Landscape and Climate Change Adaptation in Education

<< Background >>The core of this project lies in addressing the challenges today´s world is facing through education on the topics of landscape by impacting the youngest generation - children and their educators. Partner organisations and project team are professionals in both education and project topics with interest in using their expertise and experience for developing innovative resources and tools that can help to improve the identified needs. The topic of landscape wasnt sufficiently acknowledged in school education with the particular focus on its essential role in approaching the societal issues - climate change, biodiversity loss, social inclusion, cultural heritage and identity, and in line with developing key competencies of both children and teachers. Further need was to support cooperation and address thus the need for the network on a professional level between partner organisations and the project target groups. Being a part of a European project enabled reaching more general and relevant conclusions addressing the issues both locally and globally and to realize that although we might be different nations with different curricula and even local problems, there is just one world and landscape. << Objectives >>The Eduscape project aimed to support teachers, professionals, and pupils in learning about the critical role of landscapes in addressing global challenges, particularly climate change impacts. The goal was to actively engage target groups in project activities and equip them with knowledge and tools produced within project results so to integrate landscape and climate change adaptation into education activites across Europe.Participants contributed to producing project results through focus groups, piloting workshops, testing, and evaluations. Educational materials and the Eduscape methodology were designed to complement school curricula, with many educators incorporating these resources into their programs. All project results are accessible via the open, multilingual Eduscape digital platform (OER), encouraging broad use by wider target groups.The project fostered new inter-regional and transnational cooperation among professionals, educators, and public authorities, strengthening connections between research, practice, and education policies. Long-term, Eduscape supports the development of competencies, raising awareness and preparing target groups across Europe to address climate change through education.<< Implementation >>To secure an efficient and successful realisation of the project, numerous activities were carried out dealing with management, implementation and follow-up of the project. The project activities could be sorted into three different activity types: 1. Management activities essential to ensure successful completion of the project as a whole. They consist of administrative, strategic and communication actions and financial management including production and monitoring of strategic documents (Management and Working plan, Implementation, Dissemination, Quality and Sustainability plan) that provided for sound framework for project implementation. The core part of the management was continuous quality monitoring and evaluation of all undertaken activities and development of evaluation toolkit (surveys,interviews, questionnaires...). The necessary interface between the project team and different partners and participants (Ass.partners, Target groups representatives) was provided. During the whole project 32 regular virtual meetings were organised, SC meetings, Dissemination meetings, as well as 5 Transnational Meetings (TM), one for each partner involved. For details see project Plans and Reports (Annex).2. Implementation activites - production of specific outputs and project results, piloting of results, dissemination activities. Five project results were developed -Eduscape Methodology, Educational materials for Children and for Teachers, Eduscape digital Platform (OER), Review of Literature, Media and Resources. Additional outputs connected to these were delivered - Educational Handout on Eduscape Landscape Topics, Eduscape Broshure for Teachers, Posters of Eduscape Units. All outputs have been translated to partner country languages including English. Piloting activites resulted in several Focus groups, over 100 workshops with pupils in schools and many professionals giving feed-back through questionares and surveys. Five Multiplier events were realised in Prague, Ascoly Piceno, Madrid and Vienna. Two Training Seminars on how to use the Eduscape materials were realised and video recorded. Many dssemination activities including published arcticles and presentations on international conferencies (see Disss report). These activites enabled building of Eduscape network of professionals and target groups and other stakeholders with the contact database for future sustainability in all partner countries. 3. Follow-up activities based on the Sustainability and Dissemination Plan (see Annex) included dissemination and communication that increased the value and the impact of the Eduscape project to reach as large an audience as possible. Concrete steps for successful afterlife of the project were defined In Sustainability project after-life document. Beside MEs, Implementation of project results into school programs across partner countries already achieved, awareness of the project was spread through social networks, printed and online media, lectures at the other professional conferences on the topics of landscape, climate change and education. These activites enabled building of Eduscape network of professionals and target groups and other stakeholders with the contact database that will serve for future sustainability in all partner countries. << Results >>Eduscape successfully achieved and finalised five key project results and several connected outputs supporting profesionals in education and pupils and education on the topics of landscape and the key role it plays in fighting the climate change:PR1 Methodology of Landscape & Climate Change Adaptation in Education - theoretical foundation and structures objectives, priorities, offers innovative pedagogical approaches and a practical instruction to project’s educational materials PR2 Educational Materials for Children - 15 educational units, available in two variants tailored to the needs of younger and older pupils (ages 6-15) providing for 90 learning hours with over 200 study activitiesPR3 Educational Materials for Teachers - ready-to-use kits for 15 Eduscape Units, available in two variants for teaching younger and older pupils, with information on landscape topics and detailed teaching scenarios covering 90 teaching hours and over 200 activities with innovative pedagogical methodsPR4 Eduscape Digital Platform - an Open Educational Resource making the use of all project outputs, including the MEs and Training Seminars available interactively in a visually engaging manner with Quizzes for pupils and a Catalouge, a search engine for user-friendly and interactive use by targhet groups.PR5 Review Of Literature, Media And Resources - a comprehensive summary of the current state of research and development including publications, existing approaches, research initiatives, studies, projects, media, illustrations, photos, videos, and practical examples relevant to the project's overarching topics, including Landscape, Climate Change Adaptation, and Education.All project outputs are available in five languages, including English, and can be accessed through the OER platform eduscape.onlineAdditional outputs connected to above results were produced: Eduscape Units Posters in cooperation with the pupils, Educational Handout for Teachers offering additional information on landscape topics, a Road Map to Ed.Units, a project overview. PR4 was enriched with the Catalouge feature beside the basic search engine. Together with MEvents two Training Seminars for teachers were delivered and recorded and are available on digital platform for future users. Due to active involvement of target groups in the implementation of the project and especially due to the thourogh piloting process a new network of participants - project team, their organisations, ass.partners and other participating professionals and target groups was formed with an updated database of contacts in all partner countires for sustainability of the project outputs. Connected to the disseminatoion of the project, many articles and presentations were produced, as well as a strong project branding resulting in all outputs having a unique visual design (project educ.materilas, documents, presentations, OER, Roll-up banner, posters, etc).