Category Archives: Project

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TECCHED project results get a full score

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The TECCHED project was completed at the end of 2024. It has recently been awarded a full score in the evaluation of the project results.

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TECCHED was developed based on the need that most teacher training faculty members were concerned that they did not feel prepared enough to teach about climate change, and as a result they were not confident in teaching it.

TECCHED has addressed this by developing a digital learning platform in which faculty members are able to freely examine the content of online training modules as well as teaching tools and resources  to prepare themselves to confidently teach about climate in their own courses.

The platform helps them by increasing their knowledge about the topic and providing pedagogical skills related to teaching climate to their students.book image

TECCHED also prepared an online, media-enriched, interactive climate book as an open-access resource for faculty members to use in their own courses.

Faculty members were also aware that the teacher training curriculum did not foster the “character and values” of their pre-service teachers.

TECCHED has therefore designed a technology-enhanced curriculum for character and values development, meeting faculty members’ curricular needs in terms of teaching an affective domain of climate change through a technology-enhanced curriculum.

TECCHED thus encouraged innovative practices, as it focuses on climate change, as the most important global and ecological challenge.

Visit the Project results
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Where do teachers find the resources for teaching Climate change?

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Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and teachers play a crucial role in educating the next generation about it. However, with the vast amount of information available online, it can be challenging for teachers to find reliable and accurate sources of information on climate change. misinformation image

Research undertaken in preparation for the TECCHED project showed that most teachers rely on television reports and social media to get information on climate change, however unbiased reporting is not very common on many new channels and there have been many disinformation and misinformation campaigns spread on social media.

FInd out more about these issues.

To address this challenge, many teachers turn to trusted sources such as government agencies, scientific organisations, and educational institutions. For example, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has a website called Climate.gov that provides a wealth of information on climate science, including articles, data, and multimedia resources. Teachers can use this website to access reliable and up-to-date information on climate change to incorporate into their lessons. The European Commission has an EU Science Hub on climate change and has established the EU Climate Pact to encourage people to build a more sustainable Europe.

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The Climate Action Network (CAN) Europe is Europe’s leading NGO coalition. It aims to fight dangerous climate change misinformation. It has more than 170 member organisations active in 38 European countries, representing in excess of 1.500 NGOs and more than 47million citizens, CAN Europe promotes sustainable climate, energy and development policies throughout Europe.

The European Climate Foundation (ECF) is a major philanthropic initiative working to help tackle the climate crisis by fostering the development of a net-zero emission society at the national, European, and global level. The ECF supports over 700 partner organisations to carry out activities that drive urgent and ambitious policy in support of the objectives of the Paris Agreement, contribute to the public debate on climate action, and help deliver a socially responsible transition to a net-zero economy and sustainable society in Europe and around the world.

Another source of information is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which is an organisation that brings together scientists and policymakers from around the world to assess the state of knowledge on climate change. The IPCC produces reports that summarise the latest research on climate change and its impacts, which teachers can use to stay informed and incorporate into their curriculum.ipcc image

Educational institutions such as universities and research centres are also valuable sources of information for teachers. They often have specialised departments or programs dedicated to climate science that provide access to cutting-edge research and resources for teachers to use in their classrooms.

In addition to these sources, there are also numerous non-profit organisations that focus on climate education, such as the Climate Reality Project and Action for Climate Emergency. These organisations offer a range of resources, including lesson plans, webinars, and professional development opportunities, to help teachers incorporate climate education into their curriculum.

By staying informed and up-to-date on the latest research and information, teachers can help their students understand the science behind climate change and the importance of taking action to address it.using the TECCHED interactive e-book

Find out more about learning, tools, resources and information from the TECCHED Learning Platform

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Bringing resources, tools and training for climate education

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The TECCHED project is set in the context of the European Green Deal and the Global Goals for Sustainable Development.green deal diagram

TECCHED is based on the need to tackle the climate emergency and ecological crisis by ensuring the training of next generation teachers addresses climate issues.

Curriculum opportunities and relevant teaching approaches have been evaluated and a teacher education curriculum established. Gaps in content knowledge and innovative are encouraged that can be used in response to local issues.

TECCHED through its Learning Platform establishes access to tools and resources that makes scientific resources on climate change education available for teachers and educators. Visit the Learning Platform

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TECCHED provides access to climate information through its Learning Platform with climate education projects, climate visualisations and multimedia tools. This provides access to reliable climate change data and maps for use in teacher training . Climate simulations and games have also been reviewed which encourages high engagement and deep affective learning to take  place.

The project offers open access online teacher training for teachers through an interactive climate book to help them get informed and empowered to address the urgency of climate futures, understanding the background and science behind climate change.

The training resources encourage teachers to create opportunities for the critical assessment of information reliability and establish and use innovative approaches to teaching and learning about climate in curriculum areas and include interactive assessments at the end of each unit.

