February – July 2020

and

October – December 2020

 

 

About the project

What do state partners Baden-Württemberg and California have in common? They’re both GOING GREEN, of course!

Register to participate in Fall 2020 by October 30th, 2020 (extended deadline) by using our Registration Questionnaire now! Early registration is recommended.

 

The d.a.i. Tübingen (in collaboration with the DAZ Stuttgart, CSH Freiburg and DAI Heidelberg) is excited to have the opportunity to organize an exciting new transatlantic classroom collaboration project for sustainability!

"Going Green - Baden-Württemberg Meets California" is an exciting new blended-learning project and sister project of “Going Green – Education for Sustainability” developed by Teach About U.S.. The sister-state franchise has been made possible by a generous grant of the State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg.  

Classrooms and after-school clubs in Baden-Württemberg and California are paired up to learn together about sustainability with the aid of an online learning platform and encouraged to plan and implement Green Action Plans in their community. At the end of each project iteration, each German/American class pair has the chance to win a prize for best project!

 

Right NOW, we are searching for high school teachers and classes in both Baden-Württemberg and California to partner up, to learn together about sustainability, and to develop Green Action Plans in their communities!

 

How do the "Going Green" Partnerships work?

Project collaborations are flexible and teachers from Baden-Württemberg and California partner classrooms decide together the form and scope that is right for their classes. For example, partners can:

• Participate as a class in a 1-4 hour per week lesson unit
• Participate as an after-school club in a 1-2 hour per week activity     

A full “Going Green” curriculum developed by Leuphana University (Lüneburg) and funded by the U.S. Embassy Berlin is available for teachers from Baden-Württemberg and California on the Teach About U.S. website. 

Teachers can easily navigate the sustainability curriculum found on the online platform, “Going Green: Education for Sustainability” and use the forum there to communicate with students at home and abroad. Check out the "Going Green" Demo Course (login required). Creating an account is free and easy.   

Once you submit a Course Request Form, a secure classroom and full access to the curriculum is provided on the online Moodle platform and project collaboration between classrooms is possible.

Alternatively, teachers can use the “Going Green” PDF and collaborate on the learning platform of their choosing.  

 

For which school subjects is "Going Green" suitable?

“Going Green” integrates well into the curriculum of several school subjects, particularly STE(A)M or MINT subjects, Environmental Science, English and German language courses, Geography and bilingual courses.

Alongside promoting English language skills, “Going Green” also supports skill development in using CALL – Computer Assisted Learning and MALL - Mobile Assisted Learning systems, as well as in media literacy. Community action plans from previous Going Green participant schools range from the installation of refill stations, to the planning of community awareness events, to the development of web campaigns.

 

What are the benefits of participating?

Students have the opportunity to:

• Develop skills in intercultural communication and connect with students across the globe
• Learn about sustainability topics and actively apply their knowledge to their school and community
• Have their collaborations and Green Action Plans featured on the project’s social media platforms and websites
• With the help of an advising teacher, use “Going Green” to start a sustainability club in their school
• Receive a participation certificate
• Have a unique experience to help their resume or college application stand out

Teachers and administrators:

• Work with educators across the globe via a time-tested, user-friendly blended-learning platform and online forum
• Engage their students in sustainability topics, community involvement and intercultural communication
• Can use “Going Green” as a starting point to emphasize sustainability in their school and integrate it into the classroom

 

(© Joannis Kaliampos, Leuphana Universität)

 

(© Joannis Kaliampos, Leuphana Universität)

 

TIMELINE

During two iterations of the collaborations, one from March – July 2020 and one from October – December 2020, California and Baden-Württemberg high school groups are partnered up to learn about sustainability together and create their very own Green Action Plans.

In both July 2020 and December 2020, all Baden-Württemberg and California classroom Action Plans will be submitted to a state-wide competition for a PRIZE and to be awarded at a ceremony here in Baden-Württemberg!

Participating classrooms which submit an Action Plan before the end of May 2020 also have a chance to participate in the national project competition of the Teach About U.S. program!

Register to participate in Going Green in Fall 2020 by Friday, October 30th! (Early registration is recommended)

To register, fill out our Registration Questionnaire and send it to sarah.taylor@dai-tuebingen.de!

 

Project Deadlines

Registration Deadlines

• Registration Deadline for Iteration 1: May 29th, 2020 
• Registration Deadline for Iteration 2: October 30th, 2020 (extended deadline)

Going Green Iteration 1: March – July 2020

• March – June: Matching process, collaboration and Action Plan work time for Baden-Württemberg and California classroom partners
• (optional early submission) Sunday, May 31st: Submission of Going Green Action Plans to national competition
• Friday, July 3rd (extended deadline): COMPETITION SUBMISSION DEADLINE for Going Green: Baden-Württemberg Meets California, Iteration 1
• July 15th, 2020 from 3:00-4:30 pm: Awards Ceremony & Knowledge Exchange for Going Green: Baden-Württemberg Meets California Project Winners, Iteration 1

Going Green Iteration 2: October – December 2020

• Registration Deadline: October 30th, 2020 (Early registration recommended)
• October/November: German / American class pairs are matched, teachers collaborate, sign up on platform
• October – December (flexible): Baden-Württemberg and California partners learn together and collaborate on Green Action Plans     
• Mid-December: COMPETITION SUBMISSION DEADLINE for Going Green: Baden-Württemberg Meets California, Iteration 2
• Mid-December: Awards Ceremony & Knowledge Exchange for Going Green: Baden-Württemberg Meets California Project Winners, Iteration 2

 

"Going Green" Training (Optional)

Teacher Seminar "Going Green – Education for Sustainability in the EFL and STEM/MINT Classroom" by Joannis Kaliampos, Research Assistant and PhD candidate, Leuphana University Lüneburg

• Thursday, March 5th, 5:00-8:00 pm @ Deutsch-Amerikanisches Zentrum Stuttgart
• Friday, March 6th, 5:00-8:00 pm @ Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut Heidelberg
• Monday, March 9th, 5:00-8:00 pm @ Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut Tübingen
• Tuesday, March 10th, 2:30-5:30 pm @ Carl-Schurz-Haus Freiburg

 

Why are we „Going Green“?

The State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg, our sponsor for the project, seeks to bring the California – Baden-Württemberg state partnership to the civic level in an unprecedented form. Our aim is to give students and teachers the opportunity to make a connection with a classroom across the globe to both foster international understanding and teach students to work together to create innovative solutions to climate change and pollution in their respective communities.

 

Contact

Please contact Sarah Taylor at Sarah.Taylor@dai-tuebingen.de for questions or register to participate in Going Green in Fall 2020 by October 30th! 

 

 

Project Background

 

 

The project “Going Green - Baden-Württemberg Meets California” is funded entirely by the State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg for the promotion of the Baden-Württemberg – California state partnership and generously supported by Teach About U.S.. The publisher is solely responsible for the content.

A huge “vielen Dank” to the Staatsministerium Baden-Württemberg for the financial support of this project!

 

An additional thanks to our partners at Teach About U.S., the intercultural blended-learning platform used for the Going Green – Education for Sustainability project. Teach About U.S. is a cooperation by the U.S. Embassy Berlin, Leuphana University Lüneburg, and LIFE e.V.

 

Thank you to our collaboration partners at the DAZ Stuttgart, the CSH Freiburg and the DAI Heidelberg!

 

For more information get in touch with us, check out our flyer or fill out our registration questionnaire!