Stars and STEM Stories
GLOBE Malta and Latvia: Collaborating to Inspire Young Scientists in Primary-Grade GLOBE Classrooms
Students from Malta and Latvia just finished a year-long climate collaboration with a focus on cloud observations. The collaboration began last October, when two GLOBE teachers—Ms. Maria Deguara from the Maria Regina College Naxxar Primary School in Malta and Ms. Dace Bruna from the Mālpils Novada Vidusskola in Latvia—were connected by GLOBE Malta Deputy Coordinator Ms. Ramona Mercieca.
The GLOBE teachers guided their students’ study of cloud formations with a developmentally appropriate curriculum based on interdisciplinary learning—integrating science, arts, mathematics, cooking, and drama into their year-long study. The students learned how to observe clouds using the GLOBE Observer app, how to collect data, and how to create visual representations of their data in charts.
Through regularly scheduled cloud observations, students gained an enormous amount of cloud knowledge. The two schools shared their photographs of different weather conditions; students learned about the varied climates of Malta and Latvia and fostered a deeper connection to their scientific observations. Students ultimately experienced the value of both cultural exchange and interdisciplinary learning.
The culminating event was an online webinar where students from both schools shared their learning and experiences. Other GLOBE leaders and school administrators from each school attended the webinar, including Ms. Dana Votapkova from the Europe and Eurasia Regional Coordination Office and GLOBE Malta Deputy Coordinator Ms. Mercieca.
The year-long collaboration was a great success. Students were inspired to see themselves as scientists, and they can apply their new skills in cloud observation to their future scientific work and learning.
Learn more about the collaboration between the classrooms: slide deck 1 | slide deck 2
Learn more about GLOBE students.