PLASTIC FREE HEROES: developing 21st century competences through inquiry-based learning and social activism. Erasmus Project

Project Title

PLASTIC FREE HEROES: developing 21st century competences through inquiry-based learning and social activism.

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Environment and climate change; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

Scientific and technological progress is rapidly transforming communities around the world, fueling innovation and enabling new pathways towards improving citizens’ living standards. Actively leveraging the opportunities of these existing and emerging advancements is both a necessity and priority for the young generation to adapt and succeed in an ever-evolving and connected world. In this context education systems should be focused on nurturing students with the required competences to assure the future prospects and wellbeing of our societies. Therefore, it is essential for educators to move from traditional teaching approaches to innovative and active learning practices for equipping students with the so called 21st century skills (i.e. analytic reasoning, complex problem solving, teamwork, scientific and technological literacy etc.) which are essential in our rapidly changing world.
The PLASTIC FREE HEROES project provides an innovative learning offer that builds on plastic as a conceptual context for learning in order to enable students to develop 21st century skills. Particularly, a novel curriculum that employs and combines student-centered pedagogical methods will be developed to enable learners to engage with project-based learning activities (i.e. students device innovative reclining solutions or alternative materials to be used instead of plastic as well as advocacy and awareness raising campaigns to sensitize the community about this environmental issue) through which a deeper learning process will be facilitated leading to the cultivation of 21st competences.
The project will also develop a “teacher training programme” that will enable teachers to apply effectively the developed curriculum and the innovative pedagogies that include.
The curriculum that will be developed will be tested during a pilot phase with secondary education schools in 5 different countries.
As a result, it is expected that PLASTIC FREE HEROES will enrich teacher’s knowledge and skills towards innovative teaching practices as the project will directly train more than 20 teachers during a face to face training session as well as a larger number of teachers through the open educational resources and the online training courses that will be produced. A significant benefit is also foreseen for the hundreds of students who will participate in the project and experience the learning activities of the curriculum. Through this process students will develop innovative and transversal skills essential for adapting and successfully provoking to change.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 212810 Eur

Project Coordinator

FRIEDRICH-ALEXANDER-UNIVERSITÄT ERLANGEN-NÜRNBERG & Country: DE

Project Partners

• COLEGIUL NATIONAL “ALEXANDRU IOAN CUZA” GALATI
• STIMMULI FOR SOCIAL CHANGE
• Humusz Szövetség
• CSI CENTER FOR SOCIAL INNOVATION LTD
• Geniko Lykeio Assirou