New Erasmus+ project "LEAF": Involvement of students in the community in order to monitor plant biodiversity
As part of LINKgroup, Savremena Gimnazija got the opportunity to participate in the Erasmus+ project "LEAF". The goal of the ...
In cooperation with its partners from Romania, Greece, France, Italy, and Croatia, LINK edu Alliance got the opportunity to implement the two-year Erasmus+ project called "Learn Biodiversity through Environmental Action for the Community – LEAF", which deals with expanding the capacity of teachers and students when it comes to the environment and the fight against climate change through service learning (SL) and Citizen Science.
The goal of the project is to develop an innovative methodology for engaging students in the community to monitor plant biodiversity per the principles of service learning. Through this project and the application of an innovative methodology based on project-based learning and the use of WE LAB devices, the quality of the secondary school students' acquisition of STEM skills and knowledge will be improved.
The professors of Savremena Gimnazija are participating in the project: Dijana Šarac and Barbara Rosandić, biology professors, Jelena Spasojević, sociology professor, Milica Ivanović, Spanish language professor, as well as Nina Stojanović and Glorija Martinović from ICE.
One of the results of the project will be the LEAF Handbook on Plant Biodiversity, which will serve as an important methodological tool for teachers who want to deal with this current topic. It is also planned to purchase several WE-LABs – small portable laboratories that include a microscope and a spectrometer that students will use in practical classes.
Another result of the project will be the LEAF online academy – an open online environment on the Moodle platform for secondary school teachers that will integrate the learning path planned by the Handbook. It will contain a set of resources (i.e. Toolbox), such as activity ideas, project concepts and strategies, templates, assessment sheets and digital resources in various formats.
We consider projects whose goal is to raise awareness of the importance and preservation of a healthy environment to be particularly important because these are values that are especially cherished in Savremena Gimnazija. It is important to us that our students adopt healthy habits, that they become environmentally conscious and that their responsible behaviour influences the protection and preservation of the environment.