The year of application 2015 was the International Year of the Soils (IYS). On this occasion the project EELLSS was set up to offer a “European Experiential Learning Lab on Soil Science”. The aim was to:o interlink natural sciences with “soils” as a practical, concrete and “living” lab and innovative learning fieldo combine scientific knowledge and skills with state of the art learning technologyo create an entrance to soil science in European schools both for teachers and for the studentso introduce a competence oriented learning approach in which students from different regions in Europe work and learn togethero establish a growing open and cooperative learning and development space for teachers and learnersThe EELLSS proeject was implemented by partners with complementary expertise from DE, NL, TR, LV, SE, IT, ES; five schools, a teachers’ training University, formal and informal training institutes and networks and a school maintaining authority.Soil is one of the most important spheres (pedosphere) of our planet, combing biosphere with atmosphere and the rocky underground. Most of the life processes take part in the soil. As such soil is a living lab for all kinds of biological, chemical, physical processes. Hence it is more than any other substrate a rich source for natural science learning. In addition, it offers a huge creative potential, which makes it ideal for interdisciplinary learning projects.Soils are highly influenced by human action (land-use, pollution, sealing of soils etc.) and thus have a high potential to serve as locations for a problem and needs driven education which fits to our complex world where interdisciplinary competences are of utmost importance.All these aspects and properties make soils an ideal field of learning and study.In an educational situation when Europe is confronted with phenomena like:• early school leaving,• decreasing attractiveness of learning in schools and natural sciences and• low achievement of basic skillssoils (and the connected soil sciences) offer rich and contextualised learning environments for basic and science education, for practical and problem based learning and for interdisciplinary learning projects. As they also differ from region to region and influence the local and regional environment and climate, soils are an interesting field for practical comparative research for students (and teachers) in joint European learning projects. For this reason, the soil is the “biggest and most practical learning laboratory” for a large range of subjects.The consortium regards the International Year of the Soils (IYS) as a unique opportunity to develop a comprehensive, versatile and extendable approach to integrate soils as a substantial learning field in European school education.EELLSS firstly connected relevant contents from natural sciences to aspects of soil science. For this purpose a competence matrix for soil science in schools was established in order to facilitate competence oriented teaching and learning on soils, both in discrete sciences and in interdisciplinary learning projects.Didactics and specific instructional design approaches for different settings (e.g. age groups, subjects, curricular/extracurricular) related to soils as learning filed were developed, mostly based on experiential learning principles.A rich open learning environment that connects e-portfolio, learning management system and planning and validation software was established as learning and collaboration environment for European schools, teachers and students.A specific teachers’ training was developed and delivered in blended learning methodology and delivered as 5-day course for 29 teachers including an extended transfer phase as practical project at the workplace (in the school).These pilot projects involved approximately 200 students at the partner schools and in other interested institutions. They were either subject related or interdisciplinary projects and consisted of soil related learning units, lessons, practical activities, field works, and mutual exchange between EELLSS schools. Some of the participating schools also established joint transnational learning projects on regional soils in which students exchanged with their transnational peers about specific aspects and scientific properties of the soils in their regions.The learning projects and outcomes were thoroughly evaluated internally and also externally.EELLSS has been embedded in the nework of climate friendly and environmental schools (GREEEN) that will maintain the project results, tools, teaching and learning opportunities also after the project lifetime.EELLSS has disseminated its approaches and findings to the European School Community and beyond. It offers a lasting knowledge pool and a repository for materials and tools for schools working with soils as learning field.

