Inventors4Change. Fostering invention-based collaborative learning for social change

Inventors4Change

Inventors4Change is an initiative of UdiGitalEdu, an interdisciplinary group of researchers at the University of Girona devoted to designing and developing experiences that blend Science, Technology, and Art to encourage creativity, critical thinking, and teamwork. Primarily supporting children from underserved communities, the project Inventors4Change provides children with tools, techniques, and knowledge to effect change in the world. The initiative consists of a network of schools and organizations from around the world (right now in Spain, India and Colombia) that promote invention-based collaborative learning. Inventors4Change celebrates cross-cultural exchange and connected learning through mixed teams with children from different countries. Each year, participating children research in teams on a topic related to the Sustainable Development Goals, they share their findings and opinions through a blog, conduct cultural exchanges through videoconferences between schools in different countries, and finally they are distributed in mixed virtual teams (with children from different countries) and these teams create and share through the Internet a digital story/animation/game on the subject they have researched. To do that they use free cutting-edge creative learning technologies (for example, they learn coding with Scratch, a programming environment for children designed at MIT Media Lab). In addition to children's collaborative work through the Internet, the project also includes teacher training. With support from the European Commission, this project has been considered a good practice and is being replicated and upscaled in Europe within the framework of an Erasmus+ project with partners in Spain, Italy, UK and Romania.

http://www.inventors4change.org

International implementation

Ongoing from 01/10/2013 to 01/10/2023

Participating schools: - Spain: Escola Veïnat, Escola Carme Auguet, Institut de Gurb, Institut-Escola de Besalú, Escola Petit Plançó. - India: Shanti Bhavan School, Parikrma Humanity Foundation - Colombia: Escuelas Comfandi de Cali (El Prado, Yumbo, Calipso)

      * E-learning

• Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
• Goal 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
• Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
• Goal 8: Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all
• Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
• Goal 16: Promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies
• Goal 17: Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

• Project
• Programme