On October 1 the Climate Action project will be launched. During 1 month your students will focus on Climate Change. In this email I'd like to offer a bit more information about the scope and mission of the project.
Scope:
During this project collaboration on a global scale is key. We aim to create global citizenships and strive for engaged students and changed mindsets.
Formal education tends to be restricted to direct instruction, memorization and assessment. And second, we need to make our students global citizens focussing on global issues. In this project we will shift to other learning approaches and will allow our students not only to study, but also solve problems, find solution and maybe even taking action. During the project our students will explore, brainstorm, discuss, create, connect and share. Maybe you already allow your students to collaborate in the classroom, maybe this is new and so you might be initially driven outside your comfort zone. No worries, you will be offered a global platform in which you can ask questions, share best practices and will be guided by us.
This project will involve students aged 8 to 21. Every group will participate at their capacity. Some will work 1h a week, others 2h a day. You may use technology when available. Very cool fact: at all times one group across the world will be working on the project. We have participants from Hawaii to New Zealand!
Week 1
During the first week our students focus on Climate Change. What is
climate change? What is happening in the world?
Offer your students an introduction and ask questions. Offer a good context. Then allow your students to brainstorm, explore, discuss. During this project you become a helpdesk and mentor, pointing your students in the right direction.
Your students need to create a video reflecting what they learned during this week. This video is max 5 minutes, recorded in landscape. It would be nice if they present themselves, their country very briefly (max 1 min). You are able to add videos and pictures to the website yourself. Deadline for submitting the first week's video: Oct 10.
Take a look at last year's video's created by students.
Take a look at some videos. Watching videos created by other participants living in other continents is an important part of this project.
Last year students invited their parents in the classroom, interviewed people on the street, created prototypes, used educational resources like green screen, lego, minecraft, stop motion videos, sang, danced, drew, handcrafted, wrote stories, etc.
In this self inquiry and student centered approach, your students inevitably will choose their path and this may drive you - their teacher - outside their comfort zone. This is why we offer a shared document with some resources so you know a bit more about the subject.
Feel free to add resources to the document! Please find the
document here.
Week 2:
During the second week our students will focus on climate change in their area.
Week 3:
Students will try to define solutions - Students will create the longest list of solutions which will be published.
Week 4:
Students will have Skype session with peers across the world and will take action
We will hold a Global Day and present our initiatives to the rest of the world.
Questions?
Questions? Please send me an email. Try to avoid to use Messenger, Whatsapp, Twitter messages, etc as it is very difficult to coordinate a group of hundred of teachers using different channels.
Website
By now you all should be able to sign in at the website. Let me know when you're not able to create an account.
Interesting anecdotes? Please let me know what's happening in your classroom!
Decided not to participate after all? Please let me know and I'll remove your account from the website.
Do you know some expert who'd like to do a master class at the end of the project via Skype? Do you know a celebrity willing to support our project?
Please let me know.
Good luck and have fun!
Innovation
In 1 week (April 16) the Innovation project will be launched. During 1 month your students will focus on Innovation and the UN SDGs.
We'll be using this online document (OneNote) to share resources. Navigating to https://1drv.ms/u/s!ArWDu8MiRkr5vxe1F9QuTewEOJo0 allows you to view and edit the document. It includes some general information and the weekly topics including some resources.
Are you able to sign in at the website? You should have received a username and password. If not, please tell me. Sign in at www.innovation-project.info/user.
You can add your own picture and one of your students. Please make sure to take pictures of your students while they are working on the project. You can add these pictures to http://innovation-project.info/impressions. During each week you can add ONE video to the website. This video can be maximum 8 minutes. We prefer you to upload your video to YouTube or OneDrive.
Find yourself at http://innovation-project.info/teachers.
Find the ambassadors at http://innovation-project.info/ambassadors. They will guide you during the project.
The first week's topic is "What is Innovation". These are some guidelines. Feel free to take another approach! Keep in your mind that after introducing the topic to your students you need to become a guide rather than an instructor. Collaboration is key. Make sure to point your students in the right direction.
- What is innovation? Can your students define innovation?
- Every innovation may come with benefits, unexpected side effects and drawbacks. Can your students give some examples of innovation?
- Try to imagine the world/your house/a classroom in 2030? Check the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
- Are there any innovation which are not to the benefit of people? How is innovation related to Capitalism?
- Which innovations are making cities more sustainable? Which innovations are ending poverty, etc.
Deadline for submitting the first week's video: April 21.You CAN use these examples but allow your students to find their own as well: the (smart)phone, a car, a rocket, a gun, ...
What are the benefits and drawbacks of these innovations?
Can the Falcon Heavy make the world a better place?
Who will benefit from self driving cars? How about ethics? MIT allows you to judge: http://moralmachine.mit.edu/
When will mankind decide we have had enough innovation?
What about "Innovation alone is not enough"?
Ex: apple deliberately slowing your iPhone
Decided not to participate after all? Please let me know and I'll remove your account from the website.
Our project is supported by lots of public figures. I'm adding quotes to this page on daily base. Be surprised!
We are using hashtag #SDGinnoPro on social media. Feel free to shout out on Facebook or Twitter.
Do you know some expert who'd like to do a master class at the end of the project via Skype? Do you know a celebrity willing to support our project?
Please let me know.
iNTRODUCTION LESSON:WHAT DOES INNOVATION MEAN?
Sway. week 1https://sway.com/o0dWAH25RmY6mRaE?ref=Link&loc=mysways
Sway week 2https://sway.com/jvNQ6BnOkglgDJJe?ref=Link&loc=mysways