Innovative educational approaches for sustainability - A look at the TAP-TS project and its experiences in the first year

Innovative educational approaches are crucial for raising young people's awareness of the importance of sustainability in terms of environmental protection and social and economic transformation. To this end, the transnational TAP-TS project provides teachers with new methods and tools for teaching sustainability and climate crisis resilience, which are first put to the test in practice across Europe.

A highlight of the first year of the project was the summer school at the Cyprus Pedagogical Institute (CPI) in Larnaca, Cyprus, at the end of June. This event offered student teachers, teacher trainers and teachers from partner countries an intensive week of workshops and reflection sessions focused on learning, teaching and thinking about sustainability. A field research day was organized in collaboration with the CPI's Department of Environmental Education, where participants explored approaches to cleaning up an oil spill, discussed EU climate policy and participated in an underwater citizen science exercise.

The project consortium behind TAP-TS, which consists of universities, schools, educational agencies and civil society organizations from seven different countries, offers great potential for the ever-growing network. The various stakeholders bring a wide range of expertise and experience to the table. The report by KR Education, which is accompanying the project as part of a learning evaluation, confirms that this diversity is both a strength and a challenge. Examples include the teaching philosophy, how lessons are delivered and the theoretical underpinning of the teaching-learning packages to be developed. Where some focus more on the theoretical foundations, others place more emphasis on practical validity.

© Rachel Bowden

In order to develop suitable teaching materials for all country contexts, the seven teaching-learning packages were developed in collaboration with all project partners. The materials were then tested in teacher learning events, which was particularly appreciated in the evaluation. "Overall, the main outputs of the project (teaching-learning packages and courses) were carefully designed and worked well when tested in the pilot courses," the report states. In addition, KR Education recommends that GreenComp, the reference framework for sustainability skills, be more clearly incorporated into the teaching-learning packages to strengthen them. In this way, teacher trainers and teachers can be offered even better guidance to determine which educational measures contribute to specific competencies.

Already, the TAP-TS Teacher Learning Events have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants, as the activities have been perceived as practical and valuable for both their own development and the development of their students. The teacher learning events were also used to test different modalities. Participants showed a strong preference for face-to-face events, as the communication was considered more emotional, immersive and real than in online-only workshops. The combination of online and face-to-face sessions was particularly appreciated, as the online part provided background knowledge and an enormous amount of material for the classroom, while the face-to-face sessions involved the exchange of ideas on a personal level.

The findings from the first year of the project will be incorporated into further project work. For example, further teacher learning events will be held to build on the lessons learned from the first year. The next hybrid event "Sustainable Futures Education" will take place from the end of November, which will promote the practical implementation of ideas and the exchange between participants - both online and in person at an international level. In February 2024, all seven teaching-learning packages will be published as freely accessible educational resources via the Saxon Education Server.

Further information on the events can be found on the project website .