i-Vulcani: a learning environment for ecological thinking and STEAM education in ECEC
i-Vulcani are totemic micro-architectures, equipped with wheels, designed for children 3-8 years old. Developed on three vertical levels, with multiple worktops, integrated with different technologies that allow an immersive and perceptive learning experience. This tool is designed to develop ecological thinking and STEAM education. The Learning by languages team experimented with this tool with 200 children in 3 schools.
Regional
Italy
Emilia Romagna Region
Provinces of Reggio Emilia and Modena
It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)
No
No
Yes
As a representative of an organisation
Name of the organisation(s): Progettare Zerosei ldt Type of organisation: For-profit company First name of representative: Lina Last name of representative: Borghi Gender: Female Nationality: Italy Function: President Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Via A. Gramsci 54/v Town: Reggio Emilia Postal code: 42124 Country: Italy Direct Tel:+39 0522 378610 E-mail:ccota@progettarezerosei.it Website:https://www.learningbylanguages.com/
Ecological thinking must be supported and developed starting from kindergarten and in the first cycle of Primary school, through educational choices that can arouse interest and curiosity towards the environment. The Learning by Languages research team wondered how to bring children closer to ecological sensitivity at school, in a captivating and innovative way for this age group, even in those school contexts in which it is not possible to experience nature directly. The team has therefore designed and created "i-Vulcani", a learning environment capable of integrating languages and technologies to bring children closer to the exploration of nature, with a scientific approach. The idea that animated the project is that, if young children learn to know nature, observe it, and study it in ways that are interesting for them, as well as developing early scientific thinking, they simultaneously develop sensitivity and an ethical sense of respect for the environment. i-Vulcani are totemic micro-architectures, equipped with wheels, designed for children 3-8 years old. Developed on three vertical levels, with multiple worktops, integrated with different technologies that allow an immersive and perceptive learning experience, they catalyse attention and curiosity and promote the pleasure of discovery.
To verify our research hypotheses and the usefulness of using i-Vulcani, it has started a research project, that lasted 2 school years, in collaboration with the University of Trieste and other stakeholders. Three kindergartens participated in the experimental research: “i Girasoli” in Gattatico (Reggio Emilia); “27 Febbraio” in Fabbrico (Reggio Emilia); "Rodari" of the IC3 Modena, for a total of about 200 children and 20 teachers.
The research was presented at Expo Dubai 2020, during the “Learning and Knowledge” week, in the Italian Pavilion. The results converged in three publications, edited by Junior Publishing, and in two Guidelines.
Developing of competences
Ecological thinking
STEAM education
Innovation and technology
Life cycle
The contemporary world asks us for new challenges in the educational field. Educating the new generations about sustainability becomes a priority starting from the first years of life, considering that from 3 to 8 years, principles and rules which substantiate the constitution of the personality are consolidated. For this reason, children must be aware of nature from the early years. Our objective was to identify an educational tool, which could permit to design paths for the exploration of nature, combining emotional aspects, expressive languages, technologies, scientific approach.
The didactic paths started with the use of i-Vulcani wanted to develop an awareness of environmental protection, a sense of responsibility, and safeguarding biodiversity, through the deepening and knowledge of natural phenomena.
The first experimental sets investigated the topics of plant growth, transformation, photosensitivity, life cycle, biodiversity. In particular, children focused on seeds, roots and mosses. They studied the phenomena of drying, dehydration, hydroculture, light and temperature, understanding what are the essential elements for life of living beings. Subsequently, the children's research focused on the 4 elements: water, fire, earth, air.
The results of the research have shown great interest and involvement of the children in the proposed experiences, an increase in the critical approach to the analysis of phenomena, greater care and respect to natural elements, a sense of empathy and closeness to plants and animals.
The initiative is exemplary because it is transferable and scalable, as i-Vulcani can be adaptable and usable in all contexts, going to support different types of research, which can vary according to the observational focus. It can be used indoors, supporting ecological thinking even in those urban or climatic contexts where it is difficult to have outdoor experiences. Finally, the publications allow teachers to find suggestions for using the tool
The objective was to design an aesthetically appealing and inviting tool, specific to early childhood education, unique in his purpose to combine ecology, art, creativity, scientific research, and digital tools. An architect/designer was involved in the project.
i-Vulcani enables the preparation of contexts for direct experiences that simultaneously activate the cognitive, emotional, and psychomotor spheres. i-Vulcani is a learning environment, an "ecosystem" of experiences, capable of changing according to the materials chosen and the teaching proposals.
