Patterns of our consumer behaviour, including waste management, have a major impact on environmental quality. We have therefore prepared a set of interactive teaching and methodological materials on this subject for pedagogues.

The project Interactive Didactic Modules for Broadening Environmentally Focused Education on the Topic of Sustainable Consumption for Pedagogues of Second Stage of Primary School was handled by a team of IREAS collaborators and selected external experts. The project responded to the lack of teaching and methodological materials dealing with the issue of sustainable consumption and environmental protection for elementary schools. The main objective of the project was to develop a methodological manual with modules that would provide teachers with a compelling and interactive way of discussing sustainable consumption issues – such as educational games, case studies, quizzes, etc., in which pupils or students engage and learn, among other things, how they can improve the sustainability of their consumption. The project results will be useful and it will be possible to integrate them directly in teaching of biology, natural sciences, civic education, geography, etc.

Conclusions of the project:

The main output of the project is the publication Consumption with Respect: Interactive Modules to Teach Topics of Sustainable Consumption and Environmental Protection. The almost 200-page-long publication is intended mainly for teachers of 7th to 9th classes of elementary schools and equivalent grades of multi-year gymnasiums. The book contains 8 modules to provide readers with a user-friendly and interactive way to discuss sustainable consumption issues – through educational games and case studies, competitions, etc. Thus, pupils can actively engage in the learning process and come up with their own ideas on how to influence the sustainability of their consumption. All the modules (except the last one) were designed to contain activities for 1-2 lessons

Outputs:

LOUDA, Jiří (ed.). Spotřeba s respektem: Interaktivní moduly k výuce témat udržitelné spotřeby a ochrany životního prostředí. Praha: IREAS, 2009. ISBN 978-80-86684-58-1.  (download pdf in czech)

Research team: Jiří Louda