Explore the tools and resources on the TECCHED Learning Platform

TECCHED Final Event Held in Vilnius

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closing photoOn 30 November 2024 the closing event of the Erasmus + KA220 programme project “Designing a Technology-enhanced Climate Change Education Curriculum” (TeCChEd) Nr. 2022-1-BG01-KA220-HED-000088178 was held in Lithuania.

The closing event in Vilnius, took place at the Education Academy of Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania.

The event was dedicated to Education for Climate Day 2024. photo

During the event different stakeholders discussed the application of the TECCHED Learning platform in teacher training education to increase the knowledge and awareness of climate issues, foster climate literacy, critical thinking, and join to global climate action.

In the photo: Prof. Dr. Leta Dromantienė, Danguolė Bylaitė-Šalavėjienė, M.A., Assoc. Prof. Dr. Daina Miniotaitė, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Judita Giparaitė.

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TECCHED Project  Is Successfully Completed!

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event photoFunded by the European Commission (EC) and the Bulgarian National Agency, the TECCHED (Designing a Technology-enhanced Climate Change Curriculum) Project has successfully reached its end, leaving behind an important legacy. Within the scope of the project, which aims to provide innovative approaches in the field of education, faculty training, transnational meetings, local faculty training, pilot applications and the closing event of the project were achieved. The TECCHED Consortium also carried out several studies within the scope of the project.

Project coordinator Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bahadır Namdar and three faculty members attended the faculty training event held in Liepaja, Latvia. During the three-day training, various topics related to climate change were examined in depth.

The final transnational meeting was held in Bulgaria, where TECCHED Team reviewed the work packages and planned the upcoming activities. As part of the local faculty training, more than 50 faculty members were informed at the event organised at Ege University.  The digital learning platform was introduced to the participants, and they discussed sample lesson plans.

event photoPiloting applications were also an important part of the project. Trained faculty members carried out pilot applications with nearly 1000 prospective teachers. The feedback obtained at the end of the application was collected through questionnaires and this data allowed for adjustments to be made to the e-book and digital platform.

As the project entered its final month, the results and future impacts were shared at the TECCHED closing event organised with the participation of more than 30 stakeholders. The ‘enriched book’ and the ‘digital learning platform’ developed by the TECCHED Team promoted the enhancement of pedagogical competencies and the development of ‘character and values’ of pre-service teachers as responsible global citizens. This project has created great excitement in the field of education and promises hope for future generations.

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TECCHED Meeting with Ege University Pre-service Teachers

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The TECCHED (Technology-Enhanced Curriculum Design for Climate Change) enriched book, an output of technology-enhanced climate change education, was introduced to over 100 pre-service teachers and faculty members at Ege University. During the event, the TECCHED team presented the content, purpose, and structure of the enriched book and shared two sample lesson plans.

Providing information about the book’s content, Ege University Faculty of Education faculty-member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bahadır Namdar stated the following:
“The TECCHED enriched book consists of four different learning modules: causes of climate change, impacts of climate change, mitigation and adaptation strategies. The topics are reinforced with the questions at the end of each module. Every module consists of approximately five units, and evaluation questions are asked at the end of each unit.”. Visit the learning modules 

photo of students“The international TECCHED project, supported by the European Union and involving Ege University and Bitlis Eren University from Turkey, is carried out in partnership with Ruse University from Bulgaria, Liepaja University from Latvia, Vytautas Magnus University from Lithuania, EOLAS from Spain and EUROGEO from Belgium.

With TECCHED (Technology Enhanced Curriculum Design on Climate Change), the pedagogical competencies of the faculty members are enhanced to teach the importance of character and values in mitigating the effects of climate change. These prospective teachers are expected to transfer their skills to future students and create change.” 

The participants were then given ample time to explore the content of the enriched book. The lesson plans placed particular emphasis on ‘character and values’. After examining the enriched book, the participants shared their ideas and suggestions. Find out more about the enriched book

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Climate games and simulations for training teachers

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The TECCHED project promotes the use of innovative teaching and learning resources in education. The project has explored some useful simulations and visualisations as well and games that help present climate change issues.

Climate simulations use advanced models and digital tools to replicate Earth’s systems, enabling users to analyse and interpret climate patterns, predict impacts, and explore solutions for environmental challenges.image

Gamification can be described as using the mechanics of gaming into non-game environments, like education to increase participation. The goal of gamification is to engage with participants to engage, involve, inspire and interact.

Gamification in teaching about climate change uses game-like elements, such as challenges, rewards, and interactive scenarios, to engage learners. It fosters critical thinking by simulating real-world climate issues, encouraging students to explore solutions. This approach enhances motivation, deepens understanding, and empowers learners to adopt sustainable behaviors in creative, impactful ways.

A catalogue of interactive visualisations, simulations and games has been created as part of the TECCHED learning platform.

