CONTEXT The Renewable Energy Directive establishes an overall policy for the production and promotion of energy from renewable sources in the EU. It requires the EU to fulfil at least 20% of its total energy needs with renewables by 2020 – to be achieved through the attainment of individual national targets. Given this broader context, we have created this partnership with a view to raising the awareness of students about the necessity to increase the use of renewable sources of energy, which is expected to increase by 7% in the next 10 years all over Europe (according to the revised Renewable Energy Directive). We want them to gain an deeper knowledge of how these sources of energy are used. They will make them experiment with them through STEAM and PBL, draw their attention to the benefits and drawbacks of all energy sources and provide a context for critical and creative thinking, in which students assess, research and analyse, produce tangible outputs collaboratively. OBJECTIVES The project aims to set the grounds for the 5 partner countries to cooperate and share practices in the area of renewable energy resources and sustainable production and consumption through activities designed for students which are meant to: 1. develop their understanding about scientific concepts and processes in the production of sustainable energy; 2. develop their overall awareness about alternative sources of energy and how their usage can be enhanced ; 3. improve skills and competences through interdisciplinary projects in the STEM field; 4. improve collaboration, team work and communication skills of students and teachers; 5.develop soft skills – critical and analytical thinking, creativity – in order to foster students’ employability; 6. enable teachers to share school models and practices in the areas of STEM, ICT, coding, robotics that can be transferred into their schools; 7. improve self-awareness and intercultural awareness of young European citizens, as well as promoting European citizenship and EU policies in the field of renewable energy usage. ACTIVITIES C1 Traditional and alternative sources of energy – consumption and impact on the environment C2 Water energy and STE(A)M C3 Wind Energy and STE(A)M C4 Solar Energy and STE(A)M C5 Sustainable energy in the future – designing smart, green city models PARTICIPANTS 100 students aged 16-17 from general education high schools and 40 accompanying teachers of English, ICT, Physics, and Science etc. RESULTS - presentations about renewable energy sources and statistics and trends from the 5 partner countries; - Posters for campaigns encouraging European citizens to use solar energy more; - presentations about alternative building systems; - models of buildings using alternative types of insulating materials; - simulations of power plants; - STEM projects – anemometers, wind vanes, solar cookers etc. - research data and conclusions; - simulations/models of sustainable cities. Teachers will produce exchange reports in which we will include data measuring the quality of the activities, the impact of the activities on participants, pictures and videos taken during the exchanges. Other deliverables: Europass mobility documents, initial and final evaluation forms, feedback forms, self-assessment sheets, student observation sheets, participants’ testimonials, dissemination platforms, eTwinning communication platform, project final brochure “STEM ideas for high school”. IMPACT Students and teachers develop personally and professionally. Through the project activities, the school’s image will promoted in the local community as an institution that prepares students for the future and aligns to the 21st century needs. The cooperation with the local community will improve through partnerships and agreements with local experts and businesses in the energy field. Local authorities will be invited to attend some of the project activities. These will create the basis for future cooperation among local institutions in other projects related to renewable energy or similar. The schools will acquire/develop an European dimension, which shows openness and flexibility to the ever-changing world of education. This will also increase our chances of developing new projects with current or future partners in the field of robotics, which is one of our next priorities.
The project “Scientific Concepts in the Production of Sustainable Energy ” started in 2019 and involved schools from Italy, Bulgaria, The Republic of North Macedonia, Portugal and Turkey. The Renewable Energy Directive, the European Green Deal and their updates establish an overall policy for the production and promotion of energy from renewable sources in the EU, key strategies for reaching climate neutrality by 2050. Thus the OBJECTIVE of raising awareness on the importance of using renewable energy has proved to be very appropriate in recent times: participants could exchange best practice examples to cooperate and share projects in the area of renewable energy resources, sustainable production and consumption through activities designed for students. The 3-year activities were marked by a strong sense of responsibility, collaboration and teamwork: the students learned how to find solutions to the problem of energy but above all, they realized that a common effort is essential and could increase the potential of single actions. Though the Covid-19 pandemic made the physical mobilities impossible for a long period, the partner countries had the strong will to • keep interest high, • motivate, stimulate and improve the students’ interest in urgent debate about the topic. Three new virtual modules were carried out: a. “The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the students’ lifestyles and relationships”, b. “Scientific aspects of the pandemic: analysis of data, reports and considerations about the reduction of pollution, the shift to renewable energy as a method of preventing new epidemic disease”, c. “From traditional to renewable energy: the green local & European revolution” – a webinar in collaboration with the University Campus of Chieti (Abruzzo – Italy), aimed at • developing sustainable intellectual energy and awareness; • improving the participants’ understanding of scientific concepts and processes in the production of sustainable energy, • promoting soft skills, self-awareness , intercultural awareness, collaboration, problem solving, team working and communication skills, The students were encouraged to develop a stronger sense of active citizenship and commitment to dealing with global issues, worked on collaborative presentations, carried out research in the field of sustainability. Effective communication and cooperation between the participating institutions were constantly ensured through: fast and regular communication –via e-mail, GoogleMeet, WhatsApp, telephone, eTwinning or similar free-access tools. In particular eTwinning platform proved to be a very important resource for every kind of exchange, especially during the hard times of the pandemic. By restarting the transnational meetings, we focused on laboratorial methodologies, STEAM and PBL, the students’ reflected on the benefits and drawbacks of all energy sources and acquired critical and creative thinking, assessed, researched, analyzed and produced tangible outputs collaboratively. Teachers actively collaborated to ensure a proper implementation plan, where the cooperation with local authorities, stakeholders and communities turned into an effective awareness of how alternative sources of energy can practically become part of our common lives. The transnational meetings were: C1(which is found as C6 on MT) Traditional and alternative energy sources - consumption and environmental impact – Italy C2 Water energy and STE (A) M- Portugal C3 Wind energy and STE (A) M- Turkey C4 Solar and STE (A) M- North Macedonia C5 (+ C7 virtual for Turkey) Sustainable energy in the future - designing smart, green city models – Bulgaria The objectives of the original project were fully achieved; in fact it effectively increased: - knowledge and understanding of the differences encouraging inclusion, tolerance and respect -skills in foreign languages and motivation towards language learning; -students/teachers' skills in the subject area of the project -practical experiences in education, training and teaching They contributed to making the participants aware of how powerful our impact can be towards the green transition. The active participation ensued in a flourishing production of presentations/ posters/padlets about renewable energy sources, statistics and trends from the 5 partner countries, alternative building systems, STEM experiments. The project results have impacted both school and local communities, by enhancing professional, personal and institutional growth, increasing awareness and collaboration, adapting consumption habits to ecological criteria, willing to contribute personally to the sustainable transformation of the school and the society in which we live, building a long-lasting friendship. Our reinforced and proactive EU dimension shows openness and flexibility to the ever changing world of education, aligning with 21st-century needs. Action is still needed! See our Etwinning: https://cutt.ly/MBEkqOM Website http://think-sustainability.eu/index.html