Discover, investigate, experience – Experimento, the international educational program from Siemens Stiftung is already being used in eight Latin American countries and is now available in Bolivia as of September 2017. The educational concept with a practical focus inspires enthusiasm for science through explorative learning and thereby supports the objectives of the Bolivian educational agenda.
“Experimento is a very enriching program because it provides a practical concept that aims to meet precisely the goal we have established in the educational agenda 2025: Learning for life, for making sense of the things and phenomena that surround us, to understand and protect the environment, respect the “pachamama” and contribute to the development of the community,” stresses Luz Jiménez Quispe, president of the national Universidad Pedagógica.
The learning content of Experimento is being jointly adapted for the Bolivian educational system and developed in workshops together with the public and nationally active Universidad Pedagógica, the regional Pedagogic University, the Department Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Escuela Superior de Formación de Maestras y Maestros “Enrique Finot“ and the German school Santa Cruz.
The Experimento program started at the beginning of September with a six-day kick-off workshop. 67 teachers and professors from all areas of the country came together at the Santa Cruz German School from September 4 through 9 to get acquainted with the content of the Experimento program and to gain new ideas for providing interesting and experiment-oriented STEM instruction. The focus of the workshop was the module for elementary school, Experimento | 8+. The training sessions were conducted by an expert from Siemens Stiftung with professional support from the Colombian Universidad de Los Andes, which will support the program as an additional cooperation partner and expert.
There is already great interest in expanding the theme of the educational program from the Siemens Stiftung with a view to indigenous knowledge and geographic contexts of the country. The Universidad Pedagógica, nationally responsible for the continuing education of the 140,000 teachers in Bolivia, plans to offer the program gradually as certified continuing education for teachers in elementary and secondary schools and for instructors in preschools.