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e^4 — tools in higher Education for an Embodied & creative Energy Education

Programme and Call for Proposals

ERASMUS PLUS – Call 2021 Round 1 KA2

KA220-HED – Cooperation partnerships in higher education

Open project

Brief description

Given the urgency of environmental and technological change in the face of challenges such as climate change, the main need recorded is raising awareness of possible solutions and necessary measures, also given the challenge of educating the coming generation in these matters.

We feel the urgent need for both supporting and reforming teacher education (for teachers of primary school and lower secondary or middle school levels) at academic institutions in matters concerning energy (energy solutions, energy and the environment, energy and society).

On this scenario, we intend to create:

  • Innovative materials for teacher education in the field of energy technology.
  • A network of academic institutions and external stakeholders dealing practically with matters concerning energy.
  • A dedicated web platform were both learning materials for university courses and material, knowledge, and opportunities provided by the network are available.

Objectives

  • Develop and/or enrich higher education curricula (in teacher education for primary and lower secondary school levels), following a didactic approach based on “tools of imagination” like storytelling, gamification, embodied simulation, digital simulation, and play to facilitate science communication;
  • train academics charged with teacher education in innovative pedagogies and approaches to teaching science courses (including the use of appropriate aids and materials);
  • promote learning and teaching partnerships between universities and the private energy sector;
  • upskill future science teachers with new approaches to teaching to encourage girls for scientific carriers and fight against gender stereotypes in scientific and engineering careers;
  • support the strengthening of science skills of EU citizens and professionals to make conscious choices and use creativity and a critical mindset to contribute to lower CO2 emissions towards EU 2050 targets.

 

Main Activities

  • Creating guidelines for a Network of academic and private/public partnerships.
  • “Imaginative course” Curriculum for teaching through imaginative tools.
  • Interactive web platform supporting the Curriculum and the Network.

Results

  • Increased competences and skills of partners’ staff.
  • Increased competences in teachers of primary and secondary schools: 20 teachers (5 for each of the 4 countries involved) will participate in a transnational training session to get acquainted with the offline workshop activities proposed.
  • 30 prospective teachers in each country will join local testing and implement full testing of the blended course (web and software-based activities plus workshop activities). We expect 75% to 85% of participating teachers to be women. Thanks to local testing the project will reach about 1000 students in the 4 countries.
  • 300 participants will be interviewed as part of project assessment.

We expect the project to produce a change in teaching approaches at all levels:

  •  At university level, improving academics’ science teaching approaches, also blending online and in presence courses, improving the efficacy of their courses both at university and jointly with the private and public energy sector.
  • At school level, helping student teachers and in-service teachers to be more motivated for and engaged in new imaginative teaching methods, will lead to innovation in school curricula. Teachers will be able to adapt their teaching approaches to the new generation’s learning capacities and skills needs through the application of creativity fostered by imaginative tools.

 

Lead partner

LIBERA UNIVERSITA’ DI BOLZANO (Italy)

Partners

– InEuropa Srl – Italy

– Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika W Toruniu – Poland

– Esciencia Eventos Cientificos Sl Aragón Zaragoza – Spain

– Universitat de Valencia – Spain

– Sustainable Innovation Technology Services Ltd Mid-West Castletroy – Ireland

– Università degli Studi Di Modena e Reggio Emilia – Italy

– Dublin City University – Ireland

Duration
The project will last 36 months (28 February 2022 – 27 February 2025)

Website
https://energy4teachers.eu/

Budget
The project received a grant of € 395 506,00

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