Cooperation among schools…on environmental topics

Part one – Local level

Why cooperation? In general…• To exchange knowledge and to improve

sensitivity to specific environmental topics or emergencies – relevant for the territory where the schools are located

• To share/compare data and information• To reinforce the contacts with the business

community and with research and work training centres

• To reinforce the contacts with the local authorities (as stakeholders, for example in Agenda 21 processes)

Water Note N.12 on the Implementation of the Water Framework Directive

A Common Task: Public Participation in River Basin Management Planning “European citizens have a key role to play in the implementation of the Water Framework Directive. The directive calls for the public to be informed and involved in the preparation of river basin management plans, which identify measures to improve water quality. Public input will help Member States balance environmental, economic and social priorities in these plans.”

Why cooperation?Specific benefits for teachers (I)

• To attend teamwork with teachers who work in the different schools (technical and scientific training and up-dating)

• To share resources and high standard professionalisms

materials, skills, experiences, external experts, know-how …

Why cooperation?Specific benefits for teachers (II)

• To develop common projects, introducing different aspects of the same environmental topics into the curricula (modularly structured education system involving schools of different level or type)

• To experiment different teaching methods into the curricula (co-operative or collaborative learning, peer-tutoring)

Why cooperation?Specific benefits for teachers (III)

• To capitalize tools and experience

• To give to the students the opportunity to share and compare data and infos

• To offer them the opportunity to go deeper with other teachers/experts of the net

• To share experience in participation to international projects and cultural exchanges

Why cooperation?Specific benefits for students (I)

High increase in motivation:

- with peer-tutoring activities:

- with “solving problems” connected to environment and their territory, cooperating with friends of the same territory

- with different learning-style

Why cooperation?Specific benefits for students (II)

• To increase a real scientific approach, using tools, laboratories and lessons/tutorials offered from other schools

• To allow a better consciousness of their own personal vocation and/or relationship skills

• To know personally the schools/university, as opportunities offered by the territory

• To play a role in the community

How to cooperate at local level?

1) connecting to an existing network: ask if in your territory there is a school with plays the role of coordinator for environmental projects

2) if your school and team is well-structured you can become a local network coordinator, offering a technical/knowledge support

Methodology for a local network management (I)

• To select a common theme, i.e.“water” • To give a “structure” to the network, with aims,

outcomes, rules and responsibilities (not compulsory to have an official agreement)

• To consider how different schools, based on their specific curriculum guidelines, can participate to the project

Methodology for a local network management (II)

• To consider the availability of time, human resources, money in planning actions

• Possibly, search for it!

Are the project at local level supported by.. Ministry, local community, national/regional environment agencies, private foundations…?

Methodology for a local network management (III)

• To plan some official meetings during the school-year (planning, monitoring, evaluating)

• To plan (quick) teacher training actions, to support the activities with students

• To plan how to share resources (labs, tools)• To plan some common events, where schools

can meet each other• If possible, to plan an event inside the

community/territory

Problems with network at local level

There are not… if activities are correctly planned

You can re-arrange your own network or your role inside it, in order to fit your necessity and possibilities

Cooperation among schools…on environmental topics

Part two – International level

Why cooperation? In general…

• To develop a topic (Water in this case…) with a path common to different EU countries

• To give the chance to students to experiment and become aware that river basin management and water protection is a supranational problem

Water Note 1Joining Forces for Europe's Shared Waters: Coordination in international river basin districtsThe European Union is a land of shared waters. About 60% of the EU's surface area lies in river basins that cross at least one national border, and all Member States except Cyprus and Malta contain sections of at least one international river basin district (IRBD). Under the Water Framework Directive, each Member State is responsible for implementation in the portion of an IRBD lying within its territory and should coordinate these actions with the the other Member States in the district.

