Hosted by SALL , contributed by mariachrysanthou on 27 June 2022
Background
Members of the Eco Club of our school participated in workshops on “Plastic in the Arctic” which dealt with the impact of microplastics on the environment and the importance of minimizing plastic waste through a variety of activities and reflective discussions (see example of materials in the activities section). The workshops were based on the “Plastic in the Arctic” activity developed in the context of the Erasmus+ project Polar Star.
Aim
Our ultimate goal was to raise awareness to our school and the local community for this issue (e.g., the existence of a variety of microplastics in everyday products, the rapid increase of plastic waste) to facilitate the minimization of plastic use and the promotion of recycling.
Co-creation with societal actors
Teachers of our school collaborated with the Eco-club to co-create the social media campaign. Also, the teachers and the researcher of the University of Cyprus co-developed the materials of the workshops.
Parents learned about the project and took part in the social media awareness campaign by watching the produced videos about plastic pollution and recycling.
Implementation
The students involved produced videos aiming at further informing and raısıng awareness among their peers on the ıssue of recyclıng and ıts ımportance ın combatıng the negatıve effects microplastics have on the environment.
Working process:
-discussions on what the campaign should entail based on the targeted audience (mainly students of the school)
-Preparation of the video scenarios
-Shooting and editing the videos
-Dissemination of the videos on social media and the school’s website
Reflection
Favorite Quotes from students:
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Learning can be fun!
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So many things make sense now!
Favorite Quotes from teachers:
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I felt most proud about the way our students engaged themselves in discussion and exchange of ideas and their enthusiasm in disseminating the knowledge and experience acquired by the workshop to their peers!
We all learned a ton of things:
- Students learn more through interaction.
- Students get excited when they can apply the knowledge they acquire to everyday practices.
- How creative students can be.
The teacher implemented changes to her teaching style:
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Making lessons more interactive
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Associating syllabus to everyday practices.
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Allowing more time for discussion and exchange of ideas
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The importance of team work
Students improved on:
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Team work
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Applying their knowledge to everyday life