The general longer term objectives of the action are to raise the awareness of children concerning energy use at their school and at home (related with RUE, RES and transport issues) and try to change the families’ attitude.
On the short term the project will focus on the education of those children by setting up project work in the class during a year. In order to realise this:
Formal agreements will be signed in order to carry out this educational project by 130 schools in 13 European regions;
Professional training courses for energy agencies will be setup around energy education, project management in schools and child education;
Professional training courses for teachers will be developed around energy education, including rational energy management, renewable energy sources and transport management issues;
At least 380 teachers shall participate in those specific developed courses;
Appropriate educational tools shall be made available;
Tools and lesson packages will be used on a project base learning experience during the school year by children;
More than 7500 children shall participate in the project;
Realise exchanges of experience between project participants through physical and internet based networking;
Involvement of the parents committees of every school.
On the medium term the dissemination of the project aims at stimulating similiar projects:
The participating teachers posses a know-how and experience concerning to use of energy awareness tools in order to use it continually in their lesson plan;
Organising a sustainable network of teachers and local/regional organisations working around energy and mobility-education;
Setting up and promote the broad use of the developed educational tools and courses;
The implementation of energy education in the general (national) school curriculum, where possible.
Those goals are helping to achieve the targets of KYOTO, which are nationally implemented by Climate-plans and for which the education and awareness of citizens are a key-issue.
The project valorise and systematise the already gained experiences and disseminates systematically and broadly what has been done during the FEE-project, an educational project financed by the Altener programme 2001 and carried out by 8 energy-agencies in Europe. It also aims to valorise other similar experiences, led with or without European funds, in the educational-energy field, and broaden existing partnerships.
Work programme
Energy, transportation and environment are excellent themes for interdisciplinary education. The FEEDU-project will implement hands on project based learning experiences to primary school teachers and students. The involvement of the local community and in particular the parents have to ensure the sustainability of the educational action.
We do this by providing teachers with resources, professional training on energy use and transportation issues in the classroom, monitoring their school work and opportunities for networking with fellow teachers. This elementary school project focuses on engaged learning and the effective use of technology by primary school teachers.
We plan the FEEDU-project in 5 phases whereupon phases of preparation, development, activation, dissemination and a short administrative final phase. The first 4 phases are timed each from a 6 month to 12 month span. Crucial is that there is 6 months preparation before the school year starts, the work during the school year and thereafter 9 months of evaluation and dissemination.
The work packages are determined by work categories. As so we distinguish 8 work packages: one concerning project management, one educational tools, a common implementation course and one the teachers courses, one monitoring of schools, a communication work package, the dissemination and the common disseminating work package. According to their nature they last 6 to 18 months (coordination is specific). They superpose each other if needed, but are complementary for the work planning.
We are working with 13 project partners, from 9 different European countries, that shall work under a consortium composed of a co-ordinator and work package leaders. Each partner is responsible for the implementation of the part of the project in their region that will be setup within the framework of the work programme and the agreements under the consortium.
Work package overview:
Phase 1: preparation (start at month 1 ends with month 6):
The start of the project is also the start of the development of educational tools and the courses for partners and teachers. At this stage, communication tools will be developed, and tools for internal and external communication and networking. The concrete implementation agreements of the project are made at the Kick-off meeting on the first month with all project partners.
In order to make the required formal agreements a partnership will be made between the participating partner with the schools and the educational authorities. The formal agreement with the public authorities involved with education and/or energy and the management board of the 130 implicated schools will be made. The agreement shall be discussed and agreed upon a local/regional implementation educational plan for the FEEDU-project with content, tools and methodology. The parents committee will be ensuring an advisable role.
Also shall be agreed how the evaluation of the actual energy situation of the school buildings, the collection of energy consumption values and the production of user profiles shall be made. There will be a gathering of energy consumption data and the user behaviour under the responsibility of the energy agency-partner.
Before the teacher courses take place and the implementation of the school-action, the project shall be discussed with the users. The content of the teacher courses will be discussed and agreed with the involved teachers before the introduction of the teacher course. Each partner will setup the pre-evaluation in his area/region, through minimum the consultation of the parents committee or representatives.
Phase 2: development (start at month 7 ends with month 12):
The project implementation at school level starts with the school year. Teachers shall explain the children what the energy awareness project called “FEEDU” is about, give introduction on energy topics, and the educational tools. The children start their education courses in energy, followed by educational games and exercises and observations. During this phase the school will be monitored by the project partners offered practical help and information. The educational tools will be further developed and adapted on the basis of the needs and evaluation of them in the class, a feedback mechanism for the project. The parents will be involved with a follow-up of the project.
The courses and lesson plans can make a link with the calculated energy characteristic values for the energy consumption in their school, with weak points and optimization possibilities. Energy pass, issued for this purpose, can be used as teaching materials in the curriculum, also the teaching staff could enhance their energetic knowledge and consciousness.
Phase 3: activation (start at month 13 ends with month 17):
During the second school semester children will activate their knowledge trough experiments and work out concrete energy measures. Their work will be valorised step-by-step trough the preparation of the use of a website and an end-of school year exhibition. The finished work will be put on their website or shall be available in hard copy for external communication. There will be an exchange between the schools, nationally an/or internationally. The energy-pass can be the guiding line trough the educational process. The schoolteachers will get help trough monitoring from the project partners for realising exciting experiments with the children.
Phase 4: dissemination (start at month 18 ends with month 30):
During this phase there will be open regional workshop about the use of the tools and the courses with participation of the key-persons (dissemination) and other schools and energy agencies nationally. The participation of representatives of the parents’ committees or organisations is crucial.
During the final International Workshop and the national Workshops the project experience shall be evaluated and products presented. The relevant educational material is put at the disposal of other interested schools, teachers and organisations.
Phase 5 administrative final phase (month 30 and month 32 ):
This short phase is an administrative final phase in order to finalise the project administratively.
