Learn biodiversity through Environmental Action For the community

<< Background >>The project was created to respond to the needs highlighted in the 2022 proposal to the Council Recommendation on Learning for Environmental Sustainability, emphasizing the importance of integrating education for environmental sustainability into all levels of education with a multidisciplinary and learner-centered approach.To address the complex issues of sustainability, including biodiversity conservation, sustainability needs to be integrated into education, inside and outside the classroom, to educate learners to become catalysts of change who are willing to take initiatives for society and take responsibility for the planet. To do this properly, teacher training is most importantSecondary school teachers were chosen as the main target group of the project.There was a need to develop an innovative methodology for teachers to improve their teaching skills in environmental education and to develop a set of competences in students: critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, teamwork.Therefore, the project provided teachers with an innovative methodology to approach biodiversity and practical benefits for students.<< Objectives >>The main objective was to create an educational resource that can support secondary school teachers in integrating environmental sustainability and plant biodiversity education (the Handbook).The project aimed at:- DEVELOPING TEACHERS' KEY SKILLS on the use of an innovative teaching approach in the field of plant biodiversity, transferable to other subjects, e.g. water resources monitoring. -Promoting interdisciplinarity and stimulating critical thinking in pupils from an early age. The competence framework aimed at competence-based teaching with reference to EU frameworks such as GreenComp.- Strengthening teachers' environmental competences. The educational approach of the project, including practical actions implemented at school and community level: the importance of plant biodiversity for nature conservation and human well-being, as well as raising awareness of the need for monitoring activities.-offer a tool that can teach them to make plant biodiversity an interesting and attractive subject - increase the involvement of pupils in the use of digital tools: WElab kits.<< Implementation >>From WP2: Teachers' Handbook and Competence FrameworkA1. Methodological framework A2. Curriculum definitionA3. Feedback collection and evaluationA4. Teacher manual and competency frameworkA5. Training of trainers activityA6. Revision, translation and launch of the Manual, in English and translated into all Consortium languagesFrom WP3-: LEAF AcademyA1. Purchase of WE-LAB kitsA2. Configuration and provision of the platformA3. Design of the toolkit in English and all Consortium languagesA4. Development of the platform with 7 different sections, one in English containing the 60 activities of the 6 partners and one section with 10 activities/partner A5. Alpha testing - internal (12 participants)A6. Beta testing - external (57 participants)From WP4-: DisseminationA1. Elaboration of the dissemination and exploitation plan A2. Design Visual identity and creation of brochures, infographics, videosA3. Project website design and developmentA4. Design and implementation of online dissemination of the projectA5. Articles and postings on external platformsA6 Final conferences - 6, one in each country involved A7 Collaboration protocol signed with 15 institutions in all the countries of the Consortium << Results >>-creation of a Manual Plan -M5-6 focus groups organized by partners to collect feedback on the Handbook Plan, involving at least 10 participants from each institution (60 in total)-Teacher manual and competency framework developed in M14--1 dissemination plan and 1 exploitation plan in M2-1 project website in M5-1 Facebook account and 1 Instagram account created in M3-1 logo, 1 brochure, 1 poster made in M4-2 videos to promote the project in M7, M14 -a Teacher's Handbook in M14-4 infographics produced in M7, M14, M21, M28-At least 10 articles posted on blogs, media and online platforms (national and European): e.g. etwinning, Coalition for climate change-5 e-newsletters published on the project website, social media and partners' communication channels in M7, M14, M21, M28, M30 (the last newsletter was created in addition to the 4 proposed in the application to promote the video vignettes created for the final conferences)-A LEAF Academy educational platform-7 Toolkits with activities aimed at reflecting the practical application of the theory in the Handbook (1 English, 6 in Consortium languages)