TINKERING for sustainability at school
TINK@SchoolThe project is co-funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ Programme KA2 Cooperation Partnership project n° 2022-1-IS01-KA220-SCH-000087083
Mission
What we aim for?
The project envisages to use tinkering as an engaging experiential method to unlock the student’s creativity and support the teachers and schools in their efforts to design and apply meaningful interventions on sustainability and climate change topics.
TARGET-GROUP
Whom do we serve?
The project is designed to address the needs of audiences coming from both the formal and the non-formal education sector. The ultimate target group is students who will benefit from the application of the project activities.
TEACHERS
Teachers of late primary and early secondary level, with classes of students between 8 and 12 years. All specialities can be involved (STEAM relating, and beyond).
STAFF
The support and administration staff within and around an educational institution (e.g. caretakers, headmasters, curriculum designers, ESD officers etc).
NON FORMAL EDUCATION
Museum animators, facilitators in NGOs, science centres, as well as outdoor learing guides, etc. can all benefit from the project activities.
Climate Change
The complexities of climate change and sustainability challenges of today require holistic approaches in our educational methods combining science, but also culture and emotional learning.
The project supports learners in responding to vast global challenges through translating what may seem overwhelming into aspects (choices, habits, creations) of everyday school life. Within a collaborative setting, using tinkering, STEAM and real life problem solving the project aims to enable learners to grow up being eager and committed “change agents”.
Tinkering approach
Tinkering is a hands-on learning approach and way to develop understanding about the world. Learning through tinkering relies on direct experiences with real phenomena, things that learners can see and touch.
The apporach emphasizes the importance of the child’s play and exploration which is at the center of the learning experience. It all begins by playing with physical objects, engaging in an iterative process of trial and error, pursuing tentative ideas, and focusing on the process of discovery, rather than a final end product.
What is tinkering?
the method
Learning Dimensions of Tinkering one-pager This document outlines the five learning dimensions in one page. For each dimension specific indicators are used to help practitioners recognize and interpret learners’ behaviors.
Credits: Exploraturium | The Tinkering Studio | 2017
While Tinkering activities vary in their style and content, they have 6 common core features:
1. Tangible / Hands on
Something physical is created using various tools and materials.
2. Atmosphere
The atmosphere should be playful, innovative and creative.
3. Personalised learning
Learners follow their interests and can therefore pursue their own path of learning.
4. Outcomes
Outcomes are highly variable and sometimes unexpected.
5. Goals
Although a broad goal is given at the start, while Tinkering learners can add or set their own goals. Therefore, they can progress through the activity in a way that is interesting and personally meaningful to them.
6. Trying things out
The learner works on the activity by trying things out: They might start by improvising, but move to planning designing, testing, redesigning and refining.
A Word on
ESD
“We are increasingly asking if what people learn is truly relevant to their lives, if what they learn helps to ensure the survival of our planet. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) can provide the knowledge, awareness and action that empower people to transform themselves and transform societies.”
– Stefania Giannini
Assistant Director-General for Education, UNESCO
Calendar
Past and upcoming events
Find a calendar of the activities taking place throughout the lifetime of the project TINK@School in the patner countries.
NEWS
Our News & Announcements
Find below news from the project activities and other interesting articles relating to tinkering, sustainability and/or climate change.
Two-day experiential seminar on the TINK@School Toolbox for Greek teachers
Two-day experiential seminar on the TINK@School Toolbox, 5-6 April 2024, Athens! The goal of the seminar was to familiarize Primary School teachers with the method of tinkering that can merged with their projects on Education for Sustainable Development. During the...
3rd Partners’ Meeting and peer training
The 3rd partners meeting combined with an intensive Peer-to-Peer Training seminar on the upcoming tinkering Toolbox was hosted by MIO-ECSDE in Athens, between 6 & 8 February 2024. During the meeting the partners presented and tried out the activities each of them...
Activity test: Balancing Sculptures
A group of students in 6th grade of Helgafellsskóli Iceland tested two activities that are being developed for the tinkering toolkit of our project Tink@School! The activities are coordinated by Anna Bjarnadóttir and Ólafur Páll Jónsson from the University of Iceland...
Get In Touch
Wish to get in contact with any of the partners?
Find their emails in the respective section
Wish to contact the webpage admibistrarors?
Email: info@medies.net