Forests – green lungs of our Europe Erasmus Project

Project Title

Forests – green lungs of our Europe

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 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Environment and climate change; Natural sciences; Pedagogy and didactics

Project Summary

As a green lung, forests are of inestimable importance for us humans. For this reason we have to face the special responsibility for the preservation and protection of our forests. It is therefore necessary to convey the special features and importance of this complex ecosystem to schoolchildren. The present project served to promote intercultural skills, environmental education and education about sustainability.
For joint research in the forest ecosystem, two weeks of mobility in Darmstadt and Razkrižje were planned with class 8 of Osnovna sola Janeza, Razkrižje (Slovenia) and class 9a of Mornewegschule, Darmstadt (Germany) in school year 2019/20.
The first mobility took place with 26 students from class 9a, 14 students from class 8 and the supervising teachers in September 2019 in Razkrižje to carry out a research week together. Some of the students were accommodated in host families, the remaining students lived in two holiday apartments with teachers and some Slovenian students. In order to carry out the project, all the students were exempt from regular lessons. All activities were carried out together. The language of communication was English.
In German-Slovenian research teams, the students worked on research questions of their own choice. Due to the idea of the concept of “formative assessment”, they set their own learning goals and planned their research projects independently and in a self-organized manner with help of a trilingual research worksheet.
The first results were presented at the end of the visit. During the school year further work with the results and the preparation of presentations took place in class. It was planned to continue the research work in May 2020 during the second mobility in German forests in order to compare the results and develop a booklet about German and Slovenian forests. Unfortunately, this visit and an alternative appointment in the following year had to be canceled due to the restrictions caused by the corona pandemic.
After the original participants of the project graduated in summer 2021, a three-day virtual meeting with students of class 7 and 8 took place in autumn 2021 to “compensate” the lack of mobility. This virtual meeting marked the end of the project, but also introduced the new participants to intercultural work.
Additionally two short term meetings for teachers were planned in order to ensure the knowledge transfer between the schools. In February 2020, the Slovenian colleagues visited Darmstadt with focus on the topic of learning and developing in multicultural learning groups. This topic is particularly interesting because the two schools differ greatly in terms of their students. Mornewegschule Darmstadt is an integrated comprehensive school with heterogeneous and multicultural students. In contrast, Osnovna sola Janeza Kuharja Razkrizje, as a small rural school, is still very homogeneous in terms of its cultural identity. In terms of increasing migration to Europe, this might change in the future.
Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the second short term visit in Razkrižje on the topic of formative assessment in its practical implementation had to be canceled.
Overall the project could not be carried out as planned due to the corona pandemic and the underlying restrictions. In particular the lack of the second student mobility harmed the whole project. Moreover, school closings and alternating lessons as well as the general uncertainty during the pandemic disrupted the continuity of work.
Nevertheless, the pupils acquired a wide range of skills. Through the organizing their own project work in international groups they learned to take on and share responsibility on a concrete and real topic, to make fundamental decisions together and to carry out their own research project as independently as possible. This not only strengthened their personal skills, but also promoted intercultural competences through a better understanding of social, ethnic, linguistic and intercultural differences, as well as their acceptance. Friendly relationships developed, the motivation and satisfaction for learning increased and a positive and appreciative attitude towards the forest ecosystem was developed. A wide range of technical and methodological skills could also be gained. The bonds between the schools and the colleagues were strengthened, and further cooperation is sure to follow.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 32997,2 Eur

Project Coordinator

Mornewegschule & Country: DE

Project Partners

• OSNOVNA SOLA JANEZA KUHARJA RAZKRIZJE