OSTogether

    OSTogether



    OS Together is a unique bottom-up movement consisting of 16 EU-funded projects in Open Schooling, with 191 organisations involved.

    Join the OStogether network

    The OStogether network was founded in December 2020 with the aim of bringing together EU projects focused on Open Schooling and science education outside the classroom. Initiated by Ecsite, the Europen network of science centres and museums, through its EU projects Schools As Living Labs
    and Make it Open, OStogether sought to create a community of expertise, collaborating with other EU-funded projects to foster synergies and highlight the complementarity of each project within the broader landscape of Open Schooling and STEAM education.
    Today, OStogether brings together 16 EU-funded projects, working together to advance the potential of open STEAM education and tackle societal challenges through innovative approaches. The network involves over 190 stakeholders from schools, local communities, policymakers, museums, science centres, and other local organisations throughout Europe and beyond.

    Get to know more about our network, what we do and how we do on our infopack!

    The OS together network meets bi-monthly to update on results, potential synergies, new events and further advancement of the open schooling agenda.

    • Subscribe to the Open Schooling Together Newsletter


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    Projects

    CONNECT

    January 2020 – December 2023

    CONNECT (Inclusive open schooling through enganging and future-oriented science) supports secondary schools to adopt open schoolin, integrating science-action in the core-curriculum and using participatory-science with the community: families, univerities, and enterprises. Connect will provide useful and interesting add-ons to existing units that tick many curriculum boxes and are easy for teachers

    Resources:

    COSMOS

    January 2022 – December 2024

    In the COSMOS project, partners collaborate with primary and secondary schools that want to engage in science education that is open to the society through co-creation and implementation of socio-scientific inquiry-based learning.

    It aims at leveraging socio-scientific inquiry-based learning (SSIBL) as a pedagogigal means for opening up schools to their communities. The project will support the creation of Communities of Practice (CoP) consisting of non-formal and informal education providers, enterprises, families and other stakeholders.

    ICSE Science Factory

    January 2023 – December 2025

    The ICSE Science Factory addresses the urgent need for more scientists and scientifically literate citizens within the EU by creating cross-sectoral networks at local level that work with schools. The resulting new partnerships, e.g. between teachers, students, scientists, and business professionals, immerse learners in real-life problem-solving situations, contributing to a lifelong learning continuum and interest in science.

    LEVERS

    March 2023 – March 2026

    LEVERS (Learning Ventures for Climate Justice) develops lifelong learning ecosystems to raise awareness about climate justice, and to co-design educational interventions that support all persons to take meaningful climate action within their communities. Led by diverse and representative locally-organized networks in nine countries, informed by best practices in open schooling, we engage educators, learners, activits, professionals, and policymakers to work together towards a climate-just Europe.

    Make it Open

    October 2020 – September 2023

    The Make it Open project seeks to promote innovative science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) learning activities and foster partnerships between schools and local communities. Make it Open is a gateway to open Schooling where schools are transformed from traditional educational institutions into community parnterships and become agents of community well-being.

    Resources:

    MOST

    September 2020 – October 2023

    MOST (Meaningful Open Schooling Connects Schools To Communities) intended to support students and citizens in Europe to develop scientific knowledge, transversal skills and competencies in working scientifically. The project opened up formal science education to the citizens and established partnerships between schools and their communities to work together on environmental school-community projects.

    Resources:

    MULTIPLIERS

    September 2021 – October 2024

    The MULTIPLIERS (Multiplayers Partnerships to ensure meaningful engagement with Science and Society) Horizon2020 project seeks to narrow the divide between science and education by offering school students and experts the opportunity to work together on societal and environmental challenges. In so-called Open Science Communities in 6 countries, cooperation unfolds between schools, universities, informal education providers, museums, local associations, industry, civil society, policymakers and media.

    Resources:

    • Science-learning projects/Toolkits on 6 socio-scientific issues
      Contains a set of teaching and learning activities (topics: vaccination, antimicrobial resistance, air pollution, biodiversity, forest use vs. forest protection, clean water, sanitation).
    • MULTIPLIERS White Book
      Recommendations and good practices to improve actual educational practices and policies in open-schooling.
    • Open Science Communities (OSCs) Network
      International Open Schooling Network.