The vertical perspective and the aesthetic dimension fascinate children by playing a driving role in the processes of knowledge. The circular shape stimulates an enveloping ergonomics that involves children in the shared path of exploration and experimentation, favouring exchange and collaboration. The complexity in the investigation is given by the visual relationship between the main work plane (bright, transparent, or opaque) and the plane below, with a wealth of glimpses and points of view that find an upward leap, guided by the enveloping volume of the structure. I-Vulcani integrates technologies and devices to generate and manage the interaction with lights, colours, aromas, and sounds in a 360-degree sensory experience, like a kaleidoscope. In the upper part of the structure, there is a projector that can be connected to a tablet or PC and a digital microscope, increasing the possibility of sharing and participation.
The cultural benefits concern an early approach to scientific and ecological thinking in boys and girls, and an increase in cognitive and non-cognitive competencies (civic and social competencies, interpersonal skills, active citizenship, digital skills, scientific knowledge, cultural awareness, and expression).
i-Vulcani is an inclusive tool, which can be used with children with different skills and competencies. It can be used with children coming from different cultural backgrounds, because it favours the approach of learning by doing, where knowing the language can be secondary. It can be used for inclusive educational paths involving children with special needs. In fact, it captures the attention thanks to its luminous surface, the coloured lights, and the projections. It allows teachers to create immersive and sensory contexts that can involve all children. I-Vulcani allows teachers to carry out explorations of nature in a "protected" context, choosing and selecting the most suitable and interesting natural materials for each one.
Furthermore, it is a tool for natural “immersions” indoors, facilitating those situations in which it is not possible to have experiences in the open air, for example with fragile children or those with motor difficulties.
All the children in the classes of the 3 schools were involved in the trial, including those with special needs and their teachers. We have seen that all children approached the proposed experiences with effectiveness and interest. i-Vulcani guarantees the opportunity to find solutions that help everyone, each in their own way, to learn and meet natural materials with pleasure and happiness. That emotion, that spark, that ease of discovery are our goals.
In today's society, technology has become an integral part of every aspect of our lives: thanks to the Internet, artificial intelligence, and the IoT, our bodies and our relationships live and communicate in new environments and in different ways. For this reason, technology must enter into school, as a theme, first as a cultural reflection, then as a concept, as knowledge - because if we are not adequately trained in it we risk abandoning students to new forms of illiteracy - and finally as support, to help children to study and learn. Added to this, it is a global urgency - which major international organizations denounce - to improve education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), especially for girls. Finally, the importance of educating the new generations on an eco-sustainable development model from the first years of life is recognised so that it can consolidate and strengthen over time.
It has also been demonstrated that today's students have difficulty understanding, representing, and communicating new concepts, especially abstract ones, as a direct consequence of traditional transmissive teaching methods, which are in some ways no longer effective in a society overexposed to more catalysing stimuli. The objective of this new tool is to sustain new approaches and teaching styles that can effectively improve students' learning, awareness of nature, and self-confidence in STEM disciplines.
The first trial involved more than 220 children and about 20 Preschool and Primary school teachers. These children were able to deepen targeted educational paths for two school years. The school staff was trained, participating in various training courses, both with the technical staff of the Learning by Languages method and with university professors and experts. Now new schools joined the project, in Roma and in Breganze (Vicenza). i-Vulcani is officially on the market, in this way every school can offer the same opportunities to its children.
i-Vulcani is the result of teamwork, born mainly by the collaboration between Progettare Zerosei s.r.l. and Cooperativa sociale Coopselios. It was conceived by Sabrina Bonaccini, Technical Director of the Socio-educational Area of Coopselios and Director of Innovation and Development of the Learning by Languages method. The Learning by Languages team of senior specialists has thought about the functionalities and pedagogical values that underlie the tool.
The architect Francesco Bombardi, who for several years has been involved in education at different levels, designed it. He designs furnishings for teaching, integrating digital making, aesthetics, and accessibility.
i-Vulcani is made of non-toxic pure birch wood. The manufacturer is Play+, which produces furniture for Infant toddler centres and Preschools inspired by the Reggio Approach.
The furniture is integrated with the technologies of Campustore, a supplier of innovative educational products and games for schools, in particular innovative supports, interactive touch, and whiteboard monitors, educational robotics and coding, STEM laboratories, educational electronics, FabLab solutions, tinkering and making.
