Schoolture is an Erasmus+ collaborative project in the field of school education, led by commonspace and partnered by FUNDACJA ROZWOJU EDUKACJI SPATIA.

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Schoolture project capitalizes on commonspace's great experience on participatory design and participatory methodologies in education. 

Participatory design of public space is one of commonspace's research interests and is one of its core services. 

In the process of implementing participatory projects, the need for an approach to the educational process using participatory methods emerged. 

Thus, Schoolture is not a project of pilot applications of participatory design but a project that tries through its actions to highlight, record and communicate the methodologies and tools of participatory design at various stages of the educational process. 

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Project actions

• Design, implementation and evaluation of two pilot educational programs (one in Greece, at the 3rd Primary School of Zografou) and one in Katowice, Poland at a corresponding school. 

• Close cooperation and exchange of knowledge and experiences between the partners (trips to Athens and Katowice). 

• Creation of a Guide with methodologies, tools and good practices around participatory planning and its use in educational programs related to the climate crisis and the cultural identity of a place (a neighborhood). 

• Creation of communication material for dissemination and a final event in the neighborhood.

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Pilot at the 3rd Primary School of Zografou

Since the 3rd Primary School of Zografou is already active in various collective actions related to the school area, it was decided to move outside its walls and create a pilot program that will include the opening of the school to the extracurricular community and the surrounding area. 

A small public green space was chosen that bridges the school complex with the university and the rest of the city, Agia Eleni Park. 

The children, through a model educational program and using methods/tools of participatory design and experiential learning, are invited to co-design this space, with the criterion of minimizing vulnerability to the Climate Crisis and reinterpreting it as a neighborhood meeting point. 

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The final result of the project was the creation of an original Guide for teachers.

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The guide is a short version that gathers knowledge about Participatory Design, its tools and methodologies as well as how they can be used in the school environment and specifically in Primary Education. It is intended to be an easy-to-use and practical handbook so that teachers themselves can follow clear steps to implement a participatory design program in their classroom.

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Key objectives:

● To be a source of inspiration for educational communities in relation to the importance of action against climate change

● To enrich the educational field with experiences from the design field and other experiences from abroad.

● To introduce basic methodologies and approaches in relation to participatory planning and participatory processes in general.

● To provide concrete steps and examples for the implementation of a participatory design program in the school community.

It can be used by educators, parent and guardian associations as well as any artistic, cultural, environmental or research group active with children and school communities.

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The guide has been developed with structured steps, relevant material and examples so that it can support participatory actions in schools, from the scale of urban planning of the front yard or neighborhood to the co-creation of cultural and environmental actions on climate change adaptation through artistic approaches and practices.

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All the final results of the project are publicly posted with free access for download and use by anyone interested!

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You can find the following in the links below:

• Guide in Greek, English, Polish

• Participation plans in Greek, English, Polish

• Final design resulting from the pilot educational program in Greece (in Greek)

• Summary report of the implementation of the pilot educational programs in English

 

Erasmus+ project results platform​

Participatory LAB repository​

e-Twinning

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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.