serving its’ purpose: sharing the discoveries and innovations created by both young people and passionate educators around the world! Hopefully the videos have helped you by offering plenty of ideas and inspiration for carrying out project-based learning in your own learning communities! You can still see the rest of the videos on our Youtube channel (click here for teachers’ best practices and here for students’ projects).
Once more, a big thank you for everyone for sharing your great pedagogical innovations and wonderful projects with us and the rest of the world, and for participating in the international public voting!
The winners of the LUMA StarT Awards will be published in the International LUMA StarT Gala 2019
Next step in the StarT 2018–2019 is the announcement of the twenty nominees that continue on to compete for the main prizes of StarT. The StarT jury consisting of several people is now busy making their decision on the nominees, and they’ll consider your votes when making this decision. On the 16th of April 2019, we will announce the 10 best project nominees and 10 best educational practice nominees. From these 20 nominees, the honorary StarT jury will make the final decision as to who will receive the awards of the international StarT 2018–2019.
As such, please note that even though being named as the public’s favourite or a nominee is an incredible achievement and truly something to be proud of, it does not mean that the group has won the grand prize (the International LUMA StarT Award or Education Award). The International LUMA StarT Award will be given to three project teams and the International LUMA StarT Education Award for three best practices, and these six groups are the ones that will be winning the trip to Finland to receive their awards in the International LUMA StarT Gala.
The International LUMA StarT Gala is on the 6th of June 2019 in Jyväskylä, Finland. The gala is free of charge and everyone is welcome to participate in it. Unfortunately, we can only cover the travel costs of the six teams receiving the International LUMA StarT Awards, but everyone can watch the livestream of the gala online. Read more about the gala and find the links to watch it here (the link to the livestream of the gala will be added later). ‘
Also, remember to register as a learning community to the StarT 2019-2020 from May onwards! By registering you will receive additional information and support for carrying out StarT projects in your learning community.
First photo: Theatre for Science