• To know more about the implementing of Water framework directive in different countries

• To learn more about best practise in Water management in EU

• To build-up the awareness of a common European feeling in environmental management, in spite of the differences between countries

Water Note 7 Intercalibration: A common scale for Europe's waters Parts of The Tagliamento River

(Italy) presenting high and goodecological status have been used for the intercalibration of Alpine RiversArno Mohl, WWF Austria

…The goal of intercalibration is not to establish commonassessment systems. Each Member State chooses its own methods according to the provisions of the directive.Intercalibration ensures that the different national systems achieve comparable results.

At last, but not least…

• The opportunity to communicate in foreign languages

• The chance to communicate at distance with IT-tools and experiment the use of technology and web in working

(according to Lisbona key-competencies)

How to cooperate at trans-national level? (I)

• Subscribe a didactical project in one of the international programs such FYR

• FYR is open to everybody, if they log-in (not all the international projects are open)

• FYR permits to create an easy partnership No special resources are required

• Few tools to permit the field activities

How to cooperate at trans-national level? (II)

to link a virtual partnership with a real students’ exchange

FUNDING

• Long Lifelearning Programme (LLP) Comenius – Gruntvig

• Inter-reg transborder projects

• Local (regional) grants

Problems with network at international level

• Searching for partners not always succesfull

• Strict planning of projects

• Official agreements and rules

• Working without knowing the partners is not so motivating for students

Cooperation among schools

Part three – Best practises from schools (at local level)

AMBIENTE E QUALITA’

A LOCAL, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL

EDUCATIONAL NETWORK

ISIS MALIGNANI ITI MALIGNANI 2000 Cervignano del Friuli Italy

Leading School: ITI“Malignani 2000” part of ISIS“Malignani”- Cervignano

del Friuli - Italy

Department of Chemistry

Spring 1994: first experience with other local schools in environmental educational topics (water quality)

Spring 1997: creation of network of six local schools, in relation to lichens as bio-indicators (“Bioindicatori - i Licheni”)

1998: the network expanded its activities under the umbrella-project “Ambiente e Qualità” which included, besides the study of Lichens, two international projects related to the monitoring of environmental quality, G.R.E.E.N. and GLOBE

“MONUMENTI” PROJECTit uses architectonical structures as samples to correlate the effects of air pollution on the conservation of monument stone surfaces

The “Ambiente e Qualità” project has the following macro-objectives:

• The trial of project activities on common themes co-involving different types of schools in network

• The definition of structured rules to organize, test and document the work accomplished

• The development of the modularly structured education system for projects

Educational Laboratory

Created in relation to the teaching, up-dating/training, and educational material developing, not to waste the teachers’ experience and knowledge acquired and to place it at the disposal of the network partecipants

The following goals are expected:

• To build up a structure to provide services for schools and the local area

• To allow an exchange of information between students and teachers in different schools

• To promote connections and to create relationships between research, teaching and local work training centres

• To issue and circulate the work accomplished now and in the future

Some services• Co-ordination in the use of the labs, libraries, data banks and other materials and tools• Organisation of training courses on specific themes• Organisation of meetings between network teachers• Partecipation in conferences and exhibits on works already performed by network• Editing of works performed by the schools

KEY POINTS FOR WORKING IN A NETWORK

• Schools taking part in the project are working with their own specific objectives and targets, while the overall goals follow the “Ambiente e Qualità” project planning.

• Synergy obtained in planning a project thanks to the people involved, sharing of tools and knowledge among the partecipants, feedback obtained on shared situations.

• Mutual support from the planning of the work with others (condivision of economical supports too)

•PROBLEMS

• Inevitable gaps that happen from time to time in communications

• Roles not always well understood by members• A mix-up of co-ordination roles and executive

roles• People extra-charged because involved in many

activities• Appropriate tools not available in all the network

nodes• Difficulty to obtain acknowledgment of work done

Cooperation among schools

Part four – Best practises from schools (at international level)

• Please add here (Madalina – Els/Anita)