Fusionsenergie – die saubere Energie der Zukunft? Erasmus Project

Project Title

Fusionsenergie – die saubere Energie der Zukunft?

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 Schools Only

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2015

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Overcoming skills mismatches (basic/transversal); Natural sciences; Energy and resources

Project Summary

To guarantee the energy supply of a growing population, with fossil fuel resources like coal and oil declining at the same time, is one of today’s crucial challenges. Furthermore, it is necessary to reduce industrial pollution, to build and operate power plants economically, and to facilitate access to new technologies. The students in this project discussed the question whether fusion research and the construction of fusion reactors will be a viable way to solving our energy problems in the future, after having investigated the scientific background and after having scrutinized the political and economic aspects of the topic.
In our 3-year-project with five European schools (from Denmark, Britain, France, Poland, and Germany) we sought to connect basic knowledge from school with expert knowledge from research, both academic and applied. Excursions gave students an insight into current research findings, and a first-hand experience of scientific work at universities, research labs and industrial plants. Before and after these excursions, they developed teaching material that combine the socio-political and the scientific aspects of fusion energy. The material was translated partly into five languages, thus making sure that they can be used in class in every participating country.
In four project meetings, the teachers involved planned the joint student meetings, the design and publication of the material, and the evaluation of the project. During the student meetings they had the role of learning coaches and involved the rest of their schools, e.g. by regular presentations of project results on school websites or magazines. They also offered staff training, thus distributing the contents of the project.
During the five student meetings all participants worked together on a central aspect of the topic “fusion energy”. These were the common features in all meetings:
1. Excursions that gave students the chance to get into contact with scientists in their working environment.
By co-operating with selected international research centres and laboratories, cutting-edge physical research became more accessible to students, and they experienced scientific ways of thinking and working first-hand, thus building a bridge from school education to actual research and harnessing synergies between the two.
2. Using different routes of learning, with an emphasis on doing experiments at school and trying new learning methods with digital media (“flipped classroom”). The aim of the “flipped classroom” method is to visualize basic knowledge more clearly and to create more room for students doing application-oriented, self-organized work in science classes.

The interdisciplinary view on scientific and political aspects of energy supply gave students a deeper understanding of this topic, enabling them to get a thorough knowledge of and a critical judgement on the current debate on energy. The students improved their skills in doing scientific research, keeping up with the public debate, working in international teams and discussing complex issues in English. These skills are required for developing self-competence, for shaping the choice of a future career, and for advancing European integration by strengthening intercultural competence. As a consequence of our project on fusion energy, our students’ basic scientific competence has increased. They were also introduced to using digital resources and forms of communication and boosting the use of digital media in class and in individual learning processes.
These are vital skills for everyone who wants to participate in modern society, especially with regard to potential fields of work in European research or industry. Today’s students have grown up using digital media and communication for private purposes, however working with them on specific issues requires different strategies. Through eTwinning, the use and the conception of English online teaching material, the students learned and developed these strategies and at the same time improved their foreign language competence.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 165670 Eur

Project Coordinator

Gymnasium Süderelbe & Country: DE

Project Partners

• Highlands School
• Zespol Szkol nr 10 im. prof. Stefana Banacha w Toruniu
• Københavns Tekniske Skole
• LYCEE PAUL CEZANNE