"Two European technical and VET schools meet for the first time and start a new strategic partnership. Istituto tecnico industriale statale ""M.O.V.M. Don G. Morosini"" is situated in Ferentino (Lazio), which is a region with a very bad air quality as a consequence of a high pollution because of exhaust gases. Prizma Campus VTI is situated in a heavy industrial region, in which it's necessary to be alert for air pollution. Both schools concluded to collaborate on a project to prove, thanks to objective measurements and data, that air pollution has an influence on local weather conditions and on a long-term basis also on climate change. We want to challenge local authorities and industries to take more responsability and cope with this serious problem. In a first phase, in humanistic and philosophical lessons students will become aware of the problem of climate change and global warming and think about the world they will live in in the future. In Geography lessons, in special project lessons and through personal research students will gain insight into the influence of human behaviour on weather and on the link between weather and climate change. In a second phase students will learn to use satellite images and measuring data to prove that in our regions a change of weather and climate is going on. The local meteoroligists will explain the students the working of analogue measuring instruments to collect weather data. Technical teachers will guide them, in order to stimulate them to use and enlarge their STEM skills, competences and knowledge. To analyze satellite images and develop digital measuring instruments, students will learn to work with new software and with Arduino, which is an open source computer platform intended to make microcontrollers easier. In a third phase students will, in practical lessons, house the developed instruments and cover them in a self made sustainable and weather consistant box. The self developed weather stations will be installed in each school. The IT-teams of the schools will connect our digital instruments on at least one free website for weather forecast. The local meteorologists also here will be our guides. In the fourth phase measuring results and data will be spread and shared through the schools websites, the weather forecast websites and social media pages of the two schools, and through local meteorologists. Local authorities and industries will be informed about the data and they will be informed about where they can find them. In a fifth phase students will take the initiative themselves to confront the local authorities and industries with the evolution of the weather data, in order to, thanks to objective data, make them aware of the problem and to stimulate them to act. In a future phase we're going to expand our project to other European regions. Therefore, after a quality control and reflection, we will review and rewrite our project and submit again with new partners. In each phase the involved students and teachers will be in touch on E-twinning Twinspace. Through the project not only UNESCO's sustainable development goal 13 about climate change will be a topic. Students and teachers also, to a lesser extent, will work about the SDGs 3 (Health), 14 and 15 (life in water and on earth) and 17 (partnerships). During the project students will learn about the historical and cultural heritage of the regions. 10 Italian and 10 Belgian students, aged 14 - 17 will be involved. They'll communicate in English. Through the project they'll work together virtually on twinspace. Through the mobilities we'll work with professional learning communities, in which older students in electronics and mechanics will guide the students of the project. The project is guided by a team of teachers in general, technical and practical subjects. The pedagogical team and the internationalizing team will support the teachers' team. 2 Belgian and 3 Italian teachers will take part to the moblities. As main objectives, students will become aware of the big challenge of climate change and its consequences and will be able to use and enlarge their STEM competences, skills and knowledge to handle this challenge. On a long term basis it's our objective to share knowledge gathered through the project with the local community, authorities, industries and other stakeholders. That students can experience this in a European context, in which their language skills enlarge and their sense of European citizenship can be improved, that is an objective in each European project. For specific objectives I refer to the part ""objectives"" in this application. Of course this project also includes objectives for teachers and the schools. All those objectives have to do with our own education quality, the place of education in an international context, the international working of our schools and the professionalization of teachers in the field of languages, STEM and internationalization"

