The LUMA Centre Finland network awarded the best science and technology projects for children, and young people and teaching practices for learning communities on Monday 13th of June at the International StarT Gala.
The International LUMA Start Awards were presented for the sixth time this year. This year, we finally had the opportunity to gather together after a two-year brake at the Aalto University. It was also possible to watch the gala as a virtual live broadcast. In the gala, the International LUMA Start Award 2022 was presented to the three best natural sciences, math or technology related projects done by children and young people around the world. The International LUMA Start Education Award 2022 was presented to three learning communities for best educational practice in relation to the implementation of interdisciplinary, research-based and phenom-based teaching. Winners were awarded in addition to prizes a trip to Finland.
The International LUMA StarT Awards went to:
- Jordan: Comparing the ratio of Aluminum migration to the food from different kinds of aluminum foil
- Spain: Estudi de la contaminació atmosfèrica a Martorell and
- China: Sustainable recycling of contaminated sediment in Yantian River
The StarT honorary jury consisting of Prof. Maija Aksela (University of Helsinki, Finland; Head of LUMA Centre Finland), Distinguished Prof. Joseph Krajcik (Michigan State University, USA; Director, CREATE for STEM Institute), and Prof. Marina Milner-Bolotin (University of British Columbia, Vancouver, CA; Chair of the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy Graduate Advisory Committee) found the choice incredibly challenging due to the high level of practices and projects. The winning projects took off from real questions and thoughts of children and young people. The projects included cooperation both within their own learning community and also with outsiders. The videos and learning diaries of the projects were first-rate and carefully done.
The International LUMA Start Education Awards went to:
- South Korea: Music hearing with hearing impaired friends
- Finland: Project of sleep and
- Jordan: The Planetarium
The creators of these practices, Korean teachers for STEAM education, Elina Viro, Niina Pahkamäki, Juuso Linnusmäki, Omar Basem Moeen Shaheen, Tamara Ibrahim Suliman Abu Sowaid, Hiba Ehlal Mohammad Bani Domi and Marah Jehad Abdal Razak Alsife had demonstrated interdisciplinary and innovative work in their practices. The StarT honorary jury described the practices as pragmatic, inventive and versatile. The jury valued interdisciplinarity, collaboration, and the active inclusion of children and young people in the winning practices.
The public’s favourites were also rewarded in the gala. Public’s favourites were Disaster Search and Rescue UAV Project – the Servator by Vinschool Education System from Vietnam and Learning based on crisis and disaster management skills by Elementary School Bani Aouf from Tunisia. You can read more about the public’s favourites from our earlier post.
In the 2021-2022 season a total of 847 project work and 750 educational practices took part in StarT. The joy of learning was shared by 1, 486 learning communities, 6, 912 teachers and 325, 126 children and young people. This season has reached it’s end but luckily the new season starts right away! Let’s StarT again and remember that learning is sharing!
