During the 5th Transnational Project meeting in Cyprus we had the pleasure to host a very interesting talk by Kyriaki Michael, the director of educational programmes of Terra Cypria. Terra Cypria is a non-governmental organization (NGO), officially established in 1992 as a charitable, non-profit organization. Its overall aim is to promote environmental awareness and sustainability through pressure and environmental education, as well as through programs that promote conservation, environmental protection and research.
The Organization also hosts the Cyprus Environmental Studies Centre (CESC), which was founded in 1995 and focuses on providing practical environmental education. It welcomes about 3,500 students per year from the schools and universities of Cyprus, Western Europe and the Middle East. The great diversity of plant and animal life in the region where CESC is situated makes it an ideal place in which to study the natural environment.
Koulla presented the center's actions towards practical environmental education in the area of Kritou Tera in Paphos involving field trips with school students for observing the local landscape. Moreover, students have the opportunity to learn the workings of new equipment, laboratory processes and data analysis by taking various measurements such as humidity, CO2, PH, etc.
We had the opportunity to exchange ideas based on the approach we take in TEASPILS for promoting environmental education involving tools such as the SPIKE for taking measurements, the dashboard and the SPOC and how these tools can be used in various educational scenarios.
