November 1, Novovolynsk. Within the framework of the joint project of the UNDP/ MGSDP and Coca-cola Ukraine (BonAqua) Every Drop matters a regular training seminar on rational attitude to water resources was held in Novovolynsk on October 31 through November 1, 2011. The event drew over 20 participants – teachers and deputy principles of local schools.
During two days the participants on the basis of topic “water” of the training course “Lessons for Sustainable Development” learned principles of the responsible attitude to water resources and methodology of introducing the course to pupils of third – ninth grades.
Rational attitude to water resources is very topical. Nowadays there are countries in the world, suffering from water resources shortage. If we don’t raise a conscious approach to this issue among children, in several years Ukraine will face the same problem, - Igor Sushchenko, acting Director of the NGO “Teachers for Democracy and Partnership” said.
The program of the training envisages instructing teachers of elementary and secondary schools for further teaching pupils of 3 – 9th grades. Educational programs, depending upon classes differ, yet the goal of the course stays the same – conscious approach to use water as well as other natural resources and interactive forms of learning.
World, time , approaches, methods are changing making us changing too and adjusting to new conditions. Educational component plays an important role in this process. We offer completely new scheme of teaching with idea of motivating children to learning. Knowledge in groups is transferred via the method “peer to peer” – from pupil to pupil. Teachers serve more as facilitators (facilitate from English the one who helps, enables), those who guide in education, Svitlana Prysiazhnyuk, trainer of the NGO “Teachers for Democracy and Partnership” said. According to her, a majority of teachers find it very complicated to stop following the traditional methods of teaching, however interactive form of teaching proved its efficiency through high results of pupils and positive marks and is used in general in educational work.
For example, a Kyiv citizen uses 300 litters of water a day, 15% of which are lost because the water was not turned off. One litter a day saved by Kyiv citizen would enable Kyiv to store 3 000 tons of potable water a day. Having heard amazing data, participants started looking for ways to save water, among which such simple but efficient as - turning off water while brushing teeth, washing hands, washing dishes in closed sinks. Later on they tried to apply the methods on practice and calculate difference in used water in litters. The same role of “water detectives” teacher will later offer to pupils.
Despite primarily sceptical attitude to the offered methodology I have immediately noticed its advantaged practicing it, stated one of teachers of the Novovolynsk secondary school No 7. Having minimum of information about planet water resources I have started my little investigation and strived to share experience and results with other participants, she added.
The training component is an important part of the EDM project and aims at causing concern over natural water resources in Ukraine and sparking a bid to join to preservation of resources for next generations.
Trainings for teachers are conducted by the organization “Teachers for Democracy and Partnership” in UNDP/MGSDP partner-cities, that stated interest in the course and agreed to present it in schools either as a mandatory or faculty course. So far the total of 11 training classes for 312 teachers have been conducted in the following cities: Ivano-Frankivsk, Rubizhne, Dolyna, Lviv, Novograd-Volynskyi, Kalynivka, Kirovske, Yevpatoria, Zuya, Mykolayiv, Rivne.
For detailed information –please refer to MGSDP Communications Officer Olga Romaniv olga.romaniv@undp.org.ua or by telephone 063 350 43 92