Two schools in the Province of Reggio Emilia and one in Modena participated in the research. The firsts are municipal schools managed by Coopselios, the third is a state school (Istituto Comprensivo 3) that collaborates with Progettare Zerosei within a formative path. The experimentation concerned 220 children, 9 classes, and 20 teachers.
The group of experts, which dealt with the training and monitoring of research data, was made up of the Learning by Languages team and the University of Trieste: Paolo Sorzio, a University researcher in General and Social Pedagogy; Caterina Bembich, researcher; Valentina Bologna, Ph.D. student at the Physics Department. Furthermore, a collaboration with Professor Michela Schenetti of the University of Bologna has been set up for research in the ecological field.
The added value is that children aged 3 to 10 had the opportunity to scientifically investigate natural elements, from the point of view of a transversal curriculum, where subjects are intertwined.
The topics of study were the 4 natural elements: Earth (plants, roots, seeds, soils), Water (changes of state, floating and buoyancy, imbibition, communicating vessels), Air (experiments on the visual perception of the presence of air) and Fire (temperature, heat, combustion). Then, the Light (reflection, refraction, transparency, opacity) was added. Through these experiences, the children spontaneously noticed some phenomena, they compared them with the theories of their peers, and they were supported by the adults in the formulation of hypotheses and in their verification. For example, they understood that heat rises by observing the smoke produced by burning a stick. They understood the concept of combustion, seeing the transformation of wood into charcoal. They have found original and creative ways to express their new knowledge, for example using charcoal for drawings. In particular, the study of the element "earth" has brought children closer to nature and allowed them to learn which elements sustain life.
Studying science with i-Vulcani means raising awareness; supporting children in discussions; accompanying their search for new information; welcome different ideas and new explanations. Our approach to science is characterised not as teaching content, but as a cultural approach to scientific thinking, the ability acquired in the field to analyse and critically address new issues, to examine and select the reliability of data and sources. Through making experiences we can help children organise their intuitive and spontaneous knowledge, their daily discoveries. This new approach aimed at problem solving differentiates i-Vulcani from the study of scientific subjects in a traditional way. The great wealth is knowing how to connect experience, research, creativity
The initiative is new primarily because it is a product innovation. I-Vulcani is the first product aimed at the development of ecological thinking and STEM education for Preschool children. When we talk about STEM in kindergarten, we often think of educational robotics. In this case, however, this totemic structure on wheels takes the form of a mobile laboratory, which can be enriched with different natural elements, according to the children's research and interests. It is a flexible tool: it can be equipped with different materials and technologies, depending on the focus that wants to be deepened. An item of furniture that captures the attention and allows insights between micro and macro, inside and outside, natural elements and immersive experiences, thanks to the integration with technology (digital microscope, projector, tablet). Its different worktops (luminous, transparent, or opaque) allow for multi-sensory experiences. Its specific design features make it suitable for experiences carried out with a small group of children who interact in a cooperative way.
The educational approach that inspires him is the Learning by Languages, an innovative educational method for children from birth to ten years.
The educational project created by Progettare Zerosei and Coopselios with the pilot research group can be extended and replicated in all realities. On the one hand, this is possible thanks to the possibility of buying i-Vulcani, which was put on the market after the experimentation. On the other hand, all schools can replicate the experiences achieved with i-Vulcani, also thanks to the publications (Junior Editions), that the team has produced. The first is “Microbio: scienza, natura e pensiero ecologico” (2020). The second is “I bambini e le bambine incontrano le STEM: ambienti, tecnologie, didattiche” (2022), The third is “Osservare, progettare, educare green”, that is being written and will be published shortly (2023). They are currently available in Italian but they could soon be translated into other languages.
Within the publications, in fact, you can find theoretical and practical indications, in particular examples of didactic experiences for the various topics and different age groups.
Furthermore, the Learning by languages team takes care of providing specific training packages to those who request them, mainly in Italian and English. Teaser videos have also been realised, some explaining the project and its aims, others more aimed at guiding teachers in their teaching experiences. Some of those videos are available on the website, others are used for training courses.
One of the training, titled “Learning environments for digital innovation and STEAM education in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC)”, was realised at Expo Dubai 2020, in the Italian Pavilion, during the “Learning and Knowledge” week. The training involved around 60 UAE teachers. It was also broadcast via live streaming and teachers from all over the world participated.
