e^4 — tools in higher Education for an Embodied & creative Energy Education

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e^4 — tools in higher Education for an Embodied & creative Energy Education

Programme and Call for Proposals

 ERASMUS PLUS – Call 2021 Round 1 KA2

KA220-HED – Cooperation partnerships in higher education

Open project

Brief description

Given the urgency of environmental and technological change in the face of challenges such as climate change, the main need recorded is raising awareness of possible solutions and necessary measures, also given the challenge of educating the coming generation in these matters.

On this scenario, e^4 aims at both supporting and reforming teacher education at academic level in matters concerning energy, by training University professors charged with teacher education (Initial Teacher Education, prospective and in-service teacher education at primary and lower secondary school level) in new imaginative teaching methods to facilitate the transfer of energy-related scientific knowledge to students. Academics will be able to develop lectures based on teaching approaches encouraging imagination and creativity to science education, so to transfer these practices to future and in-service teachers. They, in turn, will be able to integrate these approaches in their school lessons, in order to adapt to the new generation’s learning capacities and needs, and to educate and sensitize their students to take care of the environment and to help tackle climate change and promote conscious technological change.

Moreover, we feel the need for Univerisities charged with teacher education (Educational Science Faculties) to reach out to the wider community and become meaningful partners in a network with companies, organisations and institutions working on our energy future.

Objectives

  • Develop and/or enrich higher education curricula (in teacher education for primary and lower secondary school levels), following a didactic approach based on “tools of imagination”, to facilitate the transfer of energy-related scientific knowledge to primary and lower secondary school students;
  • offer professional learning opportunities, for academics charged with teacher education, in innovative pedagogies and approaches to teaching science courses (including the use of appropriate aids and materials);
  • promote learning and teaching partnerships between universities charged with teacher education and the private energy sector;
  • upskill future and in-service science teachers with new approaches to teaching to encourage student girls for scientific careers and fight against gender stereotypes in STEM;
  • support the strengthening of science skills of EU citizens and professionals to make conscious choices and use creativity and a critical mindset to contribute to lower CO2 emissions towards EU 2050 targets.

 

Main Activities

  • Creation of a multistakeholder network which connects private/public entities working in the energy sector with academic institutions charged with teacher education.
  • Creation of innovative didactic material for teacher education to upskill university professors and school teachers with new narrative and imaginative approaches to teaching and science education.
  • Web platform supporting the network and the material.

Results

  • Increased competences and skills of partners’ staff.
  • Increased competences in teachers of primary and secondary schools: future and in-service teachers from the different partners’ countries will be engaged in testing the didactic material and activities through local and transnational pilot testing. 

We expect the project to produce a change in teaching approaches at all levels:

  •  At university level, improving academics’ science teaching approaches, also blending online and in presence courses, improving the efficacy of their courses both at university and jointly with the private and public energy sector.
  • At school level, helping student teachers and in-service teachers to be more motivated for and engaged in new imaginative teaching methods, will lead to innovation in school curricula. Teachers will be able to adapt their teaching approaches to the new generation’s learning capacities and skills needs through the application of creativity fostered by imaginative tools. 

Lead partner

LIBERA UNIVERSITA’ DI BOLZANO (Italy)

Partners

– InEuropa Srl – Italy

– Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika W Toruniu – Poland 

– Esciencia Eventos Cientificos Sl Aragón Zaragoza – Spain

– Universitat de Valencia – Spain 

– Sustainable Innovation Technology Services Ltd Mid-West Castletroy – Irleland

– Università degli Studi Di Modena e Reggio Emilia – Italy 

– Dublin City University – Ireland

Duration
The project will last 36 months (28 February 2022 – 27 February 2025)

Website
https://energy4teachers.eu/

Budget
The project received a grant of € 395 506,00