ERASMUS+ KA2 EcoGreen 

Implementation

1.5.2022-1.7.2024 

Objectives

Sustainability is an omnipresent topic for teachers and further training in this subject area is highly demanded. In schools, education for sustainable development is often thought of at the individual level and in this context addresses individual consumption, individual mobility and nutrition. While this is an important level of consideration, a holistic view of sustainable education must also include the system level, i.e. the level of economic policy and regulatory structures.

This first step, from the micro to the macro level, is what the EcoGreen project wants to put into perspective. However, it will go one step further and expand the consideration of sustainable economic policy to include the perspective of alternative forms of economy and prosperity.

We would like to enable vocational school teachers, and secondarily also vocational school students, to think in alternatives through further training in the form of critical socio-economic education; to understand economic systems as political decisions and to be able to influence them through action. Especially at vocational schools, where students are already closely linked to companies, such critical socio-economic education is indispensable. The issue of sustainability is a classic, cross-border collective goods problem, so it is imperative that the issue be addressed internationally, at least at the European level.

We want to train teachers, and secondarily also students, in the field of economic policy, sustainability and alternative economic orders and ideas of prosperity, and thus enable both teachers and students to act as critically-active subjects in the context of sustainable economic policy. In order to give them another perspective, they should not only think within the logic of the current capitalist economic order, but also find space for alternative concepts (e.g. post-growth economy or de-growth).  Another goal of the project is the transnational dissemination of the project idea. Educational concepts can generally only have a pan-European impact if they are conceived internationally and can be developed transnationally.

Within the framework of the project, we carry out numerous activities. First of all, teachers are actively involved in the project at various stages in order to evaluate our results. At the same time, this step also serves to disseminate the project. In addition, a three-day learning teaching- training activity is carried out, in which teachers and members of other educational institutions receive further training on the EcoGreen project topic. In addition, the project materials are tested with at least 300 students, evaluated and improved again. All activities thus contribute not only to dissemination, but also to the constant revision and improvement of the project results.

Potential benefits

All results are closely related to each other and were developed by educational experts from theory and practice.

• Result 1 forms the didactically prepared factual basis for further training and lesson preparation for teachers.
• It is complemented by Result 2, which provides concrete teaching materials to meet the teachers’ need for practical materials that can be used.
• The holistic complement to these materials is the workshop and self-learning opportunity for teachers in Outcome 3, within which teachers are trained in critical socio-economic education.
• Outcome 4 is to be understood as a deepening of the in-service training, within which the teachers gain the opportunity to exchange ideas, to carry on the project idea and to promote the sustainability of the project. 

Project partners

The project is coordinated by Institute for Didactics of Democracy, Germany. Partner network: University of Vienna, Itä-Savon koulutuskuntayhtymä Finland, Pracownia Ksztalccenia Zawodowego “Voco Train” W Kolobrzegu Poland, Zespol Szkol Lesnych Poland, Studienseminar Braunschweig für lehramt an berufbildende schulen Germany

Budget

 Samiedu 42 140 €