Transcript MULTI-SENSORY INFORMATION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

MULTI-SENSORY INFORMATION
ON CLIMATE CHANGE
The project has been funded with support from the European Commission within the Lifelong
Learning Programme, Leonardo da Vinci Programme (142023-LLP-1-2008-1-UK-Leonardo-LMP).
Romanian Society for Lifelong Learning
Introduction
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According to the 4th Report by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) in 2007, as compiled by 600 climatologists drawn from 40
countries around the world, using 14 super computer models over a 3 years
period, there is greater certainty than ever, that the current global warming is not
a natural phenomenon. The report stated that there is a 90% chance that global
warming is caused by human activity.
• All scientific data contains substantial amounts of complex graphical data. This
format is acceptable for people whose vision and hearing are unimpaired but for
those people who are visually impaired there is exclusion from this important
source of information, the hearing impaired to a lesser degree.
• This project, therefore, seeks to create and develop innovative learning
materials in a range of formats that will be adaptable to the needs of people with
sensory impairments; specifically visual and hearing impairments.
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THE AIMS
This project has 7 specific aims:
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To create a range of teaching materials for use by teachers that will fully explain the current
scientific position on climate change to people with sensory impairments in the age groups 12 - 16
years.
To make this material adaptable to the diverse leaning requirements of those who have sensory
impairments, (i.e., visually and hearing impaired)
To test and evaluate the pedagogical processes being developed in the project by holding 3 pilot
studies in different partner countries.
To make this material available to teachers in an adaptable format specifically Talking Tactiles for
the visually impaired and subtitled / signed DVD materials for the hearing impaired.
To explore the transferability of the learning process to other groups with specific needs.
[Previous experience with the Talking Tactile system is also beginning to show transferability to
Autistic Spectrum and Asperger’s Syndrome learners.]
To disseminate the results of this project across the education systems of the partner countries at
local, regional and national level.
To advise EU educators of the results, transferability and benefits of this innovative pedagogical
development via the project website.
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The target group
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The population of the partner countries is c. 218.7 millions. [Eurostat]
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A conservative extrapolation of c.1.0% per year of secondary education would give a school year
population of c. 2.187 million pupils. From this total we anticipate c. 175,000 sensory impaired children
per year; this is the initial target group for 12-16 year olds.
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We estimate 0.6% as a total visually impaired VI + hearing impaired HI percentage [0.4% hearing
impaired, 0.2% visual impaired], assuming an approximate equivalence across the EU [no traceable
statistics found to prove or disprove this assumption]. This percentage gives a total initial target group of
some 65,600 VI + HI in secondary education across the partner countries. Even with a de-rating for
statistical error of 33% this would give a target population of c. 38,000 persons with VI or HI, which is still
a large number, disparately arranged across the EU.
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In addition to young people identified above there are older people (16-60+) who would be keen to
improve their knowledge of global warming and climate change and would like access to the educational
packages produced by the project.
Romanian Society for Lifelong Learning
PEDAGOGICAL AND DIDACTICAL
APPROACHES
This approach will engage in the following key activities:
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Partners to attend meetings to review progress and make decisions
Teaching materials to be created and tested
The creation and maintenance of a website dedicated to the project
A DVD with Sign Language carrying information for sensory impaired people
Key ideas, findings and philosophy to be disseminated to interested parties
The approach considers Quality Assurance in that:
• Workpackages are allocated according to strengths of partners
• SREP, a specialist in project evaluation will be asked to take charge of the
evaluation and quality control aspects of the project.
Romanian Society for Lifelong Learning
OUTCOMES (1)
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Teaching materials that can enter the EU VET system and will support
teachers, trainers, employers and learners in the foreseeable future;
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A managed website to ensure that information is always up-to-date,
expressing the complex science in an easy-to-use and easy-to-understand
form; the website with a public access environment will serve for
dissemination and for delivering outcomes;
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Transferred teaching material packages to other EU countries;
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Dissemination and valorisation phases, in which specific attention will be
given to ensure that target organisations are informed of the existence of
teaching materials and the outcomes of the project.
Romanian Society for Lifelong Learning
OUTCOMES (2)
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Measures to monitor and evaluate progress against project milestones and work plans via a
project website. In addition, feed back from end-users will assist in the evaluation of the
teaching materials;
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A common based data set to deliver the teaching materials in a variety of alternative formats
depending on the needs of the individual. These will encompass Braille, large print, CD,
‘DAISY’’, a signed DVD with sub titled visual graphics and any other relevant assistive
technology. Testing of these materials will be carried out with learners in VET or local
establishments in each partner country.
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Transferability of the teaching materials from English into another national language is relatively
straightforward if the partner country translates the products;
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The testing and evaluating the pedagogical processes developed in the project by applying
Talking Tactiles for the visually impaired and subtitled / signed DVD materials for the hearing
impaired.
Romanian Society for Lifelong Learning
ROMANIAN SOCIETY FOR LIFE LONG
LEARNING
Address:
no. 249, Calea Calarasi Str., bl. 65,
sc. 1, 5th floor, 21th ap.,
Bucharest, 3rd sector,
ROMANIA
Phone/Fax: 40-21-327 3887
E-mail: [email protected] http://www.srep.ro
Romanian Society for Lifelong Learning