Free Flow

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ater

ducation

and

nstitutional

evelopment

ing the school communities. This makes the project an

interdisciplinary one.

The goals of the project are:

• promoting environmental education focused on water

resources, hereafter referred to as water education –

one of the reasons for HidroEX being established

• contributing to a transdisciplinary approach in the

environmental content to be developed, so it can be

explored as a transversal theme cutting across the

traditional disciplines taught in elementary schools

• disseminating information and knowledge about the

use, preservation, conservation and protection of

water resources

• turning school communities into a space where

water education can become a social practice.

The Sister Schools Program

The

Sister Schools Program

is aimed at strengthening

ties between Portuguese-speaking countries so that

environmental experiences, especially those with a

focus on water, may be interchanged. It includes a set of

predefined actions seeking to develop mutual coopera-

tion for the implementation of environmental education

focused on water within the school community.

The ‘My World through Your World Environmental

Fair’ is part of the programme and is intended to

establish close liaison between school communities

from CPLP countries, so they can exchange practical

environmental experiences through information and

communication technologies. The purpose is to dissem-

inate experiences, practices, knowledge and culture for

a better understanding of environmental issues from

students’ perspectives in CPLP countries.

International cooperation on water education

Changes to attitudes and habits, and reaching the collective subconscious

in the defence of sustainable development, must begin with the educa-

tion of children and young people. HidroEX tries to operate in the formal

education settings of elementary schools, in partnership with the public

educational system, as well as in informal education to create social

awareness. This is an open and innovative pedagogical process that not

only diffuses knowledge but also seeks to sensitize various public audi-

ences. It unfolds an educational process that is connected to the everyday

reality of the student with the understanding that we are all responsible

for the sustainable use of water, and that the learning process starts at

school, at home, in the community and in the basins where we live.

Water Education – from an interdisciplinary perspective

‘Water Education – from an interdisciplinary perspective’ is an envi-

ronmental education project focused on water, which was conceived

according to the IHP instructions and guidelines. The target audi-

ence comprises students (6-11 years old) and teachers (first to fifth

grades) from elementary school.

The project is based on the need to find viable alternatives for the

rational use of water and is underpinned by cognitive theories and

the four pillars of education – learning to know; learning to do;

learning to live together; and learning to be – described in

Learning:

The Treasure Within

, the report to UNESCO of the International

Commission on Education for the Twenty-First Century. These

theories hold that education is the only instrument capable of raising

awareness and instructing citizens towards a more qualitative, fair

and democratic society.

The project is an ongoing process that combines work philosophy

and the creation of new learning spaces. It includes and integrates

the environmental theme into the curricular and extracurricular

activities of educational institutions through educational actions and

practices aimed at sensitizing, organizing, mobilizing and involv-

Students in the Sister Schools Program exchange information and experiences on the use of water resources in their communities

Images: Tânia Brito