Racing against the odds (SOI-GR-607)
Author: Iro Koliakou
School: Anatolia College
Below is a summary of the activities, but you can download the full Story of Reuse and its annexes here in Word and PDF.
The Story of Reuse “Racing Against the Odds” is based on the “Women Drivers” story from Europeana. The activity was conducted during a Physics lesson and within the “Formula 1 (F1) in Schools” club, as part of activities for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Using the Europeana material, I translated key information about several historical women drivers and created driver profile cards to support a collaborative classroom activity. Students worked in small groups to identify the technical challenges, social barriers, and professional as well as personal skills that were part of these pioneers’ journey to succeed in motorsport.
The activity connected historical narratives with engineering mindsets such as perseverance, problem solving, and teamwork, linking them to the students’ own experience in designing F1 model cars. The implementation took place in a middle school setting with students aged 12–15, in a class of approximately 25 students working collaboratively.
Implementation of the Story of Reuse
The activities were implemented during a Physics class and within the “F1 in Schools” extracurricular club with middle school students aged 12–15 years, working in small collaborative groups in a class of approximately 25 students in each session. The activity was organized in connection with the International Day of Women and Girls in Science and aimed to introduce students to the contribution of women in the history of motorsport while connecting these stories to engineering skills.
The activity was based on the Women Drivers story from Europeana. The historical information from the resource was translated and adapted into classroom materials that supported collaborative inquiry and discussion.
The activity had a duration of about 45 minutes when implemented during the Physics class (one period) while during the extracurricular club hour as more students were involved and there was time to elaborate the activity lasted 60 minutes.
Adapted resources used in the Story
Driver profile cards (see Annex 1) were created using the Europeana material. Each card presented a short biography of a historical woman driver, including key facts about her achievements and challenges in motorsport. These cards served as the main resource for group discussion and analysis. More detailed information about these women’s stories is available in Annex 2.
Engineering trait cards (see Annex 3) were also used to introduce qualities associated with engineering thinking, such as problem solving, persistence, teamwork, creativity, and risk taking. Students used these cards to connect the experiences of the historical drivers with the skills required in engineering and in their own F1 in Schools design projects.
Students then completed the empathy map (Annex 4) to better understand the motivations, challenges, and experiences of the historical characters.
A student worksheet(Annex 5) structured the activity and guided the students through three stages:
Stage 1 – Racing Against the Odds: Students worked in groups and used their driver profile card to complete a table identifying:
- A technical challenge faced by the driver
- A social challenge or barrier encountered
- A personal quality that helped the driver succeed
This stage encouraged students to analyse historical information and discuss how innovation often involves overcoming both technical and social obstacles.
Stage 2 – Engineering Traits Connection: Students received a driver card and a trait card and answered two guiding questions:
- Why is this trait important for this driver?
- Where do we use this trait in our F1 in Schools project?
This activity helped students connect historical examples with engineering mindsets and teamwork skills required in real engineering projects.
Stage 3 – Empathy Map Activity: Students completed an empathy map, a design-thinking tool used to explore the perspective of a person. In this case, students considered what the driver might have thought, felt, done, and needed in order to succeed in a male-dominated field.
The empathy map encouraged perspective-taking and supported discussion about resilience, motivation, and innovation.
A teacher’s answer sheet is also available in Annex 6 to provide indicative examples of correct answers (non-exhaustive list).
Structure of the activities
Activities were implemented using an inquiry-based learning approach following the 5E instructional model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate). The 5E model supports active learning by guiding students through a process of questioning, investigation, explanation, and reflection. This structure encourages students to construct knowledge through exploration and discussion rather than passive reception of information.
Table 1: Lesson plan implementation following the 5E model
| Phase | Time | Activity |
| Engage | 10 min | Introduction to women drivers in motorsport and discussion about possible challenges. |
| Explore | 15 min | Group analysis using the driver profile cards and completion of the Racing Against the Odds table. |
| Explain | 15 min | Use of engineering trait cards to connect historical examples with engineering skills. |
| Elaborate | 15–20 min | Completion of the empathy map and discussion about the drivers’ experiences. |
| Evaluate | 10 min | Reflection on challenges, engineering skills, and connections to students’ own F1 design work. |
Outcomes for the students
The implementation of the Racing Against the Odds activities supported the development of several competences described in European educational frameworks such as the Key Competences for Lifelong Learning, LifeComp, and DigComp. Through the exploration of historical examples of women in motorsport and the use of collaborative inquiry activities, students connected cultural heritage narratives with engineering thinking and teamwork skills.
Outcomes for the educators
From the educator’s perspective, the activity demonstrated how digital cultural heritage resources can serve both as sources of knowledge and as inspiration for classroom activities. The Europeana story provided historical examples of pioneering women drivers that were previously unfamiliar, revealing important narratives about innovation, perseverance, and the social barriers faced by women in motorsport.
Transforming these stories into driver profile cards, engineering trait cards, and a structured student worksheet allowed students to explore these historical examples in an interactive way. Students analysed the technical challenges and personal qualities of these drivers and connected them to the engineering skills required in their own F1 in Schools design projects, such as problem solving, creativity, and teamwork.
The experience highlighted how cultural heritage collections can inspire educators to design interdisciplinary learning activities that combine history of technology with STEM education, while also encouraging meaningful discussions about representation and inclusion in engineering fields.
CC BY-NC: the featured image used to illustrate this article has been found on Europeana and has been provided by the Finnish Heritage Agency