COP in the Classroom Erasmus Project

Project Title

COP in the Classroom

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: Environment and climate change; International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; ICT – new technologies – digital competences

Project Summary

Two schools, a German and an Italian school, took part in a strategic partnership in the project “COP in the classroom” which dealt with sustainability in the context of climate change, topics which are dealt with in Geography, Politics and English lessons. The teachers in this project believe that global warming as a worldwide challenge should be faced by acting climate-friendly and sustainably. The pupils learned about sustainability and environment-friendly behaviour and strategies on a personal, a regional and an international level so that they might be more sensitive and open towards a sustainable way of life.
The project “COP in the classroom” was a joint venture with about 15 German and 15 Italian pupils (15-18 yrs.). During their short-term exchanges abroad they stayed with host families.
The first student meeting was in Italy to learn about sustainability and climate protection on a personal and regional level. They exchanged information about regional environmental-friendly projects and worked on the question “What can we do as citizens?” in order to protect our environment and climate.
The participants received basic information on climate change and greenwashing in various lectures. The Italian students showed the “dealing with waste” in their personal environment by means of photographs from their personal environment. A survey of the school and a quantitative survey of the individual classrooms showed the participants how to deal with waste recycling and food supply at the Italian school. During an excursion to the organic farm “Purocarmignano” the participants got an insight into sustainable farming. Workshops at the Textile Museum and Palazzo Vecchio illustrated sustainability in the clothing industry in a historical context. They were also familiarized with methods of upcycling in a practical workshop.
During the meetings outside their countries, the sustainable cookbook was worked on at both schools, collecting recipes from the students according to the season.
In the second meeting in Germany, the cookbook was continued and completed. The joint cooking in the school kitchen of the KHS had a motivating and community-building effect. The cookbook will be of use to Consumer Education, a subject at the KH-School in 8th and 9th grade. It is to be used in future lessons and further developed there. It might be an incentive to the Italian partner school to introduce a similar subject there.
A second group of students worked on creating a logo for the project and printing this logo on organic cotton tote bags.
In addition to these practical activities, the participants were familiarized with regional climate protection projects on various trips: there were guided excursions to a biofarm, a biogas and wind turbine plant and the Hafencity in Hamburg. An in-depth lecture on climate change by Mojab Latif at the Geomar in Kiel as well as the documentary “Our biggest little farm” in the Kappeln cinema complemented the topic of sustainability and climate protection.
The project activities were made available to the public on the school homepage, eTwinning and through the local press.
The knowledge about climate change and the need for sustainability in connection with the information presented in lectures, excursions and practical workshops led to critical thinking and to a consciousness about our environment among the participants. This was made clear in a final survey. Other obvious results or impulses from the project are the planting of trees on the school grounds and the abolition of the sales machines for snacks in the school building on the Italian side.
The knowledge about the need for a sustainability fostered the pupils’ critical awareness and environmental-friendly behaviour. They learned and practiced different skills, e.g. internet research, English communication skills which will be helpful for their future school and job career.
In addition, the students learned a variety of practical methods, such as the upcycling of textiles and cooking sustainable dishes.
Last but not least, the students’ knowledge of English as a foreign language also benefits from the project because the communication took place in English.
In addition, the topic of sustainability was brought to the families or host families. The interest in sustainable climate protection projects has been aroused by the students and families and will have given them ideas to make their lifestyle and thus their environment more sustainable.
On the whole the project will lead to a better understanding of each others’ cultures as well as environmental issues so that the participants support a climate-friendly and sustainable way of life.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 42371,4 Eur

Project Coordinator

Klaus-Harms-Schule & Country: DE

Project Partners

• ISISS Cicognini Rodari