Новости

The first day opened with a presentation of the project's achievements and results by principal investigator Vanesa Baños Martínez, followed by a lecture and hands-on workshop on the application of artificial intelligence in education by Steven Johan Maria Van Vaerenbergh of the University of Cantabria. Partners also took part in a Transnational Project Meeting, along with guided visits to the Mathematics Laboratory at the University of Burgos and Burgos Cathedral, and an evening dinner together. The second day featured scientific communications from each partner organization, including Future Minds, sharing insights and outcomes from their work on the project, followed by an engaging "Mathmagic Show" and a final evaluation session, bringing the project to a fitting close.

As with the first Digital Sprint, day one focused on data literacy, teaching students to interpret data and identify trustworthy sources, while day two introduced mobile app development with MIT App Inventor, culminating in a hands-on analysis of ten years of local air pollution data from the municipality of Karpos. The successful workshop reflects Future Minds' broader commitment to equitable, accessible digital education for young people in North Macedonia, engaging students from diverse backgrounds in meaningful, real-world digital skill building.

Day one focused on data literacy, teaching students to interpret graphs and trends, identify credible data sources such as Eurostat, the World Bank, and national statistics portals, and visualize data using the Desmos platform. Day two shifted to hands-on application development with MIT App Inventor, guiding students through building their first mobile app, complete with visual elements, text-to-speech, and sensor integration. As a capstone exercise, students applied their new skills to a real-world issue, analyzing ten years of PM10 and PM2.5 air quality data from their own municipality of Karpos. The workshop marks an important first step in building data literacy and digital citizenship skills among young people as part of the wider Spark the Facts initiative.

The first video walks through the app's functionality, demonstrating how students navigate its six lesson modules connecting STEAM subjects with real sports activities. The second video documents the testing process in schools, capturing how students and teachers engaged with the app in the classroom and the feedback that shaped its development. The third video gives an overview of the app's content, highlighting the range of topics covered, from physics and biology to nutrition, fitness, and environmental science. Together, the videos offer an accessible way for teachers, students, and the wider public to discover how the app brings STEAM and sports education to life.

Through hands-on "Data Sprints" in three schools, students will learn to navigate trusted sources such as Eurostat, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and national statistical offices, and turn verified evidence into their own mobile apps addressing issues in their communities. The project targets at least 90 students aged 14 to 17 and will produce two free, open access resources: a Students Learning Guide walking students through finding data, visualizing it with Desmos, and building an app with MIT App Inventor, plus a digital toolbox of real-world case studies, both published in Macedonian and English so the model can be reused well beyond the project's end.

Sessions covered understanding the parent perspective, principles of effective communication with families, and the CARE Framework in action, alongside the introduction of the Together Tool, a practical resource for planning family engagement coordinated by project partner University of Zagreb. Participants worked in groups to build a schoolwide plan for family engagement in STEAM, presenting their plans on the final day. The program also included a social dimension, with a guided tour of Skopje's landmarks. The activity closed with a certificate ceremony, reaffirming ongoing support for teachers as they put the Together Tool and family engagement practices into action in their schools.

Over two days of meetings, partners from North Macedonia, Croatia, the Netherlands, and Slovenia came together to align on the project's objectives and plan the work ahead, including the development of tools to strengthen family involvement in STEAM education. The meeting combined focused project planning with valuable opportunities for partners to connect, including an evening group dinner, setting a strong foundation for the two years of collaboration ahead.

The app features six lesson modules blending STEAM with hands-on sports: exploring air pressure and elasticity through bouncing balls, analyzing projectile motion by throwing at different angles, connecting biology with heart rate and breathing exercises, calculating nutrition needs like an athlete, tracking personal fitness metrics such as endurance and speed, and comparing the carbon footprint of different ways of traveling to sports events. Through hands-on data collection and reflection, the app strengthens digital literacy and supports inclusive, engaging STEAM education for use in lessons, workshops, and independent learning. The app is available for free download on [Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=appinventor.ai_ntuneski.STEAM_and_Sports).

FASTEAM aims to strengthen family involvement in STEAM education by connecting parents, teachers, and students to make science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics more engaging both in and outside the classroom, with a particular focus on girls and underrepresented groups. Over its two-year run, the project will develop a range of practical resources, including a "Together Tool" to support collaboration between teachers and families, a STEAM Storytime with Experiments guide, an online Family Challenges Platform, and dedicated teacher training on culturally responsive family engagement strategies.

The program opened with a keynote from Aleksandra Blazeska of Jan Amos Komenski School, who presented the project’s achievements and key results, followed by an open discussion on practical applications. Prof. Biljana Jolevska Tuneska then presented on opportunities within the Erasmus+ Programme, giving educators and schools insight into future funding possibilities. Feedback from the 25 participants who completed the event survey was overwhelmingly positive, with the large majority rating the organization, venue, and clarity of presentations as excellent, and most reporting they felt motivated to apply what they learned in their own teaching.

Alongside the Teaching Guide, the project has released 15 ready-to-use lesson units covering a wide range of topics, from nutrition and balanced meals to human posture, video production, ecosystems, sports biomechanics, physics in sports, sustainability, and mathematics in movement. Together, these materials, developed for students aged 10 to 15, equip teachers with practical, cross-disciplinary tools that bring STEAM and sports education to life in the classroom. All resources are freely available for download on the project's [materials page](https://www.steamandsports.eu/materiales/#Materiales).

The agenda covered project finances, an expert evaluation of the STEAM & Sports Teaching Guide, and a review of the Learning, Teaching and Training Activity held earlier in Skopje. Partners also discussed the development of the project's mobile app, dissemination activities, and preparations for the next meeting, to be hosted in Bakar, Croatia. The day closed with a certificate distribution, followed by a cultural visit to the Gallery of Matica Srpska for the exhibition "Sport in Art, The Art of Sport," and a partner dinner.

Participants took part in sessions on integrative models of education, the use of AI tools for lesson planning, and an in-depth exploration of the STEAM & Sports Teaching Guide, culminating in hands-on group work to design and present their own lesson plans. The program also included cultural experiences, a guided tour of Skopje's landmarks and a social dinner, as well as a hiking and biodiversity excursion on Vodno Mountain, applying STEAM & Sports principles in a real-world, outdoor setting. The activity closed with a certificate ceremony recognizing participants' contributions and a shared commitment to integrating these methodologies into everyday teaching practice.

Alongside the working sessions, the visit offered an opportunity for partners to connect in person and build the strong working relationships that would carry the project forward, with an evening dinner and additional social programme rounding out the two days. The meeting marked an important early milestone in the STEAM & Sports project, setting the stage for the collaborative work that followed, including the Learning, Teaching and Training Activity later held in Skopje.

The project's vision is to foster a symbiotic relationship between STEAM education and sports, making STEAM subjects more engaging, relevant, and accessible to a diverse range of students, particularly underrepresented groups, including girls. Through innovative resources such as teaching guides, a mobile app, and hands-on activities, STEAM&Sports aims to spark curiosity, promote educational equity, and prepare students for future careers at the intersection of science, technology, and sport.