Training for Teachers--Slovakia

3-hour training session for teachers based upon the book and the manual for teachers prepared during the Project. The training’ aim is to: a) give teachers a professional source of environmental knowledge, b) give teachers useful tools in the form of sample lessons plans, incl. ideas for discussions on environment-related topics, ideas for follow-up activities, c) encourage teachers to use the presented materials during their lessons with children, d) explain how the materials may be used, e) inspire teachers to develop their expertise in the field of sustainable development and environmental education – to seek knowledge, to create their own materials and share them with other teachers. The training will be promoted through a) social media b) website, c) local network of kindergartens (mailing list). The training sessions will be prepared and conducted by each Project Partner separately - in Czech Republic by Lipka. Whenever necessary, Project Partners will hold consultations and cooperate closely, so that the format, content and impact of all sessions is uniform in all 3 countries. The training will be held in the same time interval in all three Project Partners. During the training information about financing from the Visegrad Fund will be delivered to the participants. This information will also be contained in the book and manual which will be used during the sessions. It will also be included in related public promotional communication. We treat this Project as a pilot, a starting point for possible future cooperation projects on a larger scale. As a result, some Project outputs – that is e-book and audiobook – will be publically available on the Internet, so children from all regions of Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia (and also from other countries) will have access to them. However, as for the training sessions, we have decided that we will limit the locations to Warsaw and Kraków in Poland, - Bratislava in Slovakia, Brno in Czech Republic. This will help us limit transportation- and accommodation-related costs under this Project, and yet achieve all the goals we have assumed for this Project. Teachers willing to participate in the training will be obliged to fill out a survey after the training. The survey will help us measure the impact of the Project on the direct target groups (questions in the survey will refer to both teachers and children they work with) and whether the main goals of our Project have been met. The training sessions will serve as a tool to reach all of our Project goals. First of all, we will give teachers tools to help them explain environmental issues and introduce follow-up activities to consolidate kids’ knowledge. Also, it will make adults more keen to discuss environmental issues with children. The sessions will be a great occasion to promote Visegrad Fund and the Group and also environment-related activities taken by our organisations. In addition to that, the training will have an indirect impact on increasing environmental awareness of adults and also children (when the knowledge teachers get will be put in practice).