The European Union has aimed to increase energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse emissions, and focus on sustainable development. The food industry is one of the largest sectors in regards to energy use and greenhouse gas emissions; which, is why it is not only relevant but essential that everyone becomes more aware of how their lifestyle (particularly food-based choices) has an impact upon multiple sectors at many levels: the individual, local, national and international levels of agriculture, energy, health, and economics.The rapid process of globalization has had a major impact on how food is cultivated, transported, evaluated, labelled, and distributed. The future economic logistics (distribution, equality, supply and demand, costs), future biological sustainability (seasonal growth, supply & demand, genetic manipulation, productivity, space), and current and past cultural significance of food (traditions, taboo, and identity) all highly intersect. These factors (and more) all contribute to one of the most complex problems of today’s global society: malnutrition versus the obesity epidemic. The majority of the population in underdeveloped and developing countries suffers from malnutrition or hunger; however, the majority of the population in developed countries suffers from over-nutrition and diseases which stem from obesity. The process of how food is cultivated, selected, transported, distributed, consumed, wasted, and recycled will be critically analysed. Our project aims to empower students to gain awareness, knowledge, and skills which will help them to understand the problem and contribute to a solution by first changing their own behaviour. Individual change will not be enough to alleviate the drastic impact food shortages will have in the future. Future generations must also learn to collaborate and think of creative solutions which can be implemented not only nationally but also internationally. Our main project aim is to increase self-awareness about sustainable lifestyle choices, and the effect of an (un)sustainable lifestyle on local/national/international levels. Our goal in writing this project is to empower young students to believe that their individual, food-centered choices can make a difference. We hope to enable these students to become ambassadors of sustainable, ethical and innovative food-based choices by increasing their awareness of the complex problem, increasing their knowledge, and increasing their skills in communicating and implementing their knowledge. The second aim of our project is to answer the international call to train and challenge students to develop skills which better prepare them for the workforce or a career at the University. Our project will provide a platform for students to not only learn about what these skills are, but they will also receive training workshops to help them develop these skills. Each country will focus on one 21st century skill. The four skills our project will explicitly focus on include: (1) Netherlands: Information Literacy; (2) Norway: critical thinking; (3) Italy: collaboration and communication; (4) Latvia: creativity. Our third aim is to provide professional development to participating teachers. Our project will help stimulate professionals to continue to grow personally and professionally. We also recognize the importance of our role, as teachers, are role-models for our students, and we can model the process of life-long learning. Didactic coaching is a practice-based methodology of asking questions which stimulate further learning, and providing feedback regarding the students' learning process and the academic task . This methodology was developed in the Netherlands but has not yet been widely disseminated. Teachers will be given the unique opportunity to develop and practice their didactic coaching knowledge and skills. These skills will not only be essential in facilitating the problem-based learning groups designed for our project, but teachers can also implement didactic coaching in their daily teaching practice. Our final aim is to strengthen the collaboration between high schools and universities and/or local businesses. We envision a project which demonstrates the relevance and importance of the subject matter by linking it with presentations, workshops, and tours by local Universities and businesses. Students will be exposed to the academic standards and various fields of research at the University, and to how local businesses must adapt and innovate to keep up with local/national/and international markets of supply and demand. We hope that after the partnerships have been established that each school will be able to maintain these professional relationships.Project quality will be managed through the online platform of Monday.com, and project results will be shared on the project's eTwinning page and the Erasmus+ Project Results Platform.

The main topic “infectious diseases” of the Erasmus+ project “Be infected to be protected” is corresponding with the aims of the EU Health Programme of 2014 and a result of the Comenius project “Neobiota” (2013) showing that vectors and germs do not stop at national borders either.Reports about Ebola in Africa and multiresistent bacteria in the hospitals at home upset citizens of all ages. But already existing teaching and learning material was often not suitable or motivating enough and often yet analog on paper and protected by copyrights. Due to the redrawal of the Spanish school the multilateral partnership includes only five partnerschools: Gymnasium Donauwörth in Bavaria, Liceo Statale Coluccio Salutati in Montecatini Terme (Toscany), Aizpute Vidusskola in the western part of Latvia, Christelijk College Groevenbeek in Ermelo (Harderland in the middle of the Netherlands) and Os Gymnas south of Bergen (Norway). The aim of the project was to develop diverse digital material for schools, enhancing in this way the use of digital media in teaching, learning and training. Applying for a multilateral school partnership international students‘ working groups (of the secondary II classes) were established on Etwinning, moderated by the teachers involved and met face-to-face during the l-t-t-activities to finalize and present the results there in English. That was the main approach to train diverse transversal skills of all participants. The project was able to motivate girls to follow up information technology through communication and science through the international team work. On the other hand boys were motivated to deal with foreign languages to be able to share their ideas and knowledge with their team members. Furthermore, this special learning arrangement was a challenge for each group, motivated each student and supported weaker students to develop their competences.Innovative common teacher and student trainings like hygienic and scientific lectures at hospitals and university as well as workshops practising unkonwn digital tools stimulated the next working phase beyond the impulses given by well experienced participants.One group of students produced e-learning material concerning biology, i.e. infectious diseases and pathogenic germs, from digitalised fact sheets, presentations and a creative game, stop motion and online quizzes.A second group was occupied with statistics, from the targeted use of special medical databases and simulations to producing tutorials, in an own design, implementation and analysis of passers' surveys or observations of relevant behaviour.A third group adopted an interdisciplinary approach, to change point of view to a economic, social, historic or ethical perspective producing digital presentation using quizzes, learning apps and controverse discussion.Prevention of all these dangerous germs, proper hygiene measurement and vaccination is a basic need for each person, from the children in kindergarten up to the elderly people in nursery homes. Therefore P(revention)-Units have been developed targeting other eduction institutions, where students were learning by teaching, integrating also digitalized creative comic booklets, posters and short films in their targeted presentations. The N(ews-)Group dealt with digital news not as planned analyzing a continuous blog, but on a different approach. These students designed not only a digital flyer or presentation, but also used role plays for a fictitious TV-interview or debate.Not only students changed their attitude and practice of learning being well prepared for the studies or professional career. Also teachers enlarged their repertoire of methods and digital tools successfully and got a lot of impulses to reflect their own teaching attitude.

