Weather and Climate Change – our challenge to handle it Erasmus Project

Project Title

Weather and Climate Change – our challenge to handle it

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 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: International cooperation, international relations, development cooperation; Environment and climate change; Social/environmental responsibility of educational institutions

Project Summary

Two European technical and VET schools meet for the first time and start a new strategic partnership. Istituto tecnico industriale statale “M.O.V.M. Don G. Morosini” is situated in Ferentino (Lazio), which is a region with a very bad air quality as a consequence of a high pollution because of exhaust gases. Prizma Campus VTI is situated in a heavy industrial region, in which it’s necessary to be alert for air pollution. Both schools concluded to collaborate on a project to prove, thanks to objective measurements and data, that air pollution has an influence on local weather conditions and on a long-term basis also on climate change. We want to challenge local authorities and industries to take more responsability and cope with this serious problem. In a first phase, in humanistic and philosophical lessons students will become aware of the problem of climate change and global warming and think about the world they will live in in the future. In Geography lessons, in special project lessons and through personal research students will gain insight into the influence of human behaviour on weather and on the link between weather and climate change. In a second phase students will learn to use satellite images and measuring data to prove that in our regions a change of weather and climate is going on. The local meteoroligists will explain the students the working of analogue measuring instruments to collect weather data. Technical teachers will guide them, in order to stimulate them to use and enlarge their STEM skills, competences and knowledge. To analyze satellite images and develop digital measuring instruments, students will learn to work with new software and with Arduino, which is an open source computer platform intended to make microcontrollers easier. In a third phase students will, in practical lessons, house the developed instruments and cover them in a self made sustainable and weather consistant box. The self developed weather stations will be installed in each school. The IT-teams of the schools will connect our digital instruments on at least one free website for weather forecast. The local meteorologists also here will be our guides. In the fourth phase measuring results and data will be spread and shared through the schools websites, the weather forecast websites and social media pages of the two schools, and through local meteorologists. Local authorities and industries will be informed about the data and they will be informed about where they can find them. In a fifth phase students will take the initiative themselves to confront the local authorities and industries with the evolution of the weather data, in order to, thanks to objective data, make them aware of the problem and to stimulate them to act. In a future phase we’re going to expand our project to other European regions. Therefore, after a quality control and reflection, we will review and rewrite our project and submit again with new partners. In each phase the involved students and teachers will be in touch on E-twinning Twinspace. Through the project not only UNESCO’s sustainable development goal 13 about climate change will be a topic. Students and teachers also, to a lesser extent, will work about the SDGs 3 (Health), 14 and 15 (life in water and on earth) and 17 (partnerships). During the project students will learn about the historical and cultural heritage of the regions. 10 Italian and 10 Belgian students, aged 14 – 17 will be involved. They’ll communicate in English. Through the project they’ll work together virtually on twinspace. Through the mobilities we’ll work with professional learning communities, in which older students in electronics and mechanics will guide the students of the project. The project is guided by a team of teachers in general, technical and practical subjects. The pedagogical team and the internationalizing team will support the teachers’ team. 2 Belgian and 3 Italian teachers will take part to the moblities. As main objectives, students will become aware of the big challenge of climate change and its consequences and will be able to use and enlarge their STEM competences, skills and knowledge to handle this challenge. On a long term basis it’s our objective to share knowledge gathered through the project with the local community, authorities, industries and other stakeholders. That students can experience this in a European context, in which their language skills enlarge and their sense of European citizenship can be improved, that is an objective in each European project. For specific objectives I refer to the part “objectives” in this application. Of course this project also includes objectives for teachers and the schools. All those objectives have to do with our own education quality, the place of education in an international context, the international working of our schools and the professionalization of teachers in the field of languages, STEM and internationalization

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 36705 Eur

Project Coordinator

Prizma Campus VTI & Country: BE

Project Partners

• ISTITUTO TECNICO INDUSTRIALE STATALE “M.O.V.M. DON G. MOROSINI”