EDUCARIA

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Encouraging commitment for a sustainable society
through knowledge-based education and dialogue
for mutual understanding Budapest, Friday 30 May
2008 1100 am

• EDUCARIA
• an educational programme about the air

Ilaria Guaraldi Vinassa de Regny President of
ADM (Associazione Didattica Museale Milano,
Italy)
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Who are we?
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The Natural History Museum of Milan

• Founded in 1838, it is the largest Natural
  History Museum in Italy.
• It counts over 300.000 visitors every year
• At least one third of them are students.

• Our most recent development isthe BIOLAB,
  science centre to better understand a wide
  variety of natural phenomena (including
  atmosphere).

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Education

• Experience shows that visitors (and particularly
  students) enjoy the Museum much better if they
  engage in educational activities.
• Since 1994 the Educational Department has been
  managed by a private no-profit organization ADM
  (Associazione Didattica Museale)

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ADM

• It is an association of naturalists, geologists,
  biologists, who share a deep and long-lasting
  passion for the Museum.
• The goal of ADM is to arouse in all visitors that
  same passion, through educational experiences
  able to involve hearts as well as brains.
• Hands-on activities are a very powerful way to
  achieve that goal

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Partners in the EducAria project
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theres us and
ISTITUTO NAZIONALE PER LO STUDIO E LA CURA DEI
TUMORI
Mission meteorological research, weather
forecast.
Mission oncological research, public health
Mission to improve the quality of life in the
city of Milan
Role to inform about pollution and atmosphere
dynamics
Role to inform about medical issues concerning
air pollution
Role promoter, co-ordinator, fund raiser
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Mission Philanthropy (To give ideas a future)
Mission to supply instruments and services for
industry and environment
Role financial support
Role technical support
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General purpose EducAria is an educational
scientific programme about air quality. It aims
at information and sensibilization of its
targets, and also of other subjects not
directly involved. Participation is free of
charge.
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• TARGET
• EducAria addresses two different targets
• Schoolboys and schoolgirls of Milan age 9 to 13
  (attending the last two years of primary school
  and the first two years of secondary school)
• General publicparents, teachers, citizens of
  Milan,
• web surfers and everybody else!
• Lets start from here

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• GOALS of the actions aimed at the general public
• To divulge qualitative and quantitative data
• about air quality and pollution.
• To sensibilize about the consequences of air
  pollution on the health and the environment
• To encourage commitment to improve air
  quality, choosing to abandon bad habits

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ACTIONS for the general public

• 1. Online availability of data
• The project has a monitoring equipment of 2
  permanent labs and 1 mobile lab (which stays for
  a month in each schoolyard).
• They collect data about air quality and
  pollution, which are published in real time on
• www.educaria.it
• All data collected in the past, thoroughly
  commented by experts, are also available.

The website, online since March 2005, has had
30.000 contacts, 750.000 downloaded pages, and
lots of emails to the section the experts answer
online
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2. Sensibilization campaigns about the
consequences of our lifestyles on urban pollution
3. Public lectures and debates discussing
strategies to improve air quality 4. The Great
Game of Chiamamilano Families play on a 30 m2
board representing the City of Milan, to learn
the effectiveness and sustainability of public
transportation vs. use of own car
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EducAria for the school
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• GOALS of the actions with schools
• Become aware of the air as an element
• Investigate air applying sperimental scientific
  methods
• Acquire basic knowledge about meteorology
• Understand the relationships between
  meteorology and pollution
• Acquire basic knowledge about structure and
  function of the respiratory system
• Learn the effects of air pollution on human
  health
• Become aware of the consequences of our lifestyle
  on the environment
• Find possible solutions to the air pollution
  problem
• Choose to change unsustainable habits
• Transmit to others what has been learnt

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• HOW THE PROGRAMME IS CARRIED OUT
• 1. Schools and classes are selected for the
  programme
• 2. A kit is delivered to each class (CD-ROM and
  booklets)
• 3. The mobile lab arrives at school - and stays a
  month
• 3. During this period Experts meet the class (5
  steps or modules)
• 4. Validation have we reached our goals?

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First module What is air? care of ADM
Associazione Didattica Museale at
school duration 2 hours activities
experiments, games, model making issues
air exists! physical properties pressure
chemical composition how lungs work
why is air important.
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Second module Meteorology care of
OMD - Osservatorio Meteorologico at school
and mobile lab duration 2
hours activities lessons data survey and
comment games issues what are
pollutants how can we detect them
elements of meteorology relationships
between meteorology and pollution
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Third module Health care of INT -
National Institute for the cure of cancer at
school duration 2 hours activities
lessons videos issues anatomy and
physiology of the respiratory system most
common pathologies effects of
air pollution on the health
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Fourth module reinforcement care of ADM
Associazione Didattica Museale at Natural
History Museum and Biolab duration 4
hours activities visit to the biomes
section of the Museum hands-on
activities, games. issues air pollution as
a global problem (plus use of the museum
resources to reinforce/complete previous
topics)
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Fifth module conclusion care of ADM and
Chiamamilano at school duration 4
hours activities role-play,
discussion Here students can practise what they
have learnt, ask new questions and debate about
all topics in the project. Roleplaying promotes
the search for sustainable behaviours in everyday
life.
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Evaluation
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NUMBERS OF THE PROJECT At the end (June 2008) of
the second year of EducAria we have reached Over
50 schools, 250 classes, about 5500
students. Over 6000 educational kits have been
delivered.
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• VALIDATION
• When all modules have been carried out, teachers
  are asked to complete a questionnaire.
• It aims to assess- how well the project has met
  the needs of the class
• how much it has been appreciated
• how effective it has been in encouraging the
  adoption of a more environment-friendly
  lifestyle Besides asking to evaluate every
  aspect of the programme, the questionnaire gives
  plenty of room to comments and suggestions.

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Feedback on the educational programme

• Satisfaction for the programme as a whole has
  been very high. 100 of the teachers would like
  to repeat it with new classes
• They judged all activities to be very useful and
  entertaining
• What was appreciated the most
• - hands-on activities induced a very high
  level of involvement
• - high quality information was handled in an
  easy, accessible way, always adequate to
  the students age and level
• Teachers have also been asked to imagine long
  term effects

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In the distance

• Teachers think that the programme will indeed
  affect the future choices of the kids.
• Hands-on activities and direct data surveys make
  them fully aware of the pollution problem, and of
  the urgency of finding solutions.
• Kids are willing to adopt a sustainable
  lifestyle.

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• Teachers are less optimistic about the
  possibility of a change in the adults behaviour.
• However they aknowledge the importance of kids
  as spokespersons for air quality by reporting
  home their experiences, kids do have a chance of
  educating their parents!

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• Budget
• Overall cost for the two years of the
  programme 610.000 entirely funded by
  Chiamamilano and Fondazione Cariplo (no
  expense for schools and customers)
• Individual cost for each student is about 100
  (comprehensive of 15 hours of educational
  activities plus support and follow-up).
• This sum is highly competitive if compared with
  similar projects.
• However, that would still be too much for the
  ordinary budget of a single school.

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• Conclusion
• EducAria has been a great experience for all
• Kids learned with enthusiasm
• Parents awareness grew
• Teachers enjoyed quality training
• Museum operators learned new strategies
• Experts got out of the labs
• Sponsors have been given visibility
• Everybody agree on the importance of educating
  young people if we hope to save our planet from
  being irrimediably poisoned or burnt out.
• Too bad it is often forgotten that quality
  education needs funding

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Thank you for your attention