Freshwater shortage! Warning! Erasmus Project

Project Title

Freshwater shortage! Warning!

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: Cultural heritage/European Year of Cultural Heritage; Environment and climate change; Agriculture, forestry and fisheries

Project Summary

In the Erasmus+ project called “Freshwater shortage! Warning!” the two schools couldn’t be more different: One in Almunecar, Andalusia, in hot and dry climate and an agricultural influenced environment. The other one was and still is in a region with lots of dammed water and historical industrially influenced, at the city of Leipzig, Germany. Our topic met the interest of students to get more information about climate change and climate protection, not least because of the “Fridays for Future” movement, the issue of climate change & in particular man-made climate change, is of great importance to the younger generation. The project team in both schools were teachers from the following subjects: foreign language, history, ICT and geography. The target group were students from secondary, age 12 to 18.
In the main content of the project, implemented in Spain, the participants became aware of the importance of connections in the water cycle in nature depending on the climate and influence of the people in the freshwater shortage affected region in Andalusia. With the help of topic-related activities, the most important causes of water shortage were to be researched. We elaborated activities dealing with new words and scientific links related to freshwater shortage, water footprints and contaminated freshwater, freshwater biotopes and rivers being lifelines, water cycles,life in water stressed areas, forces of water and underground water.
At Leipzig students were able to experience a historically and geographically contradicting situation. The focus here was on consciously experiencing and getting to know a landscape, that was heavily influenced by lignite mining in the 20th century and is now undergoing major changes as a follow-up landscape to mining. Starting with a look into the past of mining, the water supply facilities in the region and the renatured landscapes were then examined. Teachers and students dealt with current challenges in the process of change in the region.
The results of this 2-year partnership was a booklet and worksheets for every school. We also developed presentations, reports, short videos from activities as well as photo documentations of important impressions from our project work. Both, booklet and worksheets can be used interdisciplinary in the school lessons of the participating schools. The final booklet collected all reports about the activities and more information in English as online edition and folder for quick reference.
The promotion of scientific competences and language skills were a concern for both schools and a very important aspect of school development. We focused on interdisciplinary learning and integrated the learning of a certain content with foreign language practicing. In addition, foreign language practicing supported intercultural competences developed the ability to articulate and to share ideas, to reflect and connect old and new knowledge.
By using digital media, we improved teachers and students’ skills in handling information networks & digital systems. The project had a multidisciplinary approach: Both schools established more interdisciplinary projects in the curriculum. In discussion groups, we engaged students to critical thinking and evaluating different approaches. They got to know debates and thus improved their language skills. Besides that, the participants got to know each other’s location and appreciated the cultural diversity. Students and teachers benefited as well as they learned more about the cultural heritage of the two countries.

The participants acquired and deepened their skills in lifelong learning by learning at extracurricular learning locations. The analysis of the different outcomes helped the students to recognise the European and international dimension of the topic. At the same time, the students learned methods of scientific work in a transnational context, thereby expanding their competencies in a constantly changing work environment. Our pupils became more confident and will have it easier to actively participate in class work, be more open-minded when coping with new situations and hopefully perform better at school as well. Their critical thinking as well as the ability to judge and looking ahead have improved. Thereby they have more opportunities to master an active and satisfying life in future. Through the exchange, students explored how different the regions are developed, how different influences affect culture and life in a region.
Within our partnership activities we planned further contacts between teachers, pupils and parents, this will help to establish a council that supports young people from Leipzig International School and Almunecar Secondary School traveling in the near future to discover more about our European cultural heritage. Unfortunately, the exchange trips planned for 2020 and the final scientific measures could not be implemented from February 2020 due to the pandemic crisis.

Project Website

https://twinspace.etwinning.net/78888/home

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 57438 Eur

Project Coordinator

Leipzig International School gGmbH & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Instituto de Educación Secundaria Al Andalus