Partners meeting in Graz 2nd-4th of October, 2023
The transnational meeting of the project partners of the EU project “Discovery Trail” took place from 2-4 October in Graz, Austria. During the project, digital tools in the field of outdoor learning on complex topics of education for sustainability are designed and continuously developed in a participatory process between formal and non-formal educational institutions.
Participants from the University of Tallinn (Seemik Institute: Group for Sustainability, Environmental Education and Communications Skills), the University of Helsinki (Faculty Department of Educational Science), the German School in Athens (Ellinikogermaniki Agogi) and the NaturErlebnisPark Science Education Center analysed and discussed the project results on a meta-level. The exchange focused on current trends in education for sustainable development, the opportunities of participatory development approaches and the importance of “learning in the natural environment”. In addition, further developments on the technical requirements of the Avastusrada platform were discussed. On the first day partners discussed feedback from teachers and students related to first teacher-training experiences and planned second teachers training in Helsinki. Participating teachers were satisfied with the international teacher training experience, but had several technical problems with using the Discovery Trail platform with their own students.
Second and third day were spent together writing the manual for teachers and in-formal education specialists who would like to teach biodiversity topics using the Discovery Trail platform. Afterwards, priorities and a strategic plan for further international cooperation were jointly defined. The manual will be published and ready for all users at the end of the project in September 2024.
In December 2023 and January 2024 several visionary events will be organized in all the countries to share the experience of the first training with a wider audience and introduce the opportunity to apply for a second round of teachers training in Helsinki, May 2024.
Teacher Training in Athens 6th-10th of March 2023
24 teachers and informal-education guides together with program coordinators from Estonia, Finland, Austria and Greece met in Athens to test the Discovery Trail platform and develop virtual trails that can be used in all the countries to support the development of understanding about biodiversity.
The in-person training was a third part of the overall programme where all the participants had first met twice through online seminars. First day was spent in Ellinogermaniki Agogi school where the project goals were reminded and first test trails created near the school using Discovery Trail app.
On the second day participants went to the national park of Mt Parnitha to understand the possibilities and limitations of using the Discovery Trail application in the national park settings. Moreover, participants thought about the questions that would be most effective to ask related to biodiversity in these settings.
Photo: Sari Saukkonen
Third day was spent in the city parks of Athens. Trails were created there in different mixed groups and the same trails were tested by other participants to get the feedback and understand how effective it is to create and modify Discovery Trails on the location.
Fourth and fifth day was focusing on creating the trails that would be used and tested with students. All the aspects- focuses related to biodiversity topics, supporting effective learning and using the Discovery Trail purposefully were used when giving the feedback to created trails.
Next steps related to the training will be testing the trails with students and then all the effective trails would also be available to use for all who are interested.
Project partners meeting in Tallinn 16-18 May 2022
Despite the cold weather, Discovery Trail project partners had a wonderful and meaningful meeting in Tallinn.
First day was for setting further goals and exploring the Discovery Trail sample track that Tallinn University Seemik team members had created. If you are interested in exploring the Paekalda area, alvars’ ecosystems, and want to know more about the biodiversity concept then Erasmus+ Discovery Trail project pilot trail is open for you also: https://kool.avastusrada.ee/et/k/seemik?_c=2956#maps
After exploring the Discovery trail specific details were discussed that would make the technical part of the Avastusrada application more user-friendly as this is one of the goals of the project. Overall Avastusrada is easy to use, but specific problems may occur (the accuracy of the GPS, difficulties with uploading pictures etc) that should be discussed with students before using the tracks.
Second day of the partners meeting was dedicated to co-create a sample trail to Kadrioru park about change in biodiversity based on biodiversity strategy for Europe 2020. Participants explored the Kadrioru area and generated questions that may be efficient to use in Avastusrada.
Framework for creating the trails was then started based on the experiences during two days and the general ideas and theories, how to best support the conceptual understanding of biodiversity.
On a third day further cooperation aspects were disc ussed that would help to work together with teachers in creating sample trails in all th e countries that will be piloted with students in spring 2023.
Partners are eager to continue the work with the trails and first presentations of created questions are planned for September 2022 where a goal is to get feedback from teachers.