Visit the catalogue of climate games and simulations

climate game imageRecent research by Imperial College, London has shown that young people aged 16-24 are most likely to be particularly concerned about the impacts of climate change. This is partly because climate information is often hard to understand and follow, especially when suggested actions require changes in lifestyle.

A  study on climate change anxiety published in the Lancet found that children and young people demonstrated climate anxiety and widespread dissatisfaction with government responses in countries across the world. This is partly because because the climate crisis is so complex and lacks a clear solution. Education clearly has a role to play in dealing with this.climate game image

Games on the subject of climate change are well-suited to address the challenge of dealing with the complex issues involved, engaging people in the challenges involved.

Games can help communicate climate change in a manner that spurs involvement and motivates participants to take action. This is partly because many innovative design features of games can be integrated to blur the boundaries between reality and the virtual world.

The integration of game thinking and game mechanics in education has been described as gamification. One of the central advantages of gamification is the enjoyment created by making tasks more engaging, fun and interesting to complete. In turn, that increases people’s motivation to complete them.

Research carried out by Yee (2016) identified six different game elements that motivate gamers and encourage participation.climate game image

+  Action (e.g., objectives)
+  Social (e.g., competition)
+  Mastery (e.g., scoring)
+  Achievement (e.g., awards, rewards)
+  Immersion (e.g., role playing) and
+  Creativity (e.g., customisation)

It is important to realise therefore that games and game-based learning are valuable approaches to teaching the complexity of addressing climate change and part of the toolbox that educators can use to engage young people.

Visit the innovative simulations and games.

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TECCHED Dissemination in Lithuania

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dissemination photoOn October 23 2024 Vytautas Magnus University Education Academy held a dissemination event for the Erasmus+ KA220 program project TECHCHED “Technology Enhanced Climate Change Curriculum Design.

The meeting was attended by students of the Vytautas Magnus University Master’s study program “Inclusive education: social industries“, as well as university teachers, pedagogues, politicians and other social partners.

The dissemination event of the TECHCHED project was organized in a mixed way, combining contact and remote participation.

Effective teaching tools for solving global challenges developed in the international cooperation project TECHCHED were discussed at the media event: with lesson plans, digital book and the teaching platform. Visit the toolkit

This TECHCHED project dissemination event was one of a series of training activities on climate change that will take place in 2024. in the months of September – November, they are implemented in the project’s partner institutions.

The international project is implemented by Vytautas the Great University (Lithuania), Ruse University (Bulgaria), EUROGEO (Belgium), EOLAS (Spain), Liepaja University (Latvia), Bitlis Eren University (Turkey), Ege University (Turkey).

Erasmus+ KA220 initiative TECHCHED “Technology Enhanced Climate Change Curriculum Design” is supported by the European Commission.

More about TECCHED learning materials

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The 2nd Transnational Project Meeting of the TECCHED was hosted by Ege University

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Ege University hosted the international “TECCHED: Designing a Technology-enhanced Climate Change Education Curriculum” project meeting in Izmir, Turkey, on March 26, 2024. Consortium partners from Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Spain, and Belgium attended. TECCHED, funded by the EU and Bulgarian National Agency, promotes educational development and collaboration on technology-supported climate change learning platforms across Europe. Partners discussed all work packages and project management during the meeting. Planning activities for the 4th work package was a major conversation topic. The meeting included 14 delegates from European universities, including Ege University (host institution), University of Ruse “Angel Kanchev”, Eurogeo, Vytauto Didziojo Universitetas, Liepajas Universitate, Eolas, and Bitlis Eren University. Partners shared their thoughts and progress on various work packages at this session, increasing collaboration and advancing project goals.

Links:
https://www.euegeajans.com/index.php/2024/08/23/eude-tecched-2-ulusotesi-proje-toplantisi-yapildi/

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Partners publish first TECCHED videos

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TECCHED is an Erasmus Plus project that aims to design and implement a technology-enhanced global climate change curriculum for teacher education programs that fosters the development of character and values.

In order to achieve this, TECCHED has;

– designed and started to implement a technology-enhanced climate change curriculum in partner universdities. The purpose is to raise awareness in teacher education programs of the importance of fighting against climate change. The curriculum seeks to foster the development of skills and values for responsible and active citizenship.tecched video image

– produced resources in an interactive e-book that helps teach scientific knowledge about climate change and which foster ‘character and values’ development of student teachers regarding climate change. This is supported by appropriate pedagogical approaches and valuable tools and technologies through a technology cataloguue.

– design the curriculum for technology-enhanced teaching of climate change that fosters character and values development in education faculties,

The ‘character and values’ help individuals to make responsible decisions about global socio-scientific issues such as climate change. They include developing an ecological worldview (humans are embedded in the environment), socio-scientific accountability by taking socio political actions, social and moral compassion (feeling empathy and respect for others.

The work of partners has been highlighted by short videos of the work of partners in meetings and sessions with staff and students. Go to the videos