Implementation of ‘Climate changes and well-being’ (SoI-HR-517)
Abstract/Introduction
The LS “Climate changes and well-being” was implemented in an extra-curricular activity class called English Green Club with 12- to 14-year-old students in a Croatian elementary school. The two sessions were held in April 2023, the first lasting 90 minutes, the other lasting 45 minutes. The sessions took place physically at school. Students completed their tasks working in groups using their own devices (tablets, smartphones) in the classroom, creating AI-generated artwork to recreate artwork from the implemented learning scenario. We visited online art galleries provided by the Europeana platform.
Main text
1.The narrative (Learning process/Stages of implementation)
1st session: What is climate change?
In the introduction part of the lesson, student groups accessed Mentimeter. They answered my question “What comes to your mind when you think of climate change?”
We discussed Mentimeter results, and I explained that as an Earth Day celebration activity we would be discussing climate change by studying artwork on Europeana platform.
In the main part, I presented the aim of the lesson, which was to study climate change by observing artwork from Europeana platform galeries, reffered to the Europeana learning scenario “Climate change and well-being”, so they could create their own AI-generated artwork by prompting AI art generator with the appropriate description.
In the next step, the students were divided into groups of four. They accessed a Padlet where they found links to Europeana galleries showing wildfires, industrial pollution, rainy weather and sunny weather. They virtually visited Europeana galleries to browse artwork that depicts above mentioned aspects of climate change. Every student from the group picked one artwork which he/she had to “recreate” using correct prompting in an AI art generator. They watched a short YouTube video on AI art-generator prompting. They studied the artwork they had chosen, wrote a description and prompted it to Copilot Image Designer.
Finally, when they generated their artwork, they uploaded screenshots of the original artwork chosen from Europeana learning scenario resources, as well as their own AI-generated artwork. These activities took up 90 minutes.
2nd session: Climate Changes AI-generated Artwork Book
At the beginning of the second session, students were asked to work in groups to create a mind map about climate change manifestations, its effects, and ways to prevent it by conducting online research and brainstorming.
The final product is a digital book which contains students’ content about climate change, artworks from the Europeana gallery and their recreations of the original Europeana artwork displayed in the learning scenario “Climate change and well-being”.
2. Outcomes (for you as an educator and for the students)
The main learning outcome achieved with the implementation of the learning scenario “Climate change and well-being” is to raise awareness about our responsibility to take care of the planet and that way enable our own well-being. Next, another outcome is to develop students’ critical thinking which was achieved by doing the research and participating in the discussion. Another outcome is practicing the constructive approach to finding solutions for problems by brainstorming about our own everyday activities which help prevent climate change. The final outcomes are to develop students’ vocabulary skills and their ICT skills which was done by writing prompts for the AI art generator, browsing Europeana artworks galleries, and creating a digital book. I would recommend fellow teachers to use this learning scenario in their own lessons because it is a very important topic, relatable to every student and the lesson plan is adaptable for everyone. Evaluation consists of a discussion about the created artwork and the offered advice on how to prevent climate change in our everyday lives, displayed in the digital book.
Link to the learning scenario implemented: Climate changes and well-being (LS-PT-720) – Teaching With Europeana (eun.org)
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CC BY-SA 4.0: the featured image used to illustrate this article has been found on Europeana and has been provided by the Sörmland Museum.