Education On energy




 1 - E-newsletter
 2 - Conference September 2006 in Paris




1- E-newsletter
In the framework of its projects dealing with education on the environment and energy efficiency, ARENE has organized in September 2006 a European conference on education on energy.
The conference has underlined the need for practical information on education on energy, through case studies and tools and the knowledge of pedagogical resources.

ARENE has decided to carry out a quarterly newsletter that will allow the actors of the education world as well as those of the energy world to inquire, to exchange and to appropriate the pedagogical existing tools in Europe and thus to promote the education on energy.
This first issue is available on this web site in English and in French and also on our partners’ websites.
Enjoy it!

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 In French

    N°2 - November 2007

• La lettre d’information version lecture écran - FR 1,2 Mo
  
• La lettre version cahier imprimable recto/verso FR 1,1 Mo
  

Contact :
    Marie-Laure Falque-Masset
    Hélène Sanchez

Its objectives are the following :

• Favour the emergence of institutional contexts giving a larger place to energy education;
  
• Encourage exchanges of experiences and best practices;
  
• Contribute to the implementation of joined actions between energy education actors and thematic networks;
  
• Facilitate the dissemination of the results of actions supported by IEE and others European programmes.

Those objectives have been be reached:

• by the content of the F3E debates;
  
• by the informal exchanges along the entire day between present actors in energy education at the F3E workshop;
  
• by the publication of F3E proceedings and their dissemination through Europe

2.4. Expected results
The expected results of the conference were the following :

• To improve the multiplier effect of European policies on promoting intelligent energy by the implication of all energy education actors;
  
• To create and reinforce thematic networks among the European actors in energy education;
  
• To learn from the best institutional montages for energy education presented by the actors from other countries or regions;
  
• To mobilise European teachers on intelligent energy matters;
  
• To promote an effective change in the comportment of young people regarding their mobility and energy use.

2.5. Presentations and exchanges synthesis
Urged by the threat of climate change and resources depletion, European Union member States have set up a common policy on some important energy issues. It relies partly on responsible consumption modes regarding energy matters (sobriety, efficiency, renewables). Information and heightening public awareness constitute the basis of such a policy where children have a particularly important role to play because :

• They are tomorrow citizens and decision makers;
  
• They are an information link to the whole family;
  
• They have a great influence on purchases and consumption modes of dwellings.

Educating children to energy issues has become a priority for the European Commission. At States level as well, many actions are progressively set up. Local communities also act to raise awareness and educate children to energy, in variable proportions depending on regions.


The 22nd of September European conference illustrates this duality by being organised around the European Commission as well as the Ile-de-France region. Across four workshops and a round table, the conference allowed participants to share diverse experiences, raise issues and bring answers. In many respects, exchanges have allowed to lay out a path for the future. This synthesis presents the exchanges conclusions, first concerning pupils, then concerning teachers, the educational system and networks. In the end interesting recommendations that did not get the unanimity or were controversial will be presented. The subjects that make the dialogue harder can also constitute a potential for great improvement.


Arousing pupils interest
Presented experiences have shown the efficiency of “concrete teaching” based on examples, case studies and material usable by pupils. For instance renewable energies caravans achieved great success with children and left souvenirs. Using the everyday environment also provides very good results. Solar panels, wood heating systems or energy efficient appliances can be installed in schools buildings; which then become a real working tool especially when notice boards of the electric consumption or production are put in place. Practical experiences and site visits should also be included in the teaching.

Like a certain number of transversal subjects, energy would benefit from being taught in a project logic. Those projects usually start by a prospective phase, then by a feasibility study. They end with communication actions that help formalising the knowledge (posters, press conferences, exhibitions, communication to the parents…). The core of the project can mix different topics, but can also be based on the school buildings or even go over the scholar framework through actions aiming pupils’ dwellings, or citizens. Numerous European examples achieved great success through international exchanges between technical high schools, concerted actions between different classes to assess families’ behaviour regarding energy and suggest improvements, or role playing on decision making on energy issues.

Recommended behaviour towards energy are not sacrifices and should not be felt like such. They must be presented like positive actions: cycling is a pleasant transport means, natural light is more pleasant than artificial one… This idea not to make the public embittered by ecology but to present it as pleasant is essential, otherwise acquired virtuous behaviours will not last.


Giving the will and access to teachers
Schools and teachers are usually very much in demand. To reach them, it is necessary to arouse their interest and to know how to communicate with them. Developed tools and submitted projects, whether they are issued from education or energy professionals, must be adapted to the school environment. Being able to work within school time frame is also essential. It is important to adapt the work to timetables and holydays as well as being able to adapt to the school needs.

Energy educators going to classes must also be able to adapt to the school context and its diversity. They are present in classrooms to carry out activities but should always take care of respecting everybody’s role and not to impose their pundits’ view. It is often more efficient to work with teachers than pupils as it allows to insure an anchorage of the actions. By working with teachers, energy professionals benefit from a very effective lever effect.

In the same way that pupils should not feel the recommended behaviours as a constraint or a frustration maker; teachers will deliver a far more powerful message if they believe in what they say. Education on energy will be better felt by the public -in general pupils- if there is a consistency between private and professional lifes of the message deliverer.