Problem-based learning (PBL), also known as problem-oriented learning (POL), is a form of learning whose characteristic is that learners are to find a solution to a given problem largely independently. This form of learning has mainly been described for individual university studies, but we also consider it useful for vocational training at upstream EQF levels.Problem-based learning should promote the acquisition of knowledge that can be used flexibly, the development of cross-curricular competences and better problem-solving skills. Social competence and the ability to work in a team are key qualifications that can be acquired within the framework of this training. PBL cannot replace traditional teaching and learning methods, but it can supplement them.We consider these learning requirements to be very important in an increasingly complex world, because learning also requires a more complex approach. Hierarchies are becoming more and more flat, so that working people have to take on more and more responsibility for their field of work. In addition, the share of innovative projects in the world of work is continuously increasing. This project work demands a much higher ability to work in a team, especially in unknown situations. Here it is one of the tasks of the school to prepare the pupils for these forms of work. Therefore we focus on real life problems.which can araise from the vocational life of our students as well as normal life problems. The aim of the project is to enable the participating institutions to gain experience in problem-oriented learning and to share the experience already gained with the project partners. Our experience so far has shown that there are often reservations about this type of learning, as this often runs counter to the existing curricula and the division of subjects it contains. Teachers quickly feel overwhelmed when they can only accompany a part of the learning process of students through the subject matter. On project-level we want to work with 2-3 teachers per school to keep communication possible. In the Schools we plan to install interdisciplinary workgroups of 5-6 teachers if possible in different classes. For the working periods in beetween meetings: we will either work with entire classes or with voluntary workgroups. Out of these classes/workgroups we chose 5 students per school for the meetings.We want to proceed as follows: In a first meeting we want to present our own experiences in POL or similar pedagogical approaches to the partners in order to obtain a common working basis. In this meeting the concrete working steps are determined for the following time and a first learning problem will be defined. We will then have 4 Learning Teaching Training Meetings with students, one in each partner institution. In each meeting we will develop learning arrangements that the students of the participating schools will work on using problem-based learning methods in the time between the meetings. The results of each meeting will be presented in the following event. All meetings should take place with teachers and students from all participating institutions at different locations. In each of these meetings the unit of problem-oriented learning the students worked on in the time before will be presented by the students and evaluated with them and the teachers. This procedure guarantees an improvement of the learning processes and results in the course of the project.In the middle of the project we plan a teacher Training for teachers of our organisations who are not yet involved in PBL to to disseminate the contents of the project at school Level at an early stage. The project should be transnational as it increases the complexity for all participants. The curricula in all countries are different, as is the approach to problem solving in the context of vocational training. All participating institutions can benefit from this. For example, the dual training system in Germany is confronted with full-time school systems in the partner countries. In Germany, all curricula in the vocational field are already organised in learning fields; in the general education field this has yet to happen.The main methodology of the project can already be found in the title: PBL in Real Life Environments. For this purpose we will develop complex learning arrangements for pupils in joint workshops and trainees will prepare them in joint working groups and then complete and present them in joint meetings.We hope that the project will improve the vocational training of our students. We achieve this by developing complex problem-based learning environments and testing them on the one hand, and by passing on our experience and knowledge to colleagues in our institutions on the other. In the long run, our students, both current and future in the project, will benefit from improved teaching by being able to identify problems in unknown situations and react appropriately.

"The project ""Echoes from the Future"" was born from consolidated experiences of the partners and wants to build on them. Through the example and model of TED-Ed clubs, the proposed project focuses on the importance of spreading ""ideas of value"", especially the ideas of our students, and on how we can help young people to spread these ideas effectively through the practice of public speaking. Throughout our 2 year experience as members of the TED-ED clubs' network, we have had the opportunity and privilege to witness a dramatic growth in our students' communicative and creative skills as well as in their self-confidence. The positive feedback received from teachers, students, families, local authorities and members of the community, has inspired this project which aims to further enrich the experience with an international dimension. We aim to embrace the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals by designing a learning experience which engages students in practicing a wide range of skills fostering a sense of global citizenship, critical thinking and innovative ideas. The final outcome of this process will be a live TED-style event in which students of different European countries will present on stage their thoughts and ideas and will give voice to their dreams for a better, sustainable future. The European dimension will amplify the power and impact of the experience thanks to the contributions of all the partner schools to the research and development of ""ideas worth spreading"". Students of different countries will work together with peers, building on their cultural backgrounds and supporting each other, to deepen their knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals, to discuss and to celebrate their creative ideas. Following the guidelines of the TED-Ed curriculum, they will learn how to present their ideas, reaching a larger audience and make their voice go global.The group made of 5 partner schools has been formed on the basis of previous collaborations and background. Thanks to previous eTwinning and Erasmus projects we have already had the opportunity to work together. Each partner will contribute according to their profile and expertise to the development of ideas whether for practical solutions (as done by the vocational schools in the project ""iVet4D"") or for green entrepreneurship (as done in the project ""Yell"" with the Belgian school). The only ""new"" partner is the Greek school that we came to know through the TED-Ed clubs' network and soon showed great interest in the project. Being an international school whose motto is ""Empowering individuals as architects of their own learning"", perfectly matches the project philosophy. The organization of project activities will follow the guidelines of the TED-Ed program, with the development of various stages to support students in the discovery, exploration, and presentation of their big ideas in the form of short, TED-style talks. Parts of the work will be done at a distance, thanks to a dedicated Twinspace on the eTwinning platform which will be an essential communication and collaboration tool, and partly during the Learning Teaching Training activities which will be an important step of the Face to Face process.We believe multiple benefits and a positive impact will come from participation in the project with opportunities for reinforcing and enlarging the international network of partner schools. First, cooperation will produce an improvement in the quality of education in our systems. Secondly, learners will constructively build on new ideas with peers from other countries while developing communicative and public speaking skills. Thirdly teachers will be able to use new approaches and methodologies in the classrooms. Additionally, teachers and students will improve their competencies in ICT and foreign language. Lastly, students will broaden their horizons and strengthen their sense of belonging to the European community. Dissemination of project experience could also represent a model and a reference point for other schools that would like to improve their international dimension and adopt novel and more active student-centered approaches. By means of this collaboration, we will bring together students from different European countries, make them reflect on current world challenges, engage in collaborative research in support of possible solutions, spark their curiosities and creative, innovative ideas, all the while strengthening their belief that each of us can make a difference."

Spisska Nova Ves is a gateway to Slovak Paradise National Park. That might be one of the reasons why so many teachers of our school are close to nature, understand its role in our lives and value its significance for not only our physical but mental health as well. Unfortunatelly, we are witnessing global climate changes and we do not want to just talk or teach about steps which are necessary to be made; we want to take action and one way how we can do it is by attracting students` attention and raising public awareness through activities done in this project. Thus the main objective of our project is to contribute to the EU's achievement of climate change targets by contributing to awareness-raising activities against climate change.When considering the partnership, we tried to bare in mind certain balance between experienced partners as well as partnering schools with little or no prior project experience but on the other hand, we also took into account the relevance other schools demonstrate in the issue of climate changes or particular measures they have already taken. We firmly believe we succeeded in creating a strong strategic partnership (consisting of 5 schools) in which mutual learning and teaching processes will be highly valued and thus help gain the best results possible. What is even more, students of all participating schools will not only learn and disseminate the knowledge on climate change, its consequences and possible solutions to prevent dramatic changes, they will also develop their key skills and competences, such as communication skills, flexibility, cooperation skills, goal oriented thinking, creativity, planning of work and strategy, responsibility, motivation etc. We also tried to create a partnership rich in cultural diversity since beside the main objectives of the project, its aim is also to promote active citizenship in democratic life in Europe, to improve intercultural dialogue and intercultural awareness, to improve foreign language skills and competences and to contribute to intercultural tolerance and respect. Our project will include students at the age group between 14 and 19 years old from 5 different countries. As for the number of participants, we decided to include 4 students from each participating school for each learning activity except for Aruban school and the learning activity taking place in Aruba (there will be 2 participants from each schools and 2 accompanying persons). The decision was made upon a thorough consideration based not only on less convenient logistics but also much more demanding requirements on accompanying persons. The participants of this age group need to express an interest in environmental and climate change issues, be aware of the need to protect the environment. Our aim is to broaden their horizons and strengthen their determination to combat climate change and the problems it brings. In order to achieve the goals of the project, we