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Description
We all live in the world of the critical climate change challenge, and we must prepare the young generation to face it. To explain how environmental responsibility, sustainable development and bioeconomy work, we need to innovate teaching methods. This project aims to adapt the methodology of the Norwegian partner with rich experience with these topics for Czech primary schools. The project team will work on educational modules, a workbook and a web application that will attractively introduce the aspect of bioeconomy in relation to forestry on concrete examples.
This project will bring new approaches and methods to formal education. But above all, it will inspire children to be active and make conscious decisions regarding the circular economy.
Summary of project results
Sustainable forestry and forest bioeconomy - very current topics, which, however, are not currently emphasized in the lower level of education in the Czech Republic. The goal of the project was therefore to get to know the rich experience of Norwegian colleagues and to create teaching materials focused on sustainability and forest bioeconomy for use in teaching at primary schools. In addition, an educational web with gamification elements, which will be linked with the teaching materials.
At the beginning of the project, the researchers visited the Forestry Extension Institute in Norway, where they gained experience from the Learning with forests program for schools lasting more than 40 years. And it was from there that a unique methodology was brought in - the so-called Environmental graduation with a gradual six-stage process of student development from enjoying nature to responsibility for the future. This unique methodology was adapted to the conditions of the Czech Republic and incorporated into the created teaching materials. Newly created educational modules stimulate children''s interest in the forest as a unique natural environment, introduce them to sustainable forest management and explain the principles of forest bioeconomy. As part of the project, 60 activities were created, which are divided into 4 thematic modules that can be used for teaching in and outside the classroom. Each activity consists of a methodology for teachers and a workbook for pupils. Prepared modules were pilot tested, feedback was incorporated, and dissemination seminars were subsequently held, at which 83 teachers from 15 different elementary schools got to know how to work with educational modules in teaching.
Educational modules can be found in electronic form on the web portal www.zazitles.cz. This website is linked to the modules using QR codes, contains supporting materials, but also other interesting and gamified elements. Thanks to the cooperation of foresters, methodologists and teachers, created materials are prepared in the form that teachers imagine for use in teaching, and at the same time with such information about the forest and forestry that is based on current scientific knowledge. Pupils'' work with educational modules will support the increase of their competences in the field of environmental responsibility and sustainability. These materials are already being used in teaching by teachers who participated in the dissemination seminars, as well as by some others who actively expressed interest in providing materials based on the PR activities of the project. These outputs have the ambition to be used by a wide range of primary schools in the Czech Republic, as they are in line with the objectives of environmental education, training and awareness.
Summary of bilateral results
The Norwegian partner has huge experience in the field of educating children about the forest ecosystem (especially in the form of the Learning with Forests program, which has been running with them for 40 years). They bring together 37 forestry organizations and scientific institutions in Norway, which is why it has very high expertise in the field of forestry sustainability and forest bioeconomy, which is especially well developed in the Scandinavian countries. They therefore integrate this issue in children''s education in the long term. The Norwegian partner was of fundamental importance for this project in the form of transferring the new method of the so-called Environmental graduation to the intellectual outputs of this project.