“This project is funded by the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission/National Agencies cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.”

IO4: Coworking, Fablab

Experiment

MCPZ, Slovenia

InnovatiVET – Erasmus + Strategic partnership VET Project Project no. 2017-1-DK01-KA202-034250

Introduction

Background We carried out the experiment in cooperation with Association for Technical Culture of Slovenia

(ZOTKS), which acts as a society in the public interest and has been educating in the field of technical skills

and natural sciences.

They encourage young people to search for new knowledge, new methods, research, design, innovation,

creativity, connectivity and last but not least entertainment. They also organize continuous professional

training of teachers/mentors for new topics, areas, methods, approaches, and they transfer new knowledge

to students by implementing them through research tasks, projects, ideas, competitions ...

Wo joined a group of participants in one of the summer camps organized by ZOTKA. Summer camp took

place in Rogla and had three main topics: geology, arhitecure and botanics. Participants select their topics at

enrollment. Durning the camp participants work with their mentors, explore and research, at evenings they

all present what they have learned and worked on durning the day, and at the end they prepare group

presentations, exhibitions ...

Picture 1: All summer camps organised by ZOTKS in 2019. Rogla camp is in the red box. On the right sight are

sponsors of summer camps.

Rogla is also winter ad recently also summer sports and recreational centre. It is known for her pleasant

climate, attracting top athletes and teams from all over the world to sports preparations.

Purpose of Experiment We joined the summer camp to find out how the summer camp support learning process and how the co-

operate with industry, local stakeholders and schools.

Information about Experiment

Participants Participant of the summer camp and summer camp leader – together 10 participants.

Time and Place July 12th 2019, Rogla.

Equipment/Materials (if relevant) Lists with written questions for group work, Post its.

Procedure Short presentation of the InnovatiVET project, discussion about summer camp objectives, work done,

soft/general skills acquired.

Experiment was carried out as a workshop with guiding questions for participants in the camp, discussion,

brainstorming, writing and presentation of results. Participants worked in groups of 3, combined of of

different camp topics participants.

Separately we talked to the summer camp leader to get his point of view on the summer camp, co-

operation with industry, professional branch and how could it be improved.

Results Question 1: Why did you join the summer camp?

- Interest in the selected topic.

- Research work.

- To learn about the topic.

- Meeting new people.

- To be in the nature.

- Positive experience from previous years.

- Receiving the prize in the school competition for free participation in the camp and this was the

most interesting.

Participants of the camp are highly motivated and want to learn about the selected topic. Some of them are

returnees.

Question 2: What did you learn on the camp?

- Work planning.

- Course of research work.

- Communication and cooperation.

- Teamwork.

- Adapting to work conditions and other team members.

- Importance of cultural heritage.

- Geological and anthropological history of the area.

- Looking for information.

- Research work.

- Resourcefulness - measuring instrument we used on the field broke down and we had to find an

alternative solution.

- Different perspectives.

- Sketching and drawing.

- Preparing presentation and presentation.

- Practical knowledge and skills in geology, botanic and architecture.

Question 3: How did you learn?

- Fieldwork, looking for spices.

- Measuring objects, measuring biodiversity.

- Drawing, making models.

- Team working with mentors.

- Linking theory with practice – explanations of mentors on about actual cases on the field.

- Looking for information in professional literature and historical sources.

- Recording and sharing findings.

Question 4: What did you like most?

- Fieldwork.

- Practical learning in a more relaxed environment.

- Professionally and pedagogically trained mentors who encouraged and motivated camp

participants.

- Working in teams.

- There was no stupid ideas.

- Working in the Tourist Farm.

- Searching for insect specimens.

Question 5: Good examples of the work on the camp:

- Participants sought and obtained information from the beginning to the end of the camp

themselves under guidance of the mentor. Acquisition of written information was followed by

fieldwork, search for specimens, observation, measurements, drawing, photographing, and talking

to locals, connoisseurs. Based on all gathered data they prepared presentations, made models.

- Working in an abandoned quarry: the area has a very rich stone structure and participants explore

the quarry, look for rocks, ores, minerals, prepare collection and they specimens of rocks to a

permanent geological exhibition which is held at the hotel in Rogla, that also host summer camps.