"""Be Enthusiastic, Search the Treasure"" (BEST) is a project aimed to extend the horizons of students' minds, make them more tolerant, and empathetic. In our digital reality when students are getting more addicted to their gadgets and less physically active this project is a great opportunity to combine them and show the students the other point of view. They will learn how to use digital tools in a real situations. Hunt can be done physically or virtually (if the weather doesn't allow us to do our outdoor activities). During the projects, a lot of activities will be done.The project is focused on a main activity which is a treasure hunt including other related tasks. The target group is students at the age 14 to 16. The main reasons to chose this target group are that students are fluent enough in English language. They are curious, adventurous and enthusiastic. They will have to use their reasoning abilities, thinking skills, and by working in group, they will improve foreign language knowledge and IT competence. During the development of the game students will produce the hunt themselves and will choose both historical place- a monument, buildings, ruins and place with geographical importance-mountain, river, cave, which will be the object of treasure hunting. The participants has to do surveys on the project's topic and prepare any sort of game/task such as games, art crafts, PPT presentations, mysteries, clues, puzzles, posters, photos, quizzes. They will operate using google earth, and all the 2.0 web tools, emails in order to use it later as a print screen as a verification part. In this way they can improve their digital competence. During this activity they will do tasks that will help them to get in touch with other cultures, learning languages, nature, communicative skills. They will surf the internet to get info about local legends, tourist destination, historical events and figures. Every country will prepare two treasure hunts, connected with geographical and historical place. When the students visit that country, they will have to hunt and find ""the Treasure"". They will follow the clues and go hunting in chosen area. This will force the students to know more about cultures of the different members of the project. The students have be divided into mixed teams. Some tests can be done in advance to allocate students in proper group. In each team there will be students from different countries, so that they can know better and exchange experience and knowledge. That is a great opportunity for them to train and improve their language skills. So during the students mobility (mobility will happen in six countries) apart from searching the treasure, they will do surveys, presentations, share experiences, be physically active, work in team. Some tests can be used to allocate students in proper group. Students’ performances will be organized during each mobility. Treasure hunting for teachers will be organised once an year.The supporting activities will be ""Test your country"" evening, Picture hunting and Filming. During the visits every country has to choose and present some typical local dishes and introduce them to the other participants. As a result a cookery book will be created. The BEST website logo and motto will be chosen among the best students productions at the beginning of the project. In every school an Erasmus corner will be created.The other outputs will be "" Treasure e-book” and a calendar. During mobility every team will take some photos of landscapes and historical places. The competition will be organised and the best photos will be chosen by voting in our e Twinning page. The best pictures will be published in our Erasmus picture hinting calendar.7 All activities will be filmed and the film will be released in Internet-You tube and e Twinning Project results page.8. We are going to make a virtual Treasure e-book, contains all Treasures, found and registered during the projects activities. There will be six project meetings divided into 2 groups. As our activities are mainly outdoor activities, the weather condition is very important. Due to that fact we suggest our meetings to be in this order.First year of the project October 2019-SpainMarch 2020 -ItalyMay 2020 –The UKSecond year October-2020 Latvia March 2021 Greece The final meeting in coordinator country -Bulgaria May 2021.There will be commission for the management and assessment of the project. The final products and materials will be uploaded in Erasmus+ Project Results Platform, so that our project's work will be available for wider audience and will be an inspirations to the other schools. We will share our experience in a Monitoring meeting organized by our National Agency ."