The project aimed to strengthen children’s connection with wildlife in general sense (flora and fauna) by developing a holistic ecological thinking, emotional intelligence, strengthening empathy and social skills of primary school pupils through aplication of didactic principles of outdoor pedagogy and experiential learning. To reach this aim, these objectives were outlined: 1. To prepare methodological material for educators, in which the presented methods and tools would emphasize the importance of fauna and flora in our ecosystem, would help to develop holistic ecological thinking, empathy, social skills and work as prevention of cruelty against animals (Output 1). 2. To prepare a programme of 12 lesson plans (3 lessons for each grade, i.e. 1 lesson for different seasons during the school year) based on the principles of outdoor pedagogy and experiential teaching/learning for primary school students in the forest flora and fauna thematic field (Output 2). 3. To create an interactive Virtual Nature Notebook as an educational tool which will include special tasks with instructions and information for pupils to be carried out in the family as well as at the school to stimulate co-education outdoors (Output 3).
Project "Back To The Wild: Non-Traditional Educational Methods in Primary Education" (BTW) aims to strengthen the link between children and wildlife by integrating non-traditional methods based on the principles of experiential learning and outdoor pedagogy into traditional formal education curricula. As the need analysis done on the application stage reveals, that the formal teaching/learning proces lacks such prerequisites as cognitive, effective (emotional) and social (behavioral) dimensions of teaching/learning process to be covered equally, the project team decided to focus on outdoor pedagogy methodological approach. The MAIN NEEDS OF TARGET GROUPS covered: a) to improve pupils role in the classroom from a passive theory teaching in the classroom to an active practitioner working in outdoor conditions; b) a competence-based curriculum which would be used for teaching outside classroom and interdisciplinary topics; c) to enhance learners' motivation through strategies and teaching based on personal experience d) to improve working conditions with contemporary teaching tools. THE NEEDS OF PARTNERSHIP: a) sharing a good practise and international experience b) implement new teaching methods in formal education and other.