Results from the Romanian Education Programme Pilots

Between December 2018 and January 2019, Scent piloted its new Education Programme in schools in Romania. Take a look below at below at our new infographic detailing the results of the Education Programme pilots in Romania.

Scent has developed the Scent Education Programme designed to introduce 11-12 year old school students to the importance of environmental monitoring. The programme teaches students how they can become ‘citizen scientists’ and empowers them to take action in their own environment through an innovative programme which combines classroom lessons, group work, fun games and outdoor field work activities. You can learn more about the programme and download the lesson plans for your classroom here. 

Four schools, 330 students and 13 teachers were engaged in the education programme over a ten day period, where they used the ‘train-the-trainer’ approach to incorporate the Scent Education Programme into their own lesson plans. 

Supported by the Scent project, teachers introduced students to new concepts about citizen science, environmental monitoring and the ecosystem; and engaged them in fun educational activities like Scent Bingo, Scent Beetle Drive, and the Scent Environmental Quiz. 

The highlight of the Scent Education Programme for both students and teachers was the Scent Challenge, where students and teacher ventured outdoors to draw their local ecosystem, observe the local biodiversity and report back to the classroom. 

The majority of students were surprised that by observing changes in their environment they could help scientists to protect their local environment. Prior to participating in the programme, 91% of students reported knowing little or nothing about citizen science and environmental monitoring. After the programme, 82% of students said they now know a lot about these topics. One student commented: “Before I thought only the researchers were monitoring the environment, now I know that I also have to get involved”. 

72% of students said the Programme changed how they think about the environment, as they have gained a better understanding about the potential destruction of local habitats and ecosystems and how the environment may look very different in 50 years because of human activity.

At the end of the programme, 99% of students reported enjoying the Scent Education Programme. All teachers agreed that they would incorporate more environmental learning into their lessons plans, and the majority of the teachers wished to use the Scent Education Programme in the future. One teacher commented: “I would love to have more programmes of this kind because they are very useful and suitable for students of all ages. Thank you!”

Take a look below at our latest infographic with some of the results from our Scent Education Programme pilots in Romania.

If you are interested in learning more about the Scent Education Programme, you can read more here and download all the resources you need to get started in your classroom: https://scent-project.eu/learn-with-scent