Nordplus Junior project "DABA Hub"
The project “DABA Hub” targets at raising awareness among young adults and educators about sustainability and ecological thinking. The word “daba” means “nature” in Latvian. “Hub” refers to the space for innovation and ingenuity.
We have a strong international team with previous experience in cooperational projects
DABA Hub
International cooperation project
The project “DABA Hub” targets at raising awareness among young adults and educators about sustainability and ecological thinking. The word “daba” means “nature” in Latvian. “Hub” refers to the space for innovation and ingenuity. Project partners will explore the theme of ecology and sustainability, look at the threats, and possible solutions. The students will participate in debates as well as create games and educational tools that foster environmentally friendly thinking. Partners will cascade their learning experiences: the students will teach sustainable thinking to younger peers through the developed board games, computer games and other educational tools. Project activities will encourage the learners to delve into the causes of climate change, pollution, shortage of resources and economic instability. They will role-play the possible solutions and develop algorithms for sustainable bahaviour. Students and educators will participate in mobility trips to promote cross-cultural exchange and collaboration. It will allow us to share common values and enrich collaboration with diverse perspectives on solving global issues.
Objectives
1. Facilitate Sustainable Thinking Education.
The project aims to raise awareness about the following ecological problems: climate change and its impact on different regions, air pollution, marine pollution, water quality issues, overfishing, impact of agriculture on soil quality, loss of biodiversity, and waste management.
2. Unveil Technology-Driven Creativity.
The project encourages upper-secondary school students to channel their creativity into developing computer games or educational tools that address environmental challenges. The students will gain knowledge and skills in utilizing the latest technologies to create engaging and
informative content. The content will facilitate sustainable thinking.
3. Support Interdisciplinary Learning.
The themes of the project will be explored in a holistic way through hands-on activities,
experiments, cross-curricular activities, and interactive games organized in different languages of project participants. Interdisciplinary learning is essential for complex problem solving and better critical thinking.
4. Intercultural Collaboration.
The inclusion of mobility trips for teachers and students fosters international collaboration. Participants will have the opportunity to interact with peers from different countries, sharing insights and perspectives on sustainability, thereby enriching their overall experience.
5. Making the Real-World Impact.
All materials, games/ apps developed within the project will go beyond theoretical knowledge and have a real-world impact. Students will be encouraged to integrate practical solutions and actions within their projects, creating tools that can be utilized by communities to promote sustainable practices. The students will educate their peers and younger learners, which will have an immediate impact on the local communities. It will also make students more confident in taking action – they will see how much they can do to foster change in society.
6. Teacher Collaborating in Material Development Work.
The materials crafted by teachers in this project, including manuals, databases, and
methodological guidelines, will be significant in fostering sustainable thinking among young adults. These resources will serve as invaluable tools for educators, providing a structured framework to integrate environmental consciousness into their teaching methodologies. The
manuals and databases, curated through collaborative efforts, will offer a wealth of information on sustainable practices, eco-friendly initiatives, and the latest technologies. These resources will empower teachers to enrich their classroom and extracurricular program content.
7. Teacher Professional Development.
The mobility trips for teachers aim to enhance their skills and knowledge in incorporating sustainable thinking into the curriculum. Workshops, seminars, and collaborative sessions will equip educators with the tools to inspire their students and integrate sustainability education into the classroom. The teachers will actively collaborate throughout the two years of the project through online and on-site meetings, through collaborative planning and reporting, through regular collaborative workshops.
8. Support the Students in Developing Life Skills.
Throughout ongoing international cooperation, the students will become more tolerant, open to new opinions, collaborative, they will develop ingenuity, learn how to make project plans and
step-by-step product realization plans etc. These are life skills which will result in their higher productivity upon completion of the project.
Partner institutions
The schools have been carefully chosen for this cooperation: all partners’ priority is interdisciplinary learning and promoting sustainable thinkings. All partners are determined to collaborate to extend their students’ and teachers’ knowledge, promote professional development of teachers and make a change in the community.
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The coordinating institution, RTU ISST, are a subordinate institution of Riga Technical University, which has experts in the field of climate change, biodiversity, sustainable development of cities, which is necessary for deeper understanding of ecological problems. It also holds ICT educators and professional programmers who can assist in educating children in using technology.
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CLIL Education Centre has expertise interdisciplinary program development, using interactive teaching methods, curriculum design, organizing cross-curricular summer programs for children, teenagers and young adult, as well in planning and leading international projects. CLIL Education Centre teachers have knowledge and experience in developing materials to raise awareness about sustainable thinking and participated in the Nordplus project “UrbanGarden Specialist” and developed the educational program (materials for teachers and learners in Moodle) for young adults who are interested in redesigning their town/city through urban gardening.
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Norlights Montessoriskole pedagogy is rooted in developing love for nature, using ecological materials, and developing broad-minded and independent thinkers. The school staff are equipped with valuable knowledge of how to foster eco-friendly behaviours, caring attitude to environment, and how to accept diversity in people.
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Tallinna Linnamäe Vene Lütseum is as large state school with 1779 students of all age groups. The school has had experience in running STEM projects to facilitate green thinking. The school wants to explore good practice examples and promote green thinking in its teachers and students. The school has a big community that will participate in the material approbation process.