Learning by Languages is a method and curriculum for the creative and innovative education of children from birth to ten years, aiming at valorising each child. This is achieved by spurring the development of self-awareness, different expressive languages, and competencies. Learning by Languages is founded on a child-centred approach. We share an idea of a competent, active child, bearer of rights, able to interact with the surrounding environment, ask questions, research and discover the “how” and “why” of the phenomena of the world. We believe that the child is spontaneously interested in the natural environment and in discovering its secrets. The adult is a director who knows how to design paths of exploration, knowledge, and research on the subject by arranging contexts, choosing materials and proposals, and supporting the interests of children. The adult must know how to support children in their discoveries, not replace them by providing answers. The teacher observes, interprets and relaunches experiences, leading children to deepen, compare, discuss, and find solutions.
Learning by Languages was founded in Reggio Emilia and combines some of the most advanced educational approaches – the Montessori method, socio-constructivism, and the Reggio Emilia Approach – with pedagogical practice, field research, and international dialogue.
The main aspects of the Learning by Languages Method are the following:
- Designed for 0-10 years olds
- An inclusive system for children with disabilities or particularly gifted
- Space and materials set up for learning
- the development of creativity, divergent thinking and the 100 expressive languages of children through the space called “atelier” and the presence of a special teacher of art, the “atelierista”
- Environment and spaces pay attention to the Soft qualities
- Digital education and Technology
- Specific food education and kitchen
- Eco-literacy and ecological thinking
- Parental involvement
- Bilingualism
Our project meets the following Sustainable Development Goals,:
- 4 Quality Education: an innovative tool that allows educational paths for children aged 3 to 8 years, on ecological thinking and STEAM education, equipped with digital technology
- 10 Reduced inequalities: a tool that empowers girls in STEM subjects starting from an early age; an inclusive tool adequate for children with special needs
- 13 Climate Actions: the project was ideated to promote ecological thinking and making children sensitive and aware of environmental risks
- 14 Life on land: a specific path was made on the life cycle of plants and animals
Among the results of the research work, we can mention:
- the pubblication “Microbio: scienza, natura e pensiero ecologico” (2020)
- the publication "I bambini incontrano le STEM: (2022), in collaboration with the University of Trieste
- the writing, in the process of being published, of "Osservare, progettare, educare green" (Junior Editions, 2023), in collaboration with Michela Schenetti of the University of Bologna
- the creation of the "Guidelines for the development of ecological thinking at nursery and Preschool”. Attached is the "Observation tool on the development of ecological thinking in children", which allows teachers to monitor and verify changes and progresses in children's behaviour towards nature, following the educational path
- the creation of the "Guidelines for the development of scientific thinking", with an observation tool, with the same aim as the previous one
The guidelines are mainly intended for educators and teachers of the educational services managed by Coopselios and Progettare Zerosei (about 800 throughout Italy and Belgium).
As for the children, in addition to having learned new knowledge and skills in the environmental and scientific fields, they improved:
-empathy
-problem solving: learning to formulate questions, identify problems and solutions, verify hypotheses
-flexibility
- the ability to work as a team: the construction of collaborative skills and the co-construction of knowledge, comparing hypotheses, becoming aware of the other's point of view
- conflict management: critical thinking, listening to different points of view, learning to analyse the causes to look for possible solutions
-effective communication
- responsibility and care: knowing the value of nature as a whole and learning the importance of respecting it for a better future
-sensitivity and ecological perspective: contact with nature supports respect for oneself and for all living beings and promotes an attitude of environmental sensitivity
As is written in GreenComp: “Learning for environmental sustainability aims to nurture a sustainability mindset from childhood”. For this reason, our team thinks it has to start from Nursery and Preschool.
Through i-Vulcani it is possible to promote many of the skills envisaged in the GreenComp.
Sector 1: Embodying sustainability values:
• valuing sustainability: children could reflect on the value of life and biodiversity;
• supporting fairness: the collaborative working methods have facilitated the ability to share and understand the importance of equity;
• promoting nature: children understood the importance of all living beings (including, for example, insects and small organisms).
Sector 2. Embracing complexity in sustainability:
• systems thinking: the scientific approach to the study of nature has made it possible to make children understand the interconnection of the elements that sustain life;
• critical thinking and problem framing: the children shared thoughts, questioned hypotheses, and sought and found shared solutions.
Sector 3. Envisioning sustainable futures:
• futures literacy: children have the ability to imagine possible futures and find new sustainable solutions, supported by creativity and imagination;
• adaptability: the flexible and changing context supports children in adaptability;
• exploratory thinking: this is strongly supported by i-Vulcani and by the Learning by Languages approach, which invites children to problematize, to research, to discover, within a small group of peers, and with an adult who knows how to formulate generative questions.
