Geoheritage and climate change for highlighting the professional perspective Erasmus Project

Project Title

Geoheritage and climate change for highlighting the professional perspective

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Environment and climate change; Energy and resources

Project Summary

GEOclimHOME-PRO followed the successful Erasmus + project “Geoheritage and Climate Change opening the Secrets of the Home”. The main focus was maintained on climate change, with related problems in terms of knowledge on driving processes, understanding the consequences on natural and human environments and possible adaptation measures to increase resilience of our society. Based on this heritage of results and contributions, we derived the importance of enhancing the multiple roles of professionals and experts interacting with students during the transnational exchanges. Within this framework, the context of our project spanned from the contents of national school curricula to the international Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs) to open new professional careers by means of cooperation between teachers, researchers, administrative persons and stakeholders.

Three countries were involved in the project; Vaalan kunnan sivistyspalvelut (the school authorities of Vaala municipality as a coordinator), Vaala Upper Secondary School and Humanpolis Ltd (Rokua UNESCO Global Geopark) from Finland, Universita degli studi di Torino, I.I.S. Lorenzo Cobianchi and Associazione Geoturistica Sesia Val Grande Geopark from Italy and Lycee De La Versoie and Syndicat Intercommunal d’amenagement du Chablais (Chablais UNESCO Global Geopark) from France.

The school curricula in upper secondary education in the participating countries emphasizes thematic group studies, critical thinking and phenomenal learning. By means of phenomenal learning, we aimed at increasing the students’ awareness about climate change to make them understand their active and passive role towards the environment. The objectives of the educational activities were also to enhance the students’ awareness of social responsibility, in order to stimulate active citizenship and discover new job opportunities. The project activities were performed within the UNESCO Geoparks territories. The learning, teaching and training activities were the basis for the whole project. The students made hypothesis and measurements, observed and analysed theoretical contents both in the field and during laboratory experiments, summarized and made conclusions in internationally mixed groups.

The main target group were upper secondary school students (16 to 19 years). Every exchange week 20 students from every school participated in the project. Secondary school students were mature enough to be able to understand the complexity of environmental problems. Teachers and educators were a target group for developing and sharing the new methodologies and contents of their teaching. University researchers and professional experts as well as Geoparks’ staff took actively part in the project and shared their experience with the project groups and thereby generated new materials and methods to be used in their educational and enlightening activities. General stakeholders and the governance network were involved in different activities.

Students developed their scientific skills, improved their knowledge in foreign languages when they were exposed to new cultural and contextual situations and exchanges with many professionals and host families. The scientists and professionals developed closer ties with their local educational establishments and the community. They enhanced their capacity to act as ambassadors for the Geopark territory and its sustainable future. All the participants got a new shared knowledge on local and global effects of climate change.

At a regional level we raised awareness of the project, its innovative elements and results through universities, private companies, education departments and the regional administration. At a national level we presented the project as an example of the best collaborative practice and innovative educational approach stimulating debate and new projects. At a European level we used the Geoparks Network and the networking with the European Parliament to disseminate the importance of this project. At a global level we diffused the results through the GGN and scientific articles by the associated university partners.

Covid-19 forced us to adapt to the worldwide crisis. One mobility was cancelled (from France to Italy). Nevertheless the Finns worked on the project, because it was their turn to participate remote. One mobility was postponed from November 2020 to October 2021 (from Finland to Italy). The mobility in spring 2021 (from Italy to Finland) was organized virtually and we had lectures together via Teams. We had half a year extra time due to Covid-19 and the final meeting was postponed to December 2021. Because of Covid-19 we had to organize the final meeting virtually via Teams as well. Instead of five working days we had three virtual days. During the last face-to-face exchange in Italy in October 2021, some students stayed at the hotel with the teachers because the families could´t host all the students due to Covid-19.

Project Website

http://geoclimhomeblog.wordpress.com

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 218617,51 Eur

Project Coordinator

Vaalan kunnan sivistyspalvelut & Country: FI

Project Partners

• Associazione Geoturistica Sesia Val Grande Geopark
• I.I.S. LORENZO COBIANCHI
• Syndicat Intercommunal d’amenagement du Chablais
• LYCEE DE LA VERSOIE
• Vaalan lukio
• Humanpolis Oy
• UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TORINO