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We are a sustainable community. Creating scientist..
We are a sustainable community. Creating scientist groups to share sustainable practices.
Start date: Sep 1, 2016,
End date: Aug 31, 2019
PROJECT
FINISHED
WE ARE A SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY. CREATING SCIENTIST GROUPS TO SHARE SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES is a cross-curricularproject to enhance sustainable actions in our schools, institutions and towns as educational communities in the European frame through experimental activities carried out in jigsaw cooperative learning groups. It involves the whole community: pupils, teachers, families and local people.On the basis of many science projects developed in our schools during the last years, using cooperative learning groups and experimental methodology, we have designed this project to share good practices about a more sustainable use of natural resources in Europe. Moreover we will apply innovative methodologies such as jigsaw collaborative groups of expert students, following the CA-AC theory, COOPERATE TO LEARN AND LEARN TO COOPERATE. Six schools, from United Kingdom, Romania, Italy, Portugal, Bulgaria and Spain, create the strategic partnership. We all share the need of improving scientific methodology involving all school teachers and students. We also believe in cooperative learning groups as an inclusive and effective methodology to enhance the basic competences achievement in a long-term period.We plan a three years project. We are going to investigate and learn about three topics, adapting some of them, like natural resources, to our context and country.1. REDUCING, REUSING, RECYCLING, RETHINKING (year 1)2. WE USE NATURAL RESOURCES. SAVING WATER. USING WOOD, OUR FOREST IS ALIVE.3. RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCES. SOLAR POWER Starting with a deep context's observation, students will ask initial questions to be answered through experimental activities. Hypothesis will be formulated in cooperative learning groups. Then we are going to plan and do experimental activities, inside and outside school, collecting data to answer initial questions. Applying scientific methodology students will learn how to collect and organize data, information and experiment's results, using graphs, charts, drawings, etc. Results and conclusions will be summarized in scientific reports. To develop the three topics we will follow these steps : - analyzing context : preconceptions, previous knowledge about the topic- asking initial questions : scientifically oriented questions to investigate and to answer at the end.- starting: awareness step, hypothesis- discovering: experimenting, investigating through different activities inside and outside school.- collecting data- connecting, structuring: students structure knowledge and write scientific reports. - applying: students do an activity to apply concepts and knowledge.- communicating: students communicate findings, results and conclusions in front of an audience and justify explanations.- reflexion and assessment.Each organisation will be able to adapt the analyzing context activities and research according to its context. So that we are going to learn about different natural resources used in Europe. Implementing this project we pretend to introduce the jigsaw cooperative learning approach working with groups of experts in different skills and processes , such as topic vocabulary, taking pictures, searching information, speaking, collecting data, reading graphs, etc. Each student has an important role to achieve the objectives which will be shared with students from the beginning of the project.Every year students will apply their Knowledge, findings and learning to create final outputs, which are real and useful to enhance sustainability. They will also make a personal project's portfolio. Students, teachers and families will see the research results and outcomes through different channels, like project's website, digital magazine, exhibition, social media and presentations. All project's outcomes will enhance long-term good sustainable practices among local and regional communities. The last step will be the assessment and reflection. Al partners agree in using quantitative and qualitative indicators to monitor the project every year. To support the project a training activity in the second year will be followed by the key teachers from each school at UVic (University of Vic).Five transnational meetings are planned to implement and follow up the project.We expect that all our project activities and results, shared through the project's website, will be relevant to disseminate among our school community and local people in each country. The 12 Recycling Tips leaflet (year1) using all partner's languages will have a long-term benefit in our communities.The final exhibition with the two panels created every year and the project's outputs will be a public dissemination activity at local and regional level.The jigsaw cooperative learning technique will enhance the learning outcomes and the basic competences achievement. Our schools will get longer term benefits. We will be a more inclusive and innovative educational organisation.