From Globe to Erasmus: Student Research Projects on Environment Erasmus Project

Project Title

From Globe to Erasmus: Student Research Projects on Environment

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 : School Exchange Partnerships

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2018

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Natural sciences; ICT – new technologies – digital competences; Research and innovation

Project Summary

‘From Globe to Erasmus: Student Research Projects on Environment’ is a joint undertaking developed by secondary schools from Rotterdam (the Netherlands), Buzet (Croatia) and Nysa (Poland). It stemmed from our ambition to enhance the quality and effectiveness of teaching – learning process and to strengthen our capacity for cross-border cooperation. As teachers we noticed that our education system is still very narrow in the sense of connecting to reality. Students are able to memorise things but relevant skills like problem solving, communicating or cooperating efficiently are not taught enough during the school career. To offer a contemporary and realistic learning experience, we developed the transnational project aimed at fostering the key competences of its participants, such as critical thinking, language, media and ICT literacy, leadership, entrepreneurship and peer learning.

Our project resulted from earlier engagement of all participant schools in international GLOBE program – an initiative of All Gore, founded in the US in 1995 to measure aerosols around the world using data from students – a kind of early crowd-sourcing aimed to promote awareness of global warming. Nowadays Globe is a worldwide network of almost 32000 schools from 120 countries, doing environmental research in order to develop students into critical thinking citizens on issues like environment and nature.

Within two years of our cooperation students carried out short-term research projects based on their own research question, formulated hypothesis, carried our measurements and field work and finally wrote reports on shared Google documents and Padlet application. They used GLOBE protocols and datasheets to ensure the standards and quality of their work. Working together in transnational teams they made use of digital media, like WhatsApp, email, the eTwinning platform and Google drive to communicate and register their progress. They used open educational resources offered by GLOBE program. The projects were done in two cycles of one year, a final evaluation was held at the end but students’ progress was monitored constantly in each school by coordinating teachers. On the basis of our experience we created a guide for an effective student research project, which could be integrated with curriculum of science subjects taught in secondary schools. It could be carried out either within school or in cooperation with other institutions, including transnational cooperation. Other results of our collaborative efforts is a multilingual dictionary of scientific terms, created in four languages, and students reports on their research.

We registered our partnership on eTwinning platform and used TwinSpace for communication and disseminating results of the project. Information on our activities, done both locally and trans-nationally, was also uploaded on school websites, Facebook and shared in local media.

The project was addressed to 15-19 years old students, disregarding their social background, gender or learning abilities. It promoted social, civic and intercultural competences and was an opportunity for promotion of language learning, since all transnational activities were carried out in English. Students had a chance to improve their knowledge of scientific vocabulary, as well as communicative skills necessary to run their international research projects. Both teachers and students could strengthen their management competences, like ability to coordinate a group work, taking leadership, time management, proper planning and monitoring the progress.

Project activities were aimed to raise people’s awareness of environmental issues. Its participants were given a chance to analyse similarities and differences between our schools’ regions, compare our observations not only locally but on European level. During the two years of our project we carried out a series of activities to promote sensitiveness to ecological problems, like field trips to places where impact of human activity on our environment is especially visible.

Our three institutions differ considerably, in location, number of students, expertise in teaching foreign languages, involvement in international projects, but we took advantage of these diverse experiences to address common needs we had identified in our schools and communities.
We are convinced that both students and teachers, as well as participant schools, will benefit in a long-term from our initiative. For teachers it was a chance for professional development and fostering such character traits as openness for new ideas and teaching methods or readiness to deal with challenges and problems in a creative way. Students got a chance not only to deepen their knowledge but also to boost key competences increasing their employability. Schools were given a possibility to enrich their educational offer through both Erasmus and GLOBE program, making them an attractive choice for new students.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 54000 Eur

Project Coordinator

Zespol Szkol i Placowek Oswiatowych & Country: PL

Project Partners

• Wolfert van Borselen School Group
• Srednja skola Buzet