The Future of Education
Learning Circular Bio-Economy at School by Hands-on Science Experiments
Giovanna Sotgiu, Institute of Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity (ISOF) - National Research Council (CNR) (Italy)
Armida Torreggiani, Institute of Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity (ISOF) - National Research Council (CNR) (Italy)
Gioacchino Schifino, Institute of Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity (ISOF) - National Research Council (CNR) (Italy)
Annalisa Aluigi, Institute of Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity (ISOF) - National Research Council (CNR) (Italy)
Aleix Barrera-Corominas, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain)
Abstract
In Europe, a paradigm shift towards a new industrial policy aimed at sustainability and innovation is underway. Within this framework, Circular Economy and Bio-economy have been recognized the strategic and economic models for a Sustainable Europe due to their sustainability, inclusivity and resiliency to climate change.[1] In particular the bioeconomy comprises those parts of the economy that use renewable biological resources from land and sea – such as crops, forests, fish, animals and micro-organisms – to produce food, materials and energy.[2] This transition requires a cultural and structural change that can be obtained by aligning the educational programs in order to train skilled people needed to build a sustainable bio-based industry in Europe. As concern secondary schools, a promising way to introduce the Circular Bioeconomy concepts is to link them with some topics addresses by STEM disciplines, within the ministerial educational programs. In the present work, we propose a learning pathway, designed for teachers of High schools, useful to introduce the basic concepts of the bioeconomy among youngsters and new career opportunities. The designed pathway was developed within the BBI-UrBiofuture project [3] and is composed of lectures and hands-on activities. The lectures are aimed to explain the role of science within the transition from carbon economy towards Circular Bioeconomy, and the hands-on activities are practical examples of Circular Bioeconomy, suitable to be proposed to the middle and high school students. In particular, they are laboratory experiments, demonstrating how to transform some biomasses into new bio-based products. The main objective of these experiments is to show that the bio-industry sector needs scientific knowledge, critical thinking and creativity.
Keywords: Circular Bioeconomy, Secondary School, Laboratory Experiments, Bio-based products, cross-curricular learning.
References:
[1] Food, bioeconomy, natural resources, agriculture and environment
https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/research_and_innovation/knowledge_publications_tools_and_data/documents/ec_rtd_factsheet-food-bio-resources-agri-envi_2019.pdf
[2] P. Stegmanna, M. Londob, M. Junginger, The circular bioeconomy: Its elements and role in European bioeconomy clusters, Resources, Conservation & Recycling-x, 2020
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcrx.2019.100029
[3] https://www.urbiofuture.eu/
