This is a project page that will be updated during autumn 2021 by the project updates. Please visit regurarly to see the updates.
Background
Nepenmäki primary and secondary schools are ENO Environment Online partner schools in Joensuu, Finland. ENO is experimenting with project based learning using the design oriented pedagogy method i.e. the DOP -method. In short DOP is anchoring the learning process to pupils’ ideas, thinking, conceptions and interpretations about the phenomena in question. It encourages pupils, teachers and experts to innovate so that the learners themselves can design their approach towards the study. The questions are drawn from their natural wondering and the whole study process has a strong role in a form of study diary.
9 Aug 2021: The start, big lines for the project
A meeting between ENO Environment Online and a teacher in responsibility was organised in order to discuss the big lines and the context of the study. Biology and geography teacher Mr. Kasurinen wanted to take into study the topical issues of the environmental crisis. The Glocal (From local to global) aspect of approach was agreed and newspaper articles as a starting point of investigation and question posing. The group realising the projects would be Nepenmäki 7th grade optional natural science group.
30 Aug 2021: The students starting their work
ENO Environment Onlines environmental educator Mrs. Maire Turunen visited the school and met the students to start the project. Maire talked about the ENO in general and told the students about the project we are about to realise together.
The real start of the project started by giving the students recent newspaper articles on the topical environmental issues the world has faced locally and globally. There were articles from five different topics: 1) aridity 2) water protection 3) floods 4) warming and 5) forest fires. Each article was numbered upon the topic and small groups were formed based on each student’s interest i.e. upon the numero chosen.
The students had to read the article chosen and pose questions arising from the article in order to find out their interest towards the subject. At least two extra questions were asked to pose. The questions could deal:
- What aroused interest toward the subject?
- Was there something that surprised you?
- Was there something you would like to know more about?
- Were there issues that bothered or amazed you?
- What emotions did you feel during reading – did you feel happy or sad or any other feelings?
- Could you influence the issue and how?
- Have you or your close ones had any personal relationship/ experiment towards the issue?
- How could you investigate the issue?
The questions were written into post-it patches and put together with articles in A1 sized carton page with small clothespin. The questions and subject were discussed in small groups again. The subject, question and discussion aroused was introduced to the whole class in the end.
