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  Home > News > Latest news > Climate Mystery  

Prepare your students for tomorrow’s climate challenges

The Climate Mystery is an online learning universe that combines education and entertainment to inform and teach about global climate challenges.

“Through a combination of dramatic stories, problem-based assignments, social media, and gameplay, we have created an edutainment universe focusing on motivating individuals for personal learning” Congin’s Creative Director Christian Fonnesbech explains.

“The overall learning objectives are to challenge the students intellectually and to create a curiosity and a desire to know more” he continues. 

The online story runs in real time and begins on September 14, 2009. It climaxes in December, 2009 - at exactly the same time as the COP15 United Nations global climate summit unfolds in Copenhagen. By letting new story episodes unfold each week, and by combining this with social networking, drama and learning games about climate, the students become engaged in solving the mystery – while they are learning.

The Climate Mystery is completely free to use. Downloadable teaching materials focus on new climate-related subjects each week for 16 weeks. They do not require the teacher to participate in the online universe – even though the students may do so. Teachers can access the online universe for as many or as few weeks as their needs and preferences dictate.

Subject Relevance and Class Room Practice

The Climate Mystery will be useful within subject areas such as Biology, Physics/Chemistry, Geography and Natural Science & Technologies. It can easily be combined with other subjects, such as Social Studies, Maths and English (as native and second language instruction).

In addition to detailed teaching materials, a teacher’s guide will be available, explaining the purpose, subject areas, time requirements, educational basis and practical & technical requirements, as well as giving good overview of the content and lesson planning.

Each teacher is free to use as few or as many of the 16 climate subjects as he or she wishes. Each week, the students’ motivation and vocabulary will be boosted by the online experience, as the unique edu-gaming universe focuses on that week’s subject. In the end, students who both participate online and use the downloadable teaching assignments will be motivated to collaborate and to think both creatively and critically about that week’s climate issues.

“This isn’t playing games. It might be what you feel it is but it’s not really, it is edugaming. The students have to use all their subject skills in order to move forward in the game and solve the mystery. In that way a high level of motivation is achieved” says Kirsten Panton, Regional Leader, Partners in Learning.

The Climate Mystery has been developed for use at different scholastic levels and can be customized according to each teacher's individual teaching style, needs and prerequisites. The format of the materials makes it possible to use parts of the content, but full guides, materials, tests, quizzes, suggestions and online links are included.

Furthermore, the teaching materials can be taught across disciplines and in cooperation with other class subjects – and even as an individual project.

How to get started

Final teaching materials and guides for The Climate Mystery can be downloaded at www.innovativeteachers.com. Go to the front page and follow the registration procedure. When you are registered with your LiveID, you will have access to the Global Climate Mystery Community where all materials, announcements, events, and discussions will be uploaded for teachers. To join the community, click on the “community” tab on the front page and the find the Global Climate Mystery link in the community overview.  Here you can be able to join the community.

Students will have to register at www.climatemystery.com. Teachers can register as well, if they want to follow the dramatic stories and participate in the climate games. Please note that it is not mandatory for teachers to do this.

For more information:

Background article
Curriculum content and pedagogical methods
Introduction video

http://www.theclimatemystery.com/
http://www.congin.com

By: Ditte Lander
Copyright © Congin 2009


 

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