In April of 2018, InEuropa staff were able to attend a course on “Education for sustainable development in the light of climate change: How to education students’ life skills and creativity in teaching and training for better classroom behaviour through indoor and outdoor activities.” Arranged by Dutch company Quarter Mediation, the course allowed InEuropa and educators from other countries to work together over a six-day period in Assen, Netherlands.
The course offered a series of lectures focused on the environmental issues at local, national and EU level and how citizens are organising to tackle environmental and climate change issues through grassroots actions. We were also taught about sustainable development in the Netherlands and a few education methodologies to help students engage.
We also participated in indoor/outdoor workshops and activities to get hands-on experience in these methodologies. A hands-on workshop where we used recycled materials to connect ideas to the word “environment” helped us learn more about the mind-mapping educational method. We were involved in role-playing and completed an outdoor treasure hunt. Interdisciplinary workshops held at the Drenthe Archive and De Wachter Windmill showed us firsthand many ways of creating involved lessons while simultaneously teaching us about the culture and history of the Netherlands.
All in all, the course was an excellent opportunity to improve our capacity in teaching in an innovative and multidisciplinary way, while also using new approaches and technologies.
