Pedagogical concept and objective
The programme concept is reflected in the individual elements of the programme title:
Water Fun… - Students should have fun during the teaching units and should also have the opportunity to use their creativity, satisfy their curiosity, and exercise and deepen critical thinking and action processes. After all, children like things that are fun and will protect things that they like. This pedagogical concept is far-removed from that of disaster education; students should not be unnerved, but should instead develop the awareness, strength and courage to take responsibility for water protection in Jordan, Palestine and Mongolia.
hands, minds and hearts on - This progressive education triad addresses active and critical involvement with the teaching topic and its elements in a balanced, holistic manner. Specifically chosen methods structure the learning processes in order to impart knowledge, raise awareness and support attitude and behaviour changes.
Water for life! - This title element borrows the name of the United Nations International Decade for Action “Water for Life” (2005 – 2015) . The goal of the Water Decade is to encourage action for the fulfilment of the Millennium Development Goals related to water resources. Jordan, Palestine and Mongolia are committed to achieving these goals and the title represents these countries’ focus on sustainable water management. The CD programme delivers the associated message in a manner tailored for primary school students.
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) approaches and initiatives vary greatly all over the world. To be effective, ESD must always be targeted at the particular environmental requirements of the region in question, taking into account cultural, socio-economic, political and educational prerequisites with the aim of conveying sustainable environmental knowledge and promoting certain desirable environmental attitudes and environmentally friendly behaviour. The Water Fun – hands, minds and hearts on Water for Life! CD programme presented here does precisely this.
The pedagogical concept of the programme primarily considers the conditions in Jordan, Palestine and Mongolia with regard to the project topics of water resources and water management. The teaching programme is designed to ...
improve reflection processes regarding water consumption, wastewater production and components, wastewater treatment and the potential reuse of treated wastewater. It also helps teachers and students to understand the potential and benefits of wastewater treatment and reuse in decentralised treatment systems for irrigation in Jordan and Palestine and for wood (willows) production in decentralised systems in Mongolia. In addition, special classroom activities and experiments help students and teachers to understand and accept (treated) wastewater as a very valuable resource.
The programme
The programme supports Human Resource Development (HRD), which is one of the interdisciplinary elements in achieving economic and social development that can be used in all primary schools in order to reach all young people regardless of their socio-economic situation and to strengthen their willingness to act in a way that helps to conserve water.
We deal with differing class behaviours, water problem perceptions and awareness levels related to the water situation and scarcity problems, and also take into account the students’ current attitudes and behaviour as our starting point. Students are given an opportunity to develop the analytical, social-emotional and behavioural skills they need to deal with real-life problems, challenges and solutions in a conscious and considered manner, both now and in the future.