Context/Background/Objectives: Environmental protection is a universal burning issue nowadays. We can do individually a lot for environmental protection. As the involving schools base a great emphasis on that topic we want to collaborate. Our project is about building a European Eco Friendship in order to promote environmental protection and to be 'green' with sharing ideas. With our commitment we want to confront the young generation with the problems of our consuming society, climate change, astonishing facts about littering (plastic) and the regional problems of pollution. We want our students to explore these issues with the help of professional teachers. On the other hand, we teachers wish to offer some options as solutions of the emerging topics. We are willing to make our students create educational materials such as short exploring educational videos, albums, explorations, board games, learningapps, eco nature trails etc. Expanding a relationship among countries is necessary and relevant as sustainable development have to be a need worldwide, therefore facing our environmental situations is essential and working on solutions is important. Sharing ideas as a help and cooperation could move forward our local society on the way of an eco-friendlier point of view moreover we can adapt each other’s ideas in education. We can make and share plenty of educational items and use the 21 st century's competences via different kinds of online platforms (eTwinning/Facebook/Instagram, etc.). Number and Profile of participants: About 15 teachers and 30 students 11-15 years old Description of activities: We create activities which support our objectives. We want to sustain a community, therefore we make an eTwinning project and a Facebook/Instagram group. Regularly we inform each other about our developments and upload our materials. As being involved in a project we want to create an identity of our team, we need a logo first. Students can express themselves and use their creativity. Understanding environmental issues is essential so we teachers want to reflect on the problem with some videos and presentations and guidance, lately our students will investigate the local issues and make presentations using videos and ppts etc. Our students make posters, banners and placards in order to emphasise the importance of 3R preventing, recycling, reducing, replacing. We make plenty of educational materials based on the individual location of each school and cross-curricular competences. We want broaden the knowledge about environmental issues. We exchange of the materials, discuss them and apply them on lessons. We apply the target language, creative ideas, art and ICT tools. We establish Carbon Footprint Tacking System. We want to create lifelike situations and replace the idea of consumer society with the conscious consumer society. We want to give place to producing healthy materials for cleaning instead of chemicals, replacing plastic to organic. We want to build a "green wall" in the schools with full of plants as a symbol of environmental protection. With the personal meetings we want to hold a conference by presenting of our work. We want to plant a tree as a symbol of Eco Friendship. We want to offer some recreational activities in the nature (hiking, bird watching, showing life below water) Methodology: We will provide training for teachers and students in the field of environmental protection through project activities, using various educational methods, involving appropriate didactic resources. At the same time, we will provide training for teachers interested in the topic, enrolling in the continuous training process that focuses on teaching / learning / evaluation strategies in order to change opinions and attitudes of learners. During the project, the parents and the local community will be permanently involved in activities. Short descriptions of results: * Understanding of the importance of environmental protection * exploring of local issues, such as littering, water, air or soil pollution and climate change * developing ICT skills by using different tools, using eTwinning platform * developing of the communication skills in English language, expand the knowledge of the topic related new vocabulary * raising awareness in conscious consumerism- food, clothes, energy, etc. * developing creativity, critical thinking, problem solving and innovation in for example plastic recycling * developing collaboration, tolerance, flexibility * raising interest in recreation in the nature such as hiking, bird watching, etc. * getting new 'green' ideas from the partners and able to apply them * developing and using new educational materials LONG/SHORT TERM Benefits We want to use all the educational materials in topic related courses, theme weeks, on language courses and appear on school district conferences. We plan to promote and broaden the knowledge of students on the topic and to lead to be conscious consumers.
In the project called ISEEF via ICT the participants felt responsible for environmental protection. All the schools were on to build an "eco friendship" within Europe. All of the schools worked according to the priorities of the project: open education and innovative practices in a digital era, promoting engaging, connecting and empowering young people, developing partnerships aimed at promoting work-based learning in all forms, teaching and learning foreign languages, environment and climate change, international cooperation, international relations, development cooperation. We confronted the students and the young generation with the problems of consuming society, climate change, astonishing facts about littering and made researches on regional problems of each participant country. Students could explore all the important topic related facts with the supervision of the teachers. Our students made educational materials: videos, albums, exporations, digital games, etc. and with the help of the teachers, these materials were uploaded on eTwinning platform. With the help of the pupil exchanges we were able to expand the relationship among the countries. We could share the ideas of the environmental problems and experienced them with the help of each participant and we explored the issues worldwide too. Sharing ideas and cooperation moved forward the project and the view of the local society. We could adapt each paricipant's good practices. e.g. tree planting (Turkey), water saving (Spain), flower planting, recycling, vertical gardening(Poland), joint work and collaboration, getting to know the concept of World Heritage (Italy), bee house building, water exploration, technology at school (Hungary). We could also share information about the important ICT tools too. More than 15 teachers and 30 students could participate in the project. Beacuse of COVID19 we needed to expand the project with one more year because of the restrictions caused by the pandemic situation. These circumstances made the progress of the project very difficult. With the obstacles we tried to carry out all the mobilities and local school work. We used many platforms for sharing our results and achievements: facbook/ instagram, eTwinning, school websites, and the project website. Students designed the logo of the project (we had a logo competition). Students made presentations, posters on the topic of environmental protection. Each school made educational materials on the topic of environmental issues. We discussed them during lessons and during the mobilities too. We put an emphasis on the education of languages, especially English and expansion of the vocabulary on the environmental issues. Our target language was English. We established a Carbon Footpring Tacking System and used it during the 3-year period of the project. We tried to offer options for a healthier life. (3R, stop overconsuming, etc.) Working on the TOP 10 GLOBAL ISSUES deepened the awareness of it. Each country chose 2 of the issues and discussed the problems and gave possible solutions. During the activities teachers and students worked together in each country and then uploaded the results to eTwinning and presented to all participants. All the schools made efforts to protect environment - tree and plant planting, with providing recreational activities - hiking, bird watching and water activities. Some schools created "green walls" for the project. The teachers received trainings and the students could learn through experience with various educational methods e.g. beehouse building, learning apps, etc. The results were: Understanding the importance of the environmental protection. Exploring issues with the help of the TOP10 GLOBAL ISSUES Developed ICT skills by using different tools Developed communication skills in English Developed flexibility, collaboration and tolerance via mobilities and personal meetings Developed critical thinking, problem solving and innovation within classroom and beyond Got new green ideas Developed new educational materials