AN URBAN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM THROUGH ACTION RESEARCH IN AN URBAN SCHOOL IN GREECE (HERAKLION): “MY CITY: A NEIGHBOURHOOD IN EUROPE” / ΈΝΑ ΠΡΌΓΡΑΜΜΑ ΠΕΡΙΒΑΛΛΟΝΤΙΚΉΣ ΕΚΠΑΊΔΕΥΣΗΣ ΣΕ ΑΣΤΙΚΌ ΤΟΠΊΟ ΣΤΑ ΠΛΑΊΣΙΑ ΜΙΑΣ ΈΡΕΥΝΑΣ – ΔΡΆΣΗΣ ΣΤΟ ΣΧΟΛΕΊΟ ΕΥΡΩΠΑΪΚΉΣ ΠΑΙΔΕΊΑΣ ΗΡΑΚΛΕΊΟΥ : “ΗΡΆΚΛΕΙΟ - Η ΠΌΛΗ ΜΟΥ: ΜΙΑ ΓΕΙΤΟΝΙΆ ΤΗΣ ΕΥΡΏΠΗΣ”

<p>This paper presents an Urban Environmental Education program through Place-Based Education approach which was implemented at the school of European Education of Heraklion during the 2015-16 school year, as part of an Action Research. The aim of this research was to investigate the improvement in the relationship between the urban primary school where the teachers worked and the local community. The school has 2 language sections, Greek and English, and the pupils come from various European countries. The participants were four (4) teachers, twenty-six (26) pupils from both sections and two (2) professors from the University of Crete as support persons, our "critical friends". The teachers realized that all Environmental projects at the school were concerned with global environmental issues but that there was no connection with the environment surrounding the school. What is more, there had never been a common project with participants, teachers and pupils, from the two different language sections. For these reasons, the Place - Based Education approach was employed and since the place was the city of Heraklion, the implementation of Urban Environmental Education seemed most appropriate. Almost all the activities were cooperative, experiential, focused on the school and the local environment and the participants systematically reflected on them.</p><p>Στην εργασία αυτή παρουσιάζεται ένα πρόγραμμα Περιβαλλοντικής Εκπαίδευσης βασισμένο στον τόπο, το οποίο υλοποιήθηκε στο πλαίσιο μιας Έρευνας - Δράσης στο Σχολείο Ευρωπαϊκής Παιδείας Ηρακλείου το σχολικό έτος 2015-16. Η Έρευνα-Δράση είχε ως αφετηρία την κοινή διαπίστωση των εκπαιδευτικών που συμμετείχαν ότι σχεδόν όλα τα προγράμματα που είχαν υλοποιηθεί ως τότε στο σχολείο είχαν σχέση με παγκόσμια περιβαλλοντικά προβλήματα, χωρίς αναφορές στον τόπο που ζουν οι μαθητές. Επίσης δεν είχε υλοποιηθεί ποτέ πρόγραμμα με κοινή συμμετοχή των εκπαιδευτικών και των μαθητών των δύο διαφορετικών γλωσσικών τμημάτων του σχολείου, του Ελληνόφωνου και Αγγλόφωνου. Ένας από τους στόχους της Έρευνας-Δράσης ήταν η ενδυνάμωση των σχέσεων μεταξύ των εκπαιδευτικών καθώς και η επαγγελματική τους ανάπτυξη. Επιλέχτηκε να εφαρμοστεί η σχετικά νέα παιδαγωγική προσέγγιση Place-Based Education (P.B.E.) και συγκεκριμένα υιοθετήθηκε μια διακριτή επιστημονική προσέγγιση: η Urban Environmental Education. Στο πρόγραμμα συμμετείχαν 4 εκπαιδευτικοί, 26 μαθητές από την Ε΄ τάξη του Ελληνόφωνου και την Δ΄ / Ε ΄ τάξη του Αγγλόφωνου Τμήματος, καθώς και δύο καθηγήτριες από το Π.Τ.Δ.Ε. και το τμήμα Φ.Κ.Σ. του Πανεπιστημίου Κρήτης ως κριτικοί φίλοι. Οι δράσεις που υλοποιήθηκαν ήταν βιωματικές και ομαδοσυνεργατικές, εστιασμένες στο σχολικό και στο ευρύτερο τοπικό περιβάλλον. Οι εκπαιδευτικοί, μέσα από μια διαδικασία κριτικού αναστοχασμού, δημιούργησαν πιο ουσιαστικές σχέσεις επικοινωνίας, συνεργασίας κι εμπιστοσύνης μεταξύ τους αλλά και με τοπικούς φορείς, επανεξέτασαν τις πρακτικές τους, τις εμπλούτισαν, άλλαξαν την επαγγελματική τους αυτοεικόνα και βελτίωσαν την εκπαιδευτική τους πραγματικότητα.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0693/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

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