LKME aims at improving the students’ basic and transversal skills (foreign languages, ICT, science, entrepreneurship) to support the Europe 2020 strategy for intelligent growth. We motivate students (15-18 years) from the lowest to the highest academic spectrum by choosing the authentic situation of solving a real problem (How can we lower CO2 emissions?) in cooperation: They develop, test and evaluate different ways of how to make mobility more eco-friendly. So the project is a good example of problem-based learning, which is supported by the method of cooperative learning. Here the different perspectives, experiences and skills of the European partners provides a broad basis for effective learning (European added value). Furthermore the method of visible learning is employed to promote the students' development of skills. As each LTT can be connected to the curriculum of one subject (biology, P.E. or English) we can actively involve 1-3 classes from each partner school in the preparation and the follow-ups of each LTT during lessons. This results in a wide target group of about 600 students- about 100 travelling to LTTs. In the following the need to develop different basic and transversal skills is explained: Good foreign language skills are important to enable our students to study or work in Europe as they have national languages which are not widely spoken. We aim at sparking off the students decreasing interest in science when they experience that they can not only understand up-to- date research but also develop their own ideas and contribute to progress. Furthermore LKME addresses the need that students employ and develop their ICT skills to use them effectively in a project. Finally they take the entrepreneur`s perspective when they try to involve many people in more eco-friendly mobility and promote their results. Finally the problem of more eco-friendly mobility addresses the need to live within the limits of our planet and supports the Europe 2020 strategy for sustainable growth and the reduction of CO2 emissions by 20%. LKME’s European cooperation increases its impact and underlines the fact that the challenge of global warming cannot be solved by individual countries (European added value). The implementation has already started by creating networks (partners outside schools), collaborations (colleagues), division of responsibilities and the division of each LTT into preparation, get-going and rounding-it-off phases. They are well connected by the TPMs, in which important methods for the following LTTs are introduced and documentation, monitoring and evaluation take place. In all LTTs students learn about examples of how biomimesis contributes to eco-friendly mobility (karibu, fin ray effect, lotus effect, skunk) and do an eco-friendly free-time activity . In LTT1 "Me and my carbon footprint" students test and evaluate a sustainability app, they get professional support to try and test the new UN-app and plan and carry out a CO2-saving competition among partner schools. In LTT2 "Me and my environment" students develop their science skills and environmental awareness. They use results of fieldwork to compare their local ecosystems and understand our dependency on them. Also they enjoy natural environments on a guided eco-friendly hiking trip. Finally they measure how this increases their motivation to reduce their CO2 emissions. LTT3 "Me and my physical activity" deepens the understanding of the win-win situation when linking sustainable mobility with physical fitness. They determine their fitness and find ways to improve it: they develop a “pro-bike” app to make physical activity part of their school days and promote the results. In LTT4 "Me and my ideas" students get insight into research at university and a company and do online research to develop their own solutions for more eco-friendly mobility in the future, which they present in a big final conference; the best ideas are handed to local politicians and discuss its potential. As LKME provides the frame which students fill with their own ideas, self-evaluation and feedback of students are important tools used regularly. The positive European experience will spread through the schools, communities and Europe via films, posters, homepage articles, showcases, events as well as by documents like the Europass, Youthpass and Certilingua. This finally facilitates and promotes their living, studying and working in Europe.
LKME aimed at improving the students’ basic and transversal skills when making our schools more eco-friendly. This is why we decided to develop the students' basic skills: a) Foreign language skills (also when dealing with complex topics): enable our students to study or work in Europe, especially as they have national languages which are not widely spoken. b) ICT skills: in the quickly progressing field of ICT we gave the students the opportunity to apply and develop their skills. c) Science skills: We aimed at sparking off the students’ decreasing interest in science and let them experience that they cannot only understand up-to-date research but also develop their own ideas to contribute to progress. d) Entrepreneurship: To let words follow action the students acted as entrepreneurs when they encouraged eco-friendly behaviour of other people in- and outside our schools. We chose the topic eco-friendliness and climate change to take action where it is urgently need and also to support the Europe 2020 strategy for sustainable growth and the reduction of CO2 emissions by 20%. LKME’s European cooperation increased its impact and underlined the fact that the challenge of global warming cannot be solved by individual countries (European added value). Each of the four participating schools had worked with at least one other school before, so LKME strengthened existing ties. Furthermore each school contributed expertise to the project: The Swedish school shared their experience in promoting reading skills in general and internet research in particular, the Danish school was expert in the field of visible learning and special ICT skills, the German school contributed the experience in Content Integrated Language Learning (CLIL) especially in connection with science, while the Turkish school gave us access to a well-established network with the university as well as the board of education. Each Learning Teaching Training activity (LTT) took a different view on the challenge to become more eco-friendly. In LTT1 "Me and my carbon footprint" the students determined their carbon footprint and discussed how it can be made smaller. Unluckily we had to give up the plan of using a sustainability app designed by the UN for this purpose. So instead of carrying out a CO2-saving competition, each school developed on action plan to make their school more eco-friendly. Here measures taken at a partner school were used as a role model. So an initiative to reduce food waste was set up and established at the Swedish school, the Danish school focused on separating different types of litter, the Turkish school promoted the idea of eco-friendliness with posters, sticker footprints and bird’s nests and took action by establishing the apple day, while the German school started a collection of refund bottles to avoid litter around the school and use the refund money to reduce waste from drinking bottles in the long run by putting up a drinking fountain. In LTT2 "Me and my environment" students developed their science skills and environmental awareness by comparing the results from fieldwork on local ecosystems across Europe. This resulted in exhibitions which were put up at each school. Also the students enjoyed natural environments e.g. on the Hike and Bike excursion. The follow-ups from LTT1 required a lot a perseverance as well as problem solving. So the participants gave each other advice, which ensured ensured their success. Finally the students agreed to promote the project at their school by painting a wall at each school for this purpose. LTT3 "Me and my physical activity" deepened the understanding of the win-win situation when linking sustainable mobility with physical fitness. Here another attempt was made to find a suitable green app to set up a CO2 saving competition between the schools. Sadly because of technical problems and since tests resolved in unsatisfying results, the focus was changed to how old (bike) and new (me-mover) sustainable means of transportation contribute to fitness, well-being and saving CO2. To promote well-being and eco-friendliness the participants decided not only to make film clips but also to reduce the consumption of meat with a Veggie Day at each school. In LTT4 "Me and my ideas" students obtained insight into Gotland’s municipality’s plans to become independent from fossil fuels by 2025 and developed their own ideas of how to reach this aim with the help of an entrepreneur game. This resulted in presentations and scientific posters which were put up at each school. Summing up in can be said that the project still has long-lasting impact on the participants` basic and transversal skills as well as on their environmental awareness and motivation to act eco-friendly, also at school.