    OSHub

    October 2029 – September 2022

    The Open Science Hub Network supports schools and local stakeholders to use research and innovation as a tool for tackling local challenges and contributing to sustainable community development. OSHub endeavors to set up a European network of community hubs in communities that traditionally do not engage with research and innovation due to various barriers. Among its outcomes, the development and sustaining of local networks and strategies for schools and community stakeholders to exchange their knowledge and experiences, and to collaborate together.

    OTTER

    September 2021 – February 2024

    OTTER is an EU-funded project focused on increasing the interest in scientific topics among young people through Education Outside the Classroom (EOC) methods and pedagogies.

    Resources:

    • EOC Learning Platform
      Material and guidelined for Education Outside the Classroom educators. A set of tools, guidelines and material for educators and teachers wanting to implement Education Outside the Classroom activities.
    • The OTTER Hub
      Connect with people passionate about Education Outside the Classroom to share news and ideas to develop new pedagogies and methodologies.
    • A map of EOC places for practice
      A shared map of places, programmes and initiatives for STEM learning beyond traditional classroom settings.

    PAFSE

    September 2021 – August 2024

    PAFSE is a science education project that addresses the challenges of public health. The project engages different providers in building science clusters that boost young people’s awareness of public health challenges, protective factors and patterns of risky behavior. Its goal is to create regional health education clusters of schools supported by stakeholders to promote innovative open ways of providing STEM learning for addressing public health issues. PAFSE will strengthen populations’ literacy and mitigate risks, having students playing a central role, as public health ambassadors, early adopters and spreaders of scientific knowledge.

    PHERECLOS

    October 2019 – September 2022

    The EU-project PHERECLOS (Partnerships For Pathways To Higher Education And Science Engagement In Regional Clusters Of Open Schooling) builds upon the experience of Children’s Universities (CUs) in Europe and beyond. Due to their engagement with children and young people, they help to breakdown institutional boundaries between universities and the wider society. The project established “Local Education Clusters” (LECs), bringing together schools and further relevant actors in the educational ecosystem of 6 diverse pilot regions.

    Resources: 

    PULCHRA

    September 2019 – December 2022

    PULCHRA explored the open schooling concept through the theme “Cities as urban ecosystems” and created new partnerships in local communities to foster science education for all citizens. The project brought trust in the method of science and in evidence based decision making. It helped build recognition of the links between the natural, built and socio-economic environment. The project developed open source educational e-material, e-guidelines and smartphone apps for analyzing the urban ecosystem and challenges.

    Road-STEAMer

    September 2022 – August 2025

    The Road-STEAMer project will develop a STEAM Roadmap for Science Education in Horizon Europe and in educational policy across the continent, to get a shared understanding of Europe’s particular educational needs and how STEAM can address them, to explore the opportunities arising through STEAM for integrated science learning approaches and synergies, and to study those policy deficiencies that impactful adoption of STEAM approaches in Europe’s science education landscape.

    Resources: 

    SALL

    September 2020 – August 2023

    The Schools As Living Labs (SALL) project introduces an innovative approach to science education by fostering collaboration between schools, communities, and local actors through open-innovation methodologies. It aims to modernise STEM education, transforming schools into living labs. SALL involves co-creation, experimentation, and engagement to bridge education and real-world needs, enhancing 21st-century skills and science awareness.

    Resources: 

    SEAS

    September 2019 – August 2022

    SEAS identified core principles and best practices required for creating and sustaining open schooling collaborations, and promoted scientific literacies and skills necessary to engage in addressing real-life, complex sustainability challenges. The aim of the project was to develop tools and methods that facilitate collaboration between schools and local communities facing sustainability challenges. Throughout the three years of implementation, the SEAS project has generated a wealth of knowledge resources and tools that draw from the experiences and systematic analyses of open schooling collaborations across six European countries.

    SLEs

    January 2023 – December 2025

    STE(A)M Learning Ecologies (SLEs) project funded under Horizon Europe fosters inclusive science learning across formal and informal environments. It emphasises collaboration among formal, non-formal, informal education, enterprises, and civil society, empowering all stakeholders to initiate and lead, promoting open schooling-enabled science learning paths for diverse learners

    contact us

    Want to join the OStogether network or learn more?

    Email  Stephanos Cherouvis (Ecsite) scherouvis@ecsite.eu and Denis Saggese (Ecsite) dsaggese@ecsite.eu

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    “Funded by the European Union’s Horizon programme under grant agreement No 101094648. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.”

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