ECO-SOPHIE

This project has been developed as a result of ECODIALOGO, which has the goal of strengthening the European dimensions in the field of basic education. Additionally, the aim is to offer intercultural and interdisciplinary basis for environmental education as well as apply the discipline of philosophy to that education.

The pupils are encouraged to think about the nature and environment through philosophical dialogues and to ask critical questions. The elementary questioning is essential for the understanding of the fundamental environmental issues and of the process between the nature and the environment. The increased understanding is a requisite for  "caring thinking".

In the first year of the project work all the schools on the themes of water and fire. Our goal is that the pupils gain basic knowledge of those themes and that their curiosity about nature and environment is aroused through philosophical discussions. We encourage the children to critical thinking in the fields of music, arts, literature and photography. The philosophical questions create the foundations for the development of the sense of responsibility and of ideas for the future.

It is essential for our project to broaden the perspectives of the children as well as of the teachers and to respectfully discuss the similarities and differences between those perspectives.


In the second year of the project we will work on the other two themes of earth and air.

The theme for the third year is to combine the four elements through philosophical questioning relating to "Nature - Culture".

 

Coordinating school:

Hauptschule Markt Hartmannsdorf, Austria
http://hs.hartmannsdorf.at/

Coordinator: Maria Rieger

Participating countries:

2003/2004 : Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Hungary
2004/2005 : Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Hungary
Scientific support:

Institut für Kinder- und Jugendphilosophie, Graz:
Mag. Dr. Daniela G. Camhy
Albrechtgasse 7
8010 Graz, Austria

http://www.kinderphilosophie.at
acpc@gewi.kfunigraz.ac.at

"ECO-SOPHIE" (Start in 2003)

The project is a cooperation between the schools in Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway and Austria. As a starting point for the project are materials (a book and CD-ROM) on environmental education, which were developed in the project "ECODIALOGO" .