Bringing Engineering into the Classroom with Hydroponic Gardens in Poland

With support from the Engineering Grant, teachers in Poland took part in a training focused on engineering and STEAM education. Tomasz Ordza shares his insights from the event:

From 7 to 12 October, Kazimierz Nowak Primary School in Dąbrówka hosted teachers from our partner schools in Barreiro, Portugal, Maria Robalo (Agrupamento de Escolas Augusto Cabrita) and Helena Pires (Agrupamento de Escolas de Álvaro Velho). The study visit took place as part of the project “STEAM and Future Jobs with School Hydroponic Gardens”, implemented thanks to a grant awarded by Science on Stage Germany.

Our activities were also supported by Science on Stage Poland, for which we are very grateful. Cooperation with the national Science on Stage network enables us to develop international projects, exchange good practices, and show both students and teachers that science, technology and engineering can create a shared space for experimentation, design and the search for innovative solutions.

One of the key elements of the visit was a series of workshops held at our school for students and teachers. The activities combined biology, chemistry, technology, engineering and sustainability. School hydroponic gardens served as a starting point and a practical educational tool for developing design thinking, project-based learning, experimentation and real-world problem-solving. Students were actively involved in designing, testing and improving engineering solutions.

Another important part of the programme was a visit to Maria Skłodowska-Curie Primary School No. 2 in Nowy Tomyśl, where workshops for students and teachers were held, accompanied by an exchange of experiences and good practices between the participating schools. The participants worked on issues related to food production, water use, climate change, sustainable cities and responsible consumption, transforming these topics into practical educational challenges based on the engineering design process.

An important element of the study visit was also a meeting with a representative of the leadership of the European Blue School Network. It provided an opportunity to present the results of our previous activities and the projects jointly implemented by students from Poland and Portugal. We demonstrated how we combine science education, environmental action, STEAM and international cooperation, while making use of the opportunities offered by eTwinning.

This synergy is particularly important to us. Activities carried out within different European initiatives do not exist separately but complement and strengthen one another, allowing students to develop scientific, digital, linguistic and social competences through shared, authentic projects.

The visit marked another stage in the long-standing cooperation between our school and our partners from Barreiro. The grant project is not limited to workshops alone. It also aims to further develop a network of cooperating schools, share teaching materials and lesson ideas, and disseminate good practices related to the use of hydroponics in STEAM and engineering education.

We would like to thank our Portuguese partners for the inspiring meetings, collaborative work and another opportunity to learn from one another. We extend our special thanks to Science on Stage Germany for awarding the grant and to Science on Stage Poland for supporting our activities and helping to create a space in which teachers can work together to develop modern and innovative STEM and STEAM education.