2.2. Meet the OrganKits

Each OrganKit is not only composed of plastinated organs, but also comes with a set of complementary educational resources that enrich the learning experience and support teachers in classroom implementation. These resources include:

• Educational Guide: A student-friendly resource that provides structured activities, explanations, and exercises designed to facilitate active learning. It helps learners connect theoretical knowledge with hands-on exploration of the plastinated specimens.
• Guide for Teachers: A pedagogical tool that offers methodological suggestions, lesson plans, and interdisciplinary approaches. It supports educators in integrating the OrganKits into different subject areas, ensuring both scientific accuracy and engaging classroom practice.
• Anatomical Atlas: A detailed visual reference that illustrates the structures of the plastinated organs. By combining real specimens with precise anatomical images, the atlas reinforces observation skills and deepens students’ understanding of organ morphology and function.

Together, these components transform each OrganKit into a comprehensive educational package, ensuring that the plastinated specimens are not used in isolation but within a broader pedagogical framework. This combination enhances accessibility, promotes interdisciplinary learning, and maximizes the educational impact across different contexts and levels.

In addition to the complementary resources provided with each OrganKit, it is essential to highlight the broader advantages and educational value of plastination. These benefits can be summarized as follows:

• Use of plastination can minimise health risks and cost in anatomy laboratories.
• Plastinated organs are easy to use and can facilitate learning of complex anatomical structures.
• Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the contribution of plastinated organ kits to teaching the complex anatomy of the body, more specifically of the respiratory system for our school.
• 2D educational materials such as textbooks, illustrations, and digital images may also be of limited benefit in understanding the three-dimensional complexity of anatomy and spatial relationships of structures.
• Plastination is a great method for long-term preservation of anatomical specimens. With plastination, it is possible to preserve anatomical materials in a durable, aesthetic and realistic way.
• The continuous evolution of education means that teachers have to be aware of new methodologies, resources and pedagogical tools that enrich the learning experience of students.
• It is in this context that the European project OrganKits arises, aimed at the design, production and implementation of plastinated organs in Secondary Education.
• Plastinate resources are an innovation in teaching, enabling a deeper understanding of anatomy and biology.
• This project aims to introduce these resources through project-based learning and with the involvement of the different subjects taught in secondary education.
• That is why throughout this guide we will address the essential principles of project-based learning and also offer a series of recommendations for teaching STEAM.
• We will then dive right into explaining the case, how to use it, and tips and recommendations for its proper implementation.