Picture 2: Part of the permanent geological exhibition

- Searching for golden scales in the river Drava (activity was carried out on last year's camp, but

returnees stressed it out as a very good example); participants were looking for gold in a river in a

traditional way. Common opinion was that this could become also a tourist product.

- Measurement of light pollution (activity was also carried out in previous camps); participants

measured light pollution in the municipality Zreče (where Rogla is located) prepared a report with

proposals of solutions to reduce light pollution in the area.

- Documenting a cottage house - house from 1803, partly made of wood and partly of stone, built

with the chimney tradition of building, is best preserved in a large black kitchen, which has a shifted

fireplace with a large chimney stove. Participants made architectural digital recordings of the

house, which serve as basic information about the object. Participants were acquainted with the

process of making a cultural monument's digital image for the purpose of archiving. They were

acquinted with the basic terminology in the field of architecture and cultural heritage, got

acquainted with the architectural elements of the house and measuring instruments. They used

traditional instruments, such as carpenters' meters and wooden folding carpenters, as well as

modern ones such as digital lasers.

Question 6: Ideas for improvement of the summer camps in the future:

- ZOTKA summer camps used to be free of charge, which is not a practice any more, though it should

be again implemented by acquisition of new and more sponsors.

- To extend the rewards of free participants to more school competitions.

- Participants get certificate of attendance on the summer camp which used to (again in the past)

gave them extra points for enrolment to universities/faculties. Reintroduction of this practice

would, consequently, result in higher participation in the summer camps.

- Better cooperation with school mentors – they can promote, introduce and encourage students to

join summer camps.

Question 7: Cooperation with industry, municipality, schools?

- In case of this particular summer camp cooperation is very well established with municipality that

host summer camp, as well with local company Unior, which also owns tourist capacities in the

area, as they offer free accommodation and use of sport facilities in Rogla for participants. That

way participation fee is more favourable and enables participation of more students.

- Camp leader and mentors are ZOTKA’s external collaborators all with their own employments and

careers. They are all experts in their field of work and they come to the camp with their/company

equipment and instruments so due to the supply of the equipment they also sponsor summer

camps.

- Field activities are carried out with the support of the municipality of Zreče (consent to work in

abandoned quarry) and also local population, which enable the participants of the camp to access

their capacities and also work on/with them.

Discussion of results 1. Summer camps take place in a relaxed environment, they are more practically oriented, so

participants learn faster and are more creative.

2. Fieldwork is more interesting than theoretical learning, therefore even effective, participants are

not motivated by grades, so they are more innovative in their thinking.

3. However, without a theoretical background, practical work is not possible.

4. Participants immediately see and recognize learning outcomes, so they are motivated for further

work and progress.

5. Modern way of work is easier and better, but traditional way of working is also important and

should not be forgotten because it is the source of everything we know today.

6. Work in small groups under the guidance of mentors enables greater interaction between

participants themselves and with mentor, and at the same time compels them to become more

involved in the work.

7. Support of the local environment makes it easier and better for the summer camp participants, and

on the other hand, good work of the camp means promotion for further cooperation, integration

and support of the wider environment in the camp activities (for example solutions to reduce light

pollution, digital records of the cottage house, which is protected cultural heritage in municipality).

Recommendations for VET - Practical examples should support learning about theoretical facts.

- If possible divide students into teams, try them in different roles, introduce project work – teacher

is a mentor and a guide.

- Introduce more relaxed teaching environment that encourage innovative and creative thinking.

- Permanently keep students acquainted with progress in knowledge and skills (immediate feed-back

- not as a grade, but as a description).

- Include traditional ways of work and meaning of tradition into the curriculum.

- Keep contacts with companies in the branch, keep industry currency and enable students as much

insight into practice as possible (company visits, visiting teachers from companies)

- More diploma works involving students, companies and teachers.

- Longer WBL period for VET students.

Recommendations for future experiments - Work in groups - composition of the group depend on the objectives of the workshop.

- Enable interaction between groups to get more perspectives.

References - https://www.zotks.si/

- https://www.zotks.si/raziskovalni-tabor-rogla-2019

- https://sl-si.facebook.com/UniturRogla

- https://www.zotks.si/sites/default/files/Tabor%20Rogla%202017-poro%C4%8Dilo.pdf