International Day of Education

ACTIVITIES     (time of implementation:  6 weeks)

General / All Stages:

• Discuss about the FTC values (presented above), create slides / posters / short videos about what they mean for you / your community
• STEM book donation – with a small note in front: “I recommend this book due to / This book impressed me  …. Enjoy!  With friendship, ….(donor name). The books collected can be donated to schools or educational centers in disadvantaged communities.

Specific activities (per student age):

Infants and Lower  Primary Activities:

Ideas:

Career day – invite parents to present their jobs

Visit to parents work place

Child of the Week – child’s parents to be invited to lead an activity with the group, connected to STEAM or FTC values

Draw / collect / sort images / sort objects related to science / STEM

Role play related to jobs

Exhibition / show / fair

Upper Primary Activities:

Ideas:

STEM “international” fair:

• Students work in groups of 5-7. They draw from a hat the name of a country. They prepare a display/project related to STEM inventions/innovations from their assigned country. They need to understand and explain why or how those inventions help out the world on a problem. 
• Students then will have a small STEM fair and will present their “country”, using their team projects. Choose 1–2 key inventions and identify the global problem they solve.
• Visitors (all the students and guests)  will be given a custom passport (template suggested).  They will go around different stands and once they learn something new, they will receive a stamp on their passport. The aim is to gain as many stamps as possible and also learn about the various inventions.

Follow up: 

Younger students visiting the fair will be given a real life situation, e.g.: water pollution and then need to come up with a solution using the knowledge they learnt through the fair and through research.

Middle School Activities

Ideas:

• Science related PBL projects and Science Fair

Prepare experiments that can be taught by middle schoolers to primary school students. Then organize student-led activities to enhance motivation and interest in sciences. Use the FTC values both while working in teams and as key words in talking to primary about the journey of preparing the project

Example: Create a sustainable city model

Students will design and build a scale model of an eco-friendly city, incorporating sustainable practises and STEM concepts

There are four phases

1. Introduction to sustainability concepts such as renewable energy, waste management and smart transport
2. Research; students choose a city component to focus on, such as energy transportation, water management.
3. Design; students will come up with a sketch of their city layout , including sustainable features ( e.g solar panels, wind turbines, etc)
4. Building ; students will put together their research and design and create a model of their city using recyclable materials, LEGO, cardboard, or 3D tools.

The final outcome should be either a physical or a digital model representing their city , with a short presentation about how they overcome sustainable issues in their city. 

• Debate

Organize debate sessions and demonstrations related to topics like:

• Topic 1: Technology in the Classroom _ Laptops and tablets should replace traditional textbooks and notebooks for all students in middle school.Focus: Ensuring equitable quality education/Lifelong learning.
• Topic 2: Co-Ed vs. Single-Gender Schools _ Single-gender schools (schools for just boys or just girls) are more effective than co-educational schools (schools for everyone) at empowering women and girls.Focus: Equal access to education to empower women and girls worldwide.
• Topic 3: Mandatory Community Service _ All students should be required to complete at least 20 hours of community service each year to graduate from middle school. Focus: Building inclusive societies through education (fostering understanding, tolerance, and resilience).
• Topic 4: Year-Round School _ Middle schools should adopt a year-round academic calendar with shorter, more frequent breaks instead of a long summer vacation. Focus: Ensuring equitable quality education/Lifelong learning (addressing the “summer slide”).
• Topic 5: The Value of Arts and Sports _ Art, music, and physical education classes are just as important as math and science and should never be cut due to budget limits. Focus: Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education/Building inclusive societies (holistic development).

High School Activities

Ideas

• Students will redesign their school by imagining what a dream school of the future could look like.
  • They will need to think creatively about new learning spaces, technology, and features that would improve students in their everyday life.
  • Using any format, such as a 3D design app, a drawing or sketch, or even a physical model.They will bring their vision to life using their STEAM competencies.
  • Their design should show how the school could be more innovative, comfortable, sustainable, or fun.
  • After creating their model, students should do a detailed presentation of the improvements they chose and why these changes would make the school better for everyone. They can present their projects in assembly / fair / exhibition etc.
• Organize outreach activities related to STEAM and / or to First’s Tech Challenge Values

• Debate:

Organize debate sessions and demonstrations related to topics like:

Topic 1: AI and Personalized Learning _The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) tools in education will inevitably lead to a more equitable and effective quality education for all students.Focus: Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education/Lifelong learning.

Topic 2: Open Source vs. Proprietary STEAM Curricula _ Mandating the use of open-source educational software and textbooks is the most critical step to achieving global equitable access to STEAM education. Focus: Equal access to education to empower women and girls worldwide (especially in STEAM fields).

Topic 3: Neurodiversity and Learning Spaces _ Modern school architectural and engineering standards should prioritize neurodiverse learning needs (e.g., sensory-friendly classrooms, specialized lighting, quiet zones) over traditional cost and spatial efficiencies. Focus: Building inclusive societies through education (tolerance and resilience) & Equitable quality education.

Topic 4: Ethical Science and Research for Graduation _ High school graduation should require students to complete an independent scientific or engineering research project that directly addresses an ethical or sustainability challenge in their local community. Focus: Lifelong learning/Building inclusive societies (fostering understanding, tolerance, and resilience).

Topic 5: The Role of Humanities in a STEM-Driven World _To remain competitive in the global STEAM job market, high school students should be allowed to replace mandatory humanities courses (History, Literature) with advanced elective STEAM courses (e.g., Coding, Robotics, Advanced Physics). Focus: Promoting lifelong learning/Building inclusive societies.

FINAL ACT – each school

Celebrate within your school, together or per divisions, the children/students projects and experiences.

Interview participants related to the impact of applying the FTC values in everyday life of their community and related to the STEAM competencies they have developed.

Prepare a short summary (video / slideshow / interview / written report) of your activity explaining your experience within the project .