Erasmus + Jean Monnet Module

In the era of global change, the problems of environmental education are becoming increasingly important. Research on environmental education of the younger generation is paying increasing attention to the need to understand the integration of European cultural identity in a broad sense. Scientists confirm that the education system should raise awareness of the unity of European peoples and nations in solving environmental problems. Scientists confirm that the education system should raise awareness of the unity of European peoples and nations in solving environmental problems.

Protecting the environment is a key issue on the international community’s agenda. The aggravation of society’s relations with the environment, the reality of the deepening global environmental crisis that threatens the lives of the planet and humanity, are making significant changes in modern educational policy. Education of humane attitude to nature, development of ecological culture, harmony of human coexistence with living nature are becoming one of the priority areas of education. The formation of ecological culture of the younger generations is one of the priorities, aimed at the harmonious development of the individual. At the present stage of society’s complex and dynamic relations with the environment, a frugal attitude towards nature must be an integral part of the overall worldview of every European citizen. That is why the formation of human ecological culture, the harmony of its relations with nature are the