EDUCATION for PLANT LITERACY

The project Education for Plant Literacy starts on 1.1.2022. Project partners from 5 European countries are looking forward to cooperate on the development on modern teaching activities and publications in order to enhance attractiveness of botany education in Europe and improve general public knowledge on plant function in human environment.

As the Covid situation in Europe remains dangerous the kick – off meeting of the project was arranged online on 8. – 9.2. 2022.

On 1.– 3.8.2022 project partners met during first learning/teaching/training activity in Třeboň, Czech Republic. The aim of the activity was to know how can plants by their physiological processes influence human environment and how these plant physiological principles can be easily measured by modern and user friendly devices at schools. The activity was organized and hosted by ENKI, o.p.s.

Handbook for pre and in-serve science teachers will consist of two main parts: The first part is focused on biological principles of plant role in our environment and the second part is aimed on innovative teaching methodologies on how to introduce and teach these topics to make botany education more attractive for students.

We start from the education of future botany educators. During the year 2022 first teaching activities designed for future science teachers are developed by international project team and tested in university courses.

The 2^nd Transnational Project Meeting was held in accordance with the plan of the project 12. – 13.1.2023 online in MS Teams.

From 13th to 15th June 2023, the second Learning Teaching Training Activity took place in Halle. The LTTA2 was hosted by Martin Luther University Halle -Wittenberg, Germany.

How to make botany education more attractive for small children at primary schools?

Temperature picture of the square in Halle with sky and cloud temperatures on sunny day in June 2023. Incident solar radiation about 900W.m^-2 on horizontal level. Temperature range -21 ^oC to + 58 ^oC.

From 11 to 13 September the 3rd Learning Teaching Activity took place in Vienna at the College of Agrarian and Environmental Pedagogy. The main topic of these 3 days was to get to know many innovative methods of garden education. On the first and third day, the project partners spent a lot of time in the 2.5 ha university garden of the UCAEP. Eveline Neubauer, Birgit Steininger and Irene Treitner taught the topics, botany lessons outside, creative garden education and processing of wild fruits and seeds.

The 3^rd Transnational Project Meeting took part in a comfortable environment of the University College for Agrarian and Environmental Pedagogy Vienna, the organizer of this TPM, on 14.9. 2023. 12 participants from 6 partner countries involved in the project consortium took part at this meeting to discuss ongoing and plan future activities of the project.

Students of the University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland and the University of South Bohemia, Czech Republic are working online together on tasks related to the diversity of European forests. Environmental conditions can vary a lot between different locations within Europe. The length of the growing season varies a lot, as well as environmental conditions, e.g. light, temperature and amount of water, during the growing season. Plant species adapt to different environmental conditions by differentiation. Thus, there are different kinds of plants living in different parts of Europe. It is important to understand the characteristics of one’s own environment, but also how it is different from other environments. For example, nature plays a different role in everyday life’s environment in different locations. Students from different countries take photos from their local forests, place them on the online map and discuss in international online groups their biodiversity and the roles that the forest are playing for instance in local climate, water and mineral nutrient cycles etc.

Spring flowers concentrate the sun's rays on the centre of the flower with the seedling. The petals serve as mirrors.

Thanks to international cooperation, students have the opportunity to discover the diversity of plant shapes and colours across Europe. From the beginning of April until the end of June, an online exhibition of the work of science teacher students from different parts of Europe is running. Students and teachers from four partner countries (Finland, Austria, Czech Republic and Germany) observe vegetation in their surroundings and create creative patterns using different parts of plants. They observe the diversity of the plant world in different parts of Europe and discuss the importance of biodiversity for ecosystems.

Examples of our innovative teaching materials will soon be presented at workshops in partner countries across the Europe. For more information and registration for these events, please contact the local organizer.

A series of workshops to present the teaching materials we have developed during the project started in March in Germany and continues in June in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany again, and later in September in the Netherlands and Finland.

The 4th online Transnational Project Meeting was held on 4.9.2024, dedicated mainly to preparing the final conference, evaluation of the feedback from several multiplier events, control of tasks from the previous period and finalization of the remaining project results.

From the 17th to the 19th of September, the fourth and final Learning, Teaching, and Training Activity took place in Rovaniemi, northern Finland, right on the Arctic Circle. The event was hosted by the University of Lapland, covering several fascinating topics over the three days.

At the final Education for Plant Literacy conference, held on 20.11. 2024 in Hluboká nad Vltavou near České Budějovice, Czech Republic, the project results - the educational materials developed within the project were presented. The conference was organized in blended form – personal as well as online participance was possible, which significantly expanded the opportunity for international participants to attend the conference. Thus we were able to welcome participants and speakers from all over the world, including the USA, Australia, Japan, Philippines, Africa and, of course, many European countries.

The 5th transnational project meeting was hosted by Faculty of Education, University of South Bohemia, in České Budějovice on 21.11.2024

During its lifetime, the project was presented at many prestigious events, conferences, media and newspapers, official press releases of partner institutions etc.

The overall goal of the project is to improve plant literacy of general public by more efficient and attractive botany teaching at all school levels which has to be reached via education of educators, i.e. innovative teachers‘ training.