News . Best Practices Open Schooling in Greece with “Renewable Energy Sources (Best Practice Greece)
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This good practice reports an open-ended scenario with the title: “Renewable Energy Sources” which was performed during the school year 2020-2021 in the public-school High School of Limenos Hersonisou, in Crete, Greece. The scenario was carried out during the pandemic period. The authentic socio-scientific question is how we can reduce our energy footprint and to use renewable energy sources as much as possible in our city, in our country. The science professional was a specialist in a photovoltaic system, a researcher who is working in the Mediterranean University of Greece. Students had prepared questions for the scientist, and he gave them the answers. In the project the participants were 24 students.
We followed the scheme Care-Know-Do of Connect. Science in ‘action’ was present during the project and especially in the “do” phase where students summed-up all the knowledge and the awareness that showed for this important problem.
CARE: Students discussed with their parents in the “Care” phase about the pollution from the electric plants in Greece. In the first part of the “Know” phase students used a mobile application to compute their electric energy consumption where they were helped by their parents.
KNOW: Students prepared the questions for the scientist in the padlet for the “know” phase.
The renewable energy resources scenario was performed as a continuity in the electric energy chapter of the Physics Greek curriculum. Students showed interest and wanted to learn what are the photovoltaic systems. They had some misunderstandings as concerns the wind generators but after finalization of the project they showed confidence in science.
DO: Students made a poster (“Do” phase) divided by smaller parts in which they show the environmental problems that arise from the conventional electric plants and what are the renewable energy resources. Also, they put in the poster two small photovoltaic panels that are connected through wires with a small fan.
Findings about open schooling: The benefits of these science actions are that students become more active, and they care about problems that exist, but they never think about them. Teacher’s role was to facilitate the process and to help the students. We faced some problems during the implementation as was for example the minor participation of parents.
Results for students: Connect gave us the opportunity to relate the curriculum with a real problem. Our students learned how is possible to be “connected” in the real problems. Students like to work in teams and to learn about real problems concerning the environment. They also want to take actions and to give solutions, they want to be more active and not pathetic as they do unfortunately during school routine.