Used tools, generally developed by companies or associations, must integrate teachers in their development team so that they will be adapted to their needs and easy to appropriate. Such tools must be adaptable to different classes and teachers. They must also take into consideration school programmes so they can be used in the frame of the lessons. Those tools must help demystify energy and therefore not always include a technical aspect that is sometimes repulsive.
To reach their target, tools set up by different organisms, should follow the most efficient paths, which are often the most official. They should as much as possible follow the quality process suggested by schools authorities, look for obtaining existing labels, and being listed in official documentation centres.
Those tools are more and more numerous and it is useful that information bodies to schools (authorities, energy agencies, associations) make a first selection of the most efficient but also the cheapest ones, as schools often lack funding.


Integrate energy in the educational system structure
In order to gain a broader dimension and get off the side lines, education on energy must be included in a global process and not only be limited to a few hours during the year. A real consistency must be put in place. This means that all the stakeholders and structures must be involved. Notably, it is important that the school building does not consume a lot of energy, or even ideally produces some, like in Freiburg (50% of schools have PV panels, which ensure an income as well as an educational tool for children). The energy efficiency process should also concern transports and school catering. Regarding people; if teachers are an obvious cornerstone, technical and administrative services are also largely concerned. Indeed nothing can work if people in charge within the schools are not involved.

Of course the best way to ensure a systematic quality teaching in energy is the integration to education programmes. Different European examples show a better adaptation of programmes to environmental and geopolitical issues when they are written by decentralised authorities (e.g. Switzerland). However if the definition of ambitious goals is essential; the means to reach these goals are also essential. Therefore teachers must have access to trainings and be encouraged to participate to their development. These trainings are, according to reports, in insufficient number to satisfy the demand and being noticed by the less aware teachers. Access to these information is sometimes limited by the workload and the lack of time available, and even in some cases by the unwillingness of the management.

The whole information sources of teachers and pupils must also be targeted. Newspapers and magazines for teachers, children and teenagers are essential information tools. However schoolbooks remain the principal resource. Working with editors could prove very efficient.


Finally, schools authorities must become aware of the subject importance and the urge to integrate it to the educational system in a global and long-lasting way. School programmes must encompass energy issues in a transversal approach and not be limited to only one. It is possible to teach energy through different topics; physics and geography of course but also languages, and French (mother tong) through press articles, civics, technology, economics, or biology… Programmes must be consistently built on the whole school time, it is important to begin with questions on what is energy and show it is present in our everyday life. Later on in physics courses, technical notions of power and energy can be tackled. And then geopolitical issues and energy balances can be treated.


Rely on the existing for a long-lasting progress
Some schools, regions or countries are pioneers in teaching energy efficiency, it is essential to relay on their experiences. Feedback can be found on some internet websites. Before starting the project a prospective phase is essential, it will allow to get in touch with experienced individuals and to avoid some pitfalls.

Diverse networks exist in Europe, on the European level the ESEEF (European Solar Energy Education Forum (www.school4energy.net)) network can be named. In France there are networks for environment education like “School and Nature” or renewables professionals (www.cler.org). They can provide people with contacts or information on projects led in other places. On regional level, networks put in place about schools and education are still coming up against difficulties to work, still networks of environment education (like GRAINE in France) or regional energy agencies can provide information. Finally local partners like associations working in the environment, the promotion of renewable energies and popular education as well as local energy agencies can, depending on their resources, help with the projects.


Daring new ways and getting off conservatism
Many points of view and experiences have raised strong reactions of enthusiasm or hesitation. Instead of presenting them like recommendations like in the precedent paragraphs, they will be presented as propositions emerging from the debate.

To get over financial problems, many schools realise partnership with private organisations. Some are particularly unwilling to let the company enter the schools. Some others have found in those partnerships a way to access material and have experts coming to classes.

Serious topics like energy must be taught in school first and foremost. Still raising children awareness through leisure can also have a significant impact. In that case the message must be seducing as the topic may sound boring in the first place. The choice of the media must be adapted to children tastes, the internet and television are their preferences. Using humour and having children realising experiences is essential. In Norway, where the concept of the “RainMakers” has done that bet notably by diffusing a show on TV, energy is in competition with cartoons and reality shows. The show has to be very appealing to face such a competition (as there is no obligation like at school) without leasing the message. The bet seems to be successful as 59% of Norwegian children know the “RainMakers”.

Reaching teachers and introduce ideas at school is sometimes complicated. Only a few number of hours is available; and for energy to be integrated in that small amount of time, marketing techniques and lobby must be used.

In the race for energy efficiency actions some participants suggested to energy actors to promote the most active schools in order to give birth to stimulating competitiveness between schools. Such a healthy competition would give an incentive for secondary schools to install more than the neighbour or consume less energy.

Setting up sustainable actions according to recommended principles can appear long and laborious. Despite the urge to act, it would be naïve to think that the educational world comprised of a million teachers and training 15 million youngsters can reform itself and change its culture in a few months. This inertia must be taken into consideration and must not discourage; on the opposite it must be an incentive to act faster.

Debates have also highlighted different views on the programmes rigidity. Some actors relying on the Finish example defend flexible official texts that leave a lot of room for teachers to choose the means to reach their goal. Some others praise a strict frame for energy education. The last ones put forward the fact that flexible programmes work well for informed teachers motivated by the subject, but the majority needs guidance.

Those ideas and their consequences need to be assessed before implementation. Of course an idea is not good because it is new, but it can help getting over the ossification we are in and help making a break, which seems necessary considering the urge of the present energy issues. To conclude the debates on ethical matters, one participant said that results were more important than means. Are they?

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