Six STEM projects for fight against climate change

<< Background >>Our goals were aimed at achieving the following in a cohesive manner:- To develop the theme of Fighting against Climate Change, an issue that is increasingly central to global discussions.- To support teachers and schools in adopting innovative learning approaches for both educators and students. The STE(A)M education strategy serves as a vital tool to guide students in their learning journey while helping them realise tangible objectives collaboratively.- To cultivate curiosity and understanding of the unique educational systems and climate change challenges faced by other countries.In addressing these needs, we focused on the following:- Understanding that the Fight against Climate Change varies significantly across countries, regions, and local contexts, necessitating diverse solutions.- Helping teachers comprehend that professional learning by doing a practitioner inquiry can bring valuable insights into their everyday teaching practices.- Encouraging students to recognise that learning extends beyond classroom lessons in a specific school and is enriched by teamwork, collaboration with their teachers, outdoor activities, and international contacts .<< Objectives >>6CliPs aimed to stimulate collaborative, structured learning by forming CSSTeams comprised of students and teachers in each school. These teams were required to study the local conditions concerning the fight against climate change and select two installations from the fields of water, electricity, and plants to contribute to this effort at the school level. Each school was tasked with organizing visits to two other schools (and logically also to host two partner schools) to understand their contexts, assess their local climate change situations, and provide feedback on the pilot versions of the local installations. All these initiatives served to also enhance their green and soft skills. Another significant achievement was the development of teachers' skills. Initiated through a six-day course, the teachers learned to appreciate the value of collaborative learning, the importance of understanding a local context before engaging in climate change initiatives, and gained insights into structured project learning via the STEAM approach. Teachers were motivated to carry out a structured professional reflection by doing a practitioner inquiry on the impact on students during the 6 CliPs project. << Implementation >>In total 17 activities were crucial during the 6 CliPs project, however, several of them were very similar. Six activities refer to the complete process of building two installations in each school. The whole process of building an installation followed the 6 CliPs STEAM cycle. Three activities refer to three studies about Fight against Climate Change on the local context, each consisting of a teachers' study on national and regional level, and a students' study on the school level. Three more key activities aimed at learning about each others' Climate Change situation and to give feedback to the local pilot version of the installations: in total 6 travels by two teachers and 4 students were organised. The start of the project was a 6-day professional training activity for the teachers, in Spain. During which the coordinator, together with an external expert, shed light on the deep content of the project, the local context, the principles of professional learning communities and practitioners inquiry, and made the teachers experience the implementation of the STEAM cycle. Three final events spread the results locally, In the last activity the coordinator took care of administration, communication and diverse ways to support all.<< Results >>The schools from Belgium, Slovenia and Cyprus studied Fight against Climate Change, on various levels. Based on that study each school developed 2 installations to contribute to that fight. The 6CliPs project produced a wide range of concrete outputs and impactful results. Each of the three partner schools developed two tangible WEP (Water, Energy, Plants) installations, such as green walls, filtered water taps, compost systems, and shaded areas, addressing local climate issues. Students created 6 video CliPs (on their installations) and 6 VCliPs (visit reports), all published online. Comprehensive logbooks documented each project’s STE(A)M cycle, from planning via implementation to dissemination. A comparative study of local contexts in the three countries provided insights into regional climate challenges. Teachers and students participated in many surveys, interviews, and Practitioner Inquiries, generating detailed reflections and evidence of learning. Multiplier events at each school reached hundreds of stakeholders, enhancing awareness and engagement. These outputs contributed to increased green skills, intercultural competence, and professional growth, and have been disseminated through social media, events, and EPRP.