FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE
This school year is full of international projects for our gymnasium like never before. We are proud of ourselves as not only we have pssibility to choose partners for future projects but also different educational institutions invite us to cooperate, to share our good experiences and previously acquired knowledge. Therefore, one more international “Erasmus+” program project "FightClimateChange" was started to be implemented started along with two non-governmental organizations (UNO and BASE) from Spain and Italy. This project started in spring, 2022 and it is financed by the European Union funds. The project will continue until next year, i.e. till the 1st November, 2023. The goals of the project are closely related to climate change on our Earth and its effects for our planet.
Therefore the project objectives will be:
- supporting the adoption of sustainable behaviors towards nature and climate change in younger generation who represent the future of the European Union;
- developing new teaching material on the topic of tackling climate change as teachers are one of the main actor in building students' critical thinking;
- develop students's critical thinking on the matter of climate change and environment preservation;
- raise awareness in primary/middle European school's students on the importance of the nature and the environment;
- promote social inclusion among students through open air activities that involve nature and its preservation.
Teachers and students will participate in this project. All tasks, project activities, experiential activities will be related to 5 sub-topics: inclusive outdoor activities, healthy lifestyle (to reduce the amount of meat in the students’ diet), water conservation, green energy and sustainable use of plastic. Teachers will try to discover innovative teaching methods, approaches, inclusive forms of teaching and apply them during their lessons with the hope they will be useful and interesting for students. In the meantime students will have to complete the assigned tasks, try new activities and have to provide feedback by evaluating new teaching/learning methods/approaches/tools and also make self-evaluation.
We wish everyone great success, creativity, new ideas and of course, great resultsJ
GUIDELINES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE RESEARCH PHASE ON BEST PRACTICES USED IN LITHUANIA TO EDUCATE STUDENTS ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
Since July project’s “Fight for Climate Change” project members from Italy, Spain and Lithuania intensively have been working on the development of the methods/approaches/ techniques on best practices to educate students in climate change and environmental sustainability. Here you can find some tips that Lithuanian team wants to share with:
KA210 PROJECT “FIGHT FOR CLIMATE CHANGE” PARTNERS’ MEETING IN VALENCIA
President Valdas Adamkus gymnasium is proud of having opportunity to participate in “Erasmus+” KA210 project “Fight for Climate Change” along with partners from Spain (NGO-UNO) and Italy (NGO- BASE). This project started in spring 2022 and it is funded with European Union funds. The end of the project is January 31st 2024. The main goals of the project are closely related to climate change and its consequences for our planet Earth, increasing students’ and teachers’ awareness on sustainability, creating new methods/teaching approaches and their adaptation within the lessons, development of students’ critical thinking skills, strengthening harmony with nature.
From 31st January until 1st February the first project partners’ meeting took place in Valencia. The principal of President Valdas Adamkus gymnasium R.Mikalauskienė, the deputy I.Žebrauskaitė and “Erasmus+” coordinator A. Uysaler along with colleagues from Italy and Spain participated in the meeting.
During the meeting different topics were covered: methodological research that had been done by each country on the best teaching methods/practices of various teaching methods/ approaches related to 5 subtopics that are included in the project (inclusive outdoor activities, healthy lifestyle, (seeking to decrease the consumption of meat), saving water, green energy, sustainable usage of plastic). All those activities will be tested with 10-11year old students in President Valdas Adamkus gymnasium. Moreover, project partners were discussing what the best evaluation, self-evaluation tools could be applied for students and teachers, how to prepare the methodological material that later will be shared with other institutions, what are the most effective means of dissemination, decided on further financing issues, the upcoming plan of activities was set up.
The second stage of the project is to start implementing and applying the best-chosen activities/outdoor tasks/ approaches that are related to five project’s subtopics at schools involving 60 fourth and fifth graders in the educational process. Let’s hope everything will go smoothly and we want to wish good luck for all project participants.
Fight Climate Change Presentation
POLICY TOWARDS DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABILITY THAT IS IMPLEMENTED IN
PRESIDENT VALDAS ADAMKUS GYMNASIUM
The sustainable school is important in today’s Lithuanian education system to ensure the well-being of younger generations. School as an educational institution not only provides knowledge and forms certain skills of the child, but also actively contributes to the child’s views and formation of values, the self, and other perceptions. The school environment acts as a landscape for teaching and learning processes and can have a positive or negative impact on them. There are not many scientific research or analysis done until now on the real situation of sustainability and sustainable development in schools. According to national Lithuanian curriculum it is not obligatory and there is no separate subject/-s for sustainable development or development of 17 SDG in school’s program. Schools are free to choose forms of education regarding SDG and sustainability in general themselves. On the other hand, it is admitted that the principles of sustainable school, on the basis of which a sustainable school environment is created, can serve this purpose. The principles of sustainable school are aimed at creating well-being for all participants of the educational process. A sustainable school is described as one that is guided by “a commitment to care”: care for oneself, each other (across cultures, distances and time), and the environment (both far and near). The main principles that pursue this goal are inclusion, active and equal participation of all children in learning processes, communication processes that remove barriers, and attitudes which are democratic, flexible, and responsive to future change. The very idea of sustainable school in Lithuania reveals an integrated approach to school as a system in which sustainability is integrated in all aspects of school life, not only in the physical environment. In addition to the above-mentioned aspects, sustainability contains curricula, moral principles, relationships, and tools for capacity building, managing of processes, and creating coherence. All in all, while some countries (United Kingdom, Sweden, Australia, etc.) have adopted the sustainable school as a policy goals, others, including Lithuania, are still taking the first steps in implementing sustainable school ideas in practice.
Regarding President Valdas Adamkus gymnasium, it should be admitted, gymnasiums has followed consistent path towards sustainable education since that day when the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provided a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, then and into the future. The same year, 2015 our gymnasium cooperating with Lithuania Ministry of Education prepared the education concept of Ecology and Environmental technologies at the national level that was approved and became the first gymnasium that implements the concept of Ecology and Environmental technologies in Lithuania. The elements of this concept our gymnasium has been successfully integrating into curriculum since 2015. The development of these competencies is related to cognition, understanding of different environmental systems links, human impact on environment, formation of responsible attitude and behavior with the environment. Daily activities of gymnasium community members’ are based on philosophy “The future of Earth and kids is being created today”. The aim of Ecological education and Environmental technologies is to develop the mature personality that has essential knowledge and skills of Ecology and Environmental Technologies, personality that enables to choose independently proper strategies of behavior, predict the environmental impact of their activities and to be active in order to protect the environment.
In order to reach its main goal-to educate a mature personality that can be responsible for his/her actions in life , our gymnasium participates in a big number of events, project, campaigns, national and international activities.
Being a leader of Ecological education in Lithuania, gymnasium in 2016 founded the network of ECO schools whose activities have been coordinated up to now. Currently there are 44 education institutions (apart from gymnasium) that joined the ECO network, implementing the strategy of ECO schools network in Lithuania, seeking to develop students’ observation abilities, to explore and understand that life of a human and nature is interrelated and based on particular laws, to deepen the understanding of the connections between living organisms and lifeless world around them, to develop strong values for promoting and creating a healthy lifestyle and environment. Also, to promote the ways how to meet human’s needs without causing negative effects of human activities on the surrounding environment, to develop mature students with essential ecology and environmental knowledge, skills and values that are able to choose independently proper strategies of behavior, predict the environmental consequences of their activities and be active preserving the environment, to create healthy and sustainable environment through eco-initiatives in order to achieve real result and practical application of activities, to raise the awareness of the whole educational institution community how to act responsibly, conserve natural and energy resources, to gain good practices in cooperation within Eco Schools network.
The National lesson “Eco ideas for Lithuania” is yearly organized in gymnasium during which congress of Lithuanian Eco school members network takes place. During the congress the members of Eco Schools network exchange the information, share good practices of work experience, look partners for cooperation. A common annual Eco-School network activity plan is made along with the common activity strategies. We are proud that Lithuanian former President Valdas Adamkus time to time joins this annual event.
The gymnasium is an active participant in the Sustainable Development Skills program SUSTAINABLE SCHOOL, a few times awarded with certificates of merit.
Since 2016 institution has become a member of the network of Lithuanian health promoting schools and in December, 2020 the gymnasium was given the status of an active school. The gymnasium has been awarded with a national award-green flag for its activity, merits in experiential, sustainable educational activities.
Gymnasium implements pre-primary, primary, basic and secondary education programs with the concept elements of distinctive Ecology and Environmental technologies education as well as non-formal education programs with the concept elements of distinctive Ecology and Environmental technologies education. Students of all programs are given the opportunity to organize educational activities not only in the gymnasium but also in educational spaces of education and business partners: laboratories, green houses, natural environment and etc. what makes proper assumptions for implementing School Without Boarders module. In 2021 our gymnasium became coordinator of ENO (worldwide network for sustainable communities and schools) in Lithuania. Participating in different activities, campaigns, events, conferences and involving not just students from our gymnasium but also members of ECO network into activities, our gymnasium undoubtedly promotes the development of sustainability, increases awareness on sustainable development, ecological literacy and environment. What is more, students of all ages in our gymnasium non stop participate in “Erasmus +” projects since 2014 and all of the projects were related to the topics of climate change, environment, sustainable development, ecological literacy and etc.
Last thing needs to be mentioned-our distinctive curriculum that exist not in many schools in our country. In order to develop and promote sustainable education in our gymnasium, all the students (starting from 1st grade and finishing with 12th grade) have one lesson extra weekly that is aimed at development of sustainability, 17 SDGs and climate change. All the activities that are performed within the school, are based on experimental/ empirical experiences, methods of problems based learning, providing solutions to a problem (tackling climate change, pollution, preservation of environment and etc.) are applied.
Bibliography:
Best Selected Practises on Five Topics:
Get to Know Nature, Fight Plastic Use, Healthy LifeStyle, Save Water, Green Energy
Empowering Students through Hands-On Learning: The Testing Phase and Its Benefits in Tackling Key Environmental Topics
One of the most pressing issues of our time, climate change threatens the lives and livelihoods of billions of people. Natural disasters, environmental degradation and extreme weather patterns disrupt harvests, deplete fisheries, erode livelihoods and spur infectious diseases. The planet’s climate has constantly been changing over geological time, with significant fluctuations of global average temperatures.
Among the most important goals of our project :Fight against the Climate change” was to promote the battle towards climate change by acting among children who will grow up by adopting more sustainable behaviors. As a result, five topics: “get to know nature”, “healthy lifestyle”, “save water”, “green energy” and “fight plastic use” were chosen among those key important topics to combat climate change and be tested with students. Those 5 topics not only educated our students but also instilled a sense of responsibility and commitment to environmental conservation.
Exploring natural ecosystems, understanding biodiversity, building models to simulate the greenhouse effect, making a miniature world and planting trees-all those activities that inspired our students for new "Get to Know Nature" initiatives. Through previously mentioned hands-on experiences students developed a deeper appreciation for the environment. These activities fostered a sense of wonder and curiosity, nurturing a lifelong bond with nature.
Encouraging healthy lifestyles within the context of environmental awareness is integral. Activities and projects such as “Healthy month”, “Eating map” and “Food labels: sugar” helped students comprehend the direct link between personal health and the environment. Emphasizing the benefits of physical activity, fresh air and nutritious food encouraged and increased holistic well-being while supporting sustainable and beneficial practices.
The "Save Water" segment focuses on understanding water cycles, practicing water conservation and raising awareness about the global water crisis. Students were engaged in the experiment “Infiltrated water” during which they learnt about responsible water usage and implemented strategies to reduce water wastage both at school and in their communities. Apart from this, they calculated their water footprint and made another experiment counting how much water is needed daily. All these activities empowered them to be conscientious water stewards😊.
Introducing concepts of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydro power stimulated discussions among the students on energy conservation and sustainability. Hands-on experiments “my ecological footprint”, constructing simple wind-vane and experiential activity “Leaf relay” exploring the potential of alternative energy sources fostered critical thinking and innovation. Understanding the impact of energy choices equipped our students to advocate for cleaner energy solutions.
Last topic students were being tested for was “Fight Plastic Use”. Students were involved in the gamified approach “Rebuilding the future” to stimulate learning and creativity. More than this, they were playing the game “Guess how long it will live?” in order to understand how long different materials take to degrade, so to raise their awareness on the importance of recycling correctly. The workshop “Make your own reusable bag” during which students were using upcycled materials was not just enjoyable but also beneficial in terms of saving money and instead of buying the new bag, making the one from reusable things.
All in all, this testing phase of the project “Fight against the climate change” served as a gateway for students to comprehend, experiment and embrace sustainable practices. It not only enriched their academic journey but also nurtured their role as responsible global citizens, fostering a generation committed to preserving our planet.
One of our students who actively participated in the testing phase at the end of the project said: "Through hands-on projects combating climate change, I discovered that small actions, when multiplied by many can truly make a difference”……., she nearly repeated the same words of Christine Lagarde who once pronounced: "Climate change is the single greatest threat to a sustainable future, but together, we can create real change."
Let’s hope all our students’ and teachers’ dreams one day will be transformed into actions and aspirations into reality. :)