have determined 5 modules covering our goals and the activities that will reach these goals. Module 1: Burning fossil fuels, Concrete Output: Electric vehicle design - Line following vehicle will be built., Module 2: Beach and ocean environmental damage due to plastic pollution, Concrete Output: Design of creative objects from plastic recycling., Module 3: Land use changes, Concrete Output: Design of ideal agricultural environments, Restortion of local wetlands by planting native trees, shrubs and flowers., Module 4: Deforestation, Concrete Output: A different approach to recycling: Toy design from Waste Forest products., Module 5: Green Energy, Concrete Output: Innovative home design that meets your needs and supports energy saving with green energy sources. In addition, planned outputs of the project are logo of the project, a presentation and an e-book describing the regional climate changes, a booklet of good practices, a letter to the European Parliament explaining the project, the project website, climate change boards, climate change T-shirts, hats, pens etc. In project execution, methods such as activity-based teaching, project cycle method, flipped classroom, cooperative learning, problem-based learning, design thinking and gamification will be given a priority. Teachers will prefer student-centered approach and try to focus on such students` skills and practices that enable lifelong learning and independent problem-solving.Dissemination is of great importance and we envisage a long-term impact and benefits of our project as the outputs of it will be integrated into the curriculum of Biology classes. Thus, the dissemination activities will include powerpoint presentations, project posters, open lectures, e-Book, Good Practices Guide, conferences with the presence of local as well as national media, social media accounts etc. The satisfaction of teachers, students and their parents will be given a high priority and will be evaluated through forums and surveys.

"Climate changes and rising need in energy and water are only some of the challenges to which present and future generations have to face up. At the same time the process of the globalisation which can make global ones from local ecological or economic problems accelerates with increasing technical possibilities of the digital world. An approach to solve the called problems is the principle of sustainability which can be knew as a form of an ecological and economic action to protect comparable or better living conditions for the present and future generations. Sustainability involves environment, economic and social aspects. By realisation of the project ""Sustainability - an European way"" the schools of I. T. I. S. VOLTA from Perugia (Italy), the Agrupamento de Escolas de Álvaro Velho from Lavradio (Portugal) and the Oberschule an der Ronzelenstrasse as well as the Kippenberg Gymnasium from Bremen rise the awareness for the need of a sustainable life-style and make clear by concrete experiences in other countries that problems or challenges won't be hold by borders.Approx. 100 students (age 13-17) from Italy, protugal and Germany took part in thist project.The project participants were divided in - according to project phase - national or transnational teams which had beencomplemented by other members of the local working groups. These teams worked together on theoretical and practical duties and afterwards presented their results to all partners. Impulse-giving inputs of experts from colleges or economy as well as excursions in the respective regions completed the project programme.Theoretical and practical works within and beyond the four planned short-term exchanges have been part of the central activities. The project participants built models of wind mills, carried out experiments to plastics from growing raw materials, constructed solar energy cars and supported the advancement of their schools to more sustainable schools with the help of the self-provided guide ""on the way to eco school"". In addition they did research and created presentations on the subjects ""Power demand in Europe"" and ""alternative forms of energy"". Beside the global perception on this topic, quite concrete measures were also investigated at the respective schools and were initiated to develop the schools to ""sustainable schools"". For example at the Oberschule an der Ronzelenstraße from this Erasmus Plus project a group was founded which is working out a concept for a more sustainable handling of garbage. Another group develops the project ""natural and sustainable school garden"". So not only the people involved in the project benefit from the experience, but the whole school beyond the end of the project. The students are promoted by this project individually and they are prepared for future demands. Cooperation and team ability, interdisciplinary thinking, reflected contact with digital media and not at least foreign languages are key competences of the 21st century. Beside the support of the European thought of tolerance and cultural diversity, we provided all immediate and indirect project partners with the help of the project ""Sustainability - a European way"" the opporunity to develop these key competences. The project ""Sustainabilty - an European way"" raised the quality of learning and teaching at the respective schools. The transnational cooperation delivered important impulses for the development of a cooperation culture at the schools and strengthend at the same time the individual competences of the involved students and teachers in the area of project realisation and project organisation. The project contributed to a higher intercultural awareness and with it allowed to understand the cultural diversity in Europe as a chance for their own advancement."