MORALSTEAM

MORALSTEAM – A video game for moral education and STEAM development – is the Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership (KA2) by Planet Alive in which Tag of Joy is one of the partners!

The project partners will be facing the challenging issue of how to increase students' interest in STEAM topics (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics), while also training them about universal values necessary for successful further education, professional and social life. The main goal of the project is to create effective open tools for Moral Education and STEAM development for 10-14 y.o. pupils. To this end, the main Intellectual output produced during MORALSTEAM will be a decision-making video game accessible through virtual platforms.

Moral Education is often mistakenly considered only as a set of rules and regulations, and taught to be unattractive and uninspiring for youngsters. Introducing innovative and digital teaching tools like educational video games can instead be a useful way to promote motivation to learn and a positive technological transfer of the innovative tool itself.

Researches will be conducted from one side to analyze relevant moral dilemmas that are universal for 10-14 y.o. pupils in each country, form the other side to enquire which are the most trending STEAM topics in each country. The results will create the necessary starting point to develop the game contents, and to measure the changes in pupils’ general competences.

The Intellectual Output that will be released is a decision-making video game in which children will solve moral dilemmas related to STEAM themes, fueled with facts and questions requiring pupils’ choices aimed at collecting value-points. Video games putting players in the role of decision-makers push learners through hard challenges, engaging them in experimenting different ways of learning and thinking. Once released, the video game is suited to be adopted in moral education, social education and STEAM classes.

The video game will be accompanied by the "Encyclopedia of value", including systematization of values and research outcomes. The "Encyclopedia of value" will consist in a list of values with description, tailored to pupils’ understanding, and in a collection of teaching materials useful for teachers when creating lesson plans and structured based on the principles of spiral and concentricity. The materials available will be based upon the research conducted in the three countries involved, and will take into account the recommendations of pupils, teachers and researchers, i.e. based on a common European approach. The manual developed is innovative, versatile and adaptable not only to moral and STEAM subject, but also in other formal lessons and non-formal activities.

The Partnership created to work on this project is innovative and mixed, as the 4 participants coming from 3 countries (Lithuania, Bulgaria, Italy) are coming from diverse field of expertise. The Association Planet Alive (Project Coordinator, Lithuania partner) is an organization developing social projects for schools; Tag of Joy (Lithuania partner) is a computer games creator; ASPECT - Management And Intercultural Relations (Bulgarian partner) deals with science linked with human existence; Erasmus Learning Academy (Italian partner) is a training center supporting innovation, modernization and internationalization of education. The partners also bring their experience in managing and implementing Erasmus Projects, for a total of 20 persons (scientists, programmers, project leaders, teachers, trainers, etc.).

Among the activities foreseen to reach the project objectives:

• TRANSNATIONAL PROJECT MEETINGS. 3 Transnational Project Meetings for project planning, besides analysis and development of activities.

• RESEARCH. 2 questionnaires and 2 pupils and teachers surveys, administered to 9 associate partners schools in the 3 partner countries (Lithuania, Bulgaria, Italy), and supposed to involve a total of ~675 pupils and ~45 teachers.

• DISSEMINATION OF INTELLECTUAL OUTPUT. The Intellectual Output will be available in 4 languages: Lithuanian, Bulgarian, Italian and English. Dissemination activities in all partner countries will mainly target educational institutions, department of education, delegate from associations. 3 conferences and 5 seminars “round table” will be addressed to school pedagogues. About 200 participants-teachers, parents and 2000 pupils will play the video game for testing and dissemination purpose.

The main expected result from project activities and dissemination, besides a high level of participation and positive rating of the video game and methodological material by the students and teachers involved, is to increase pupils’ interest and level of achievement in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics, and to educate them about values and virtues that are necessary for successful further education, professional activity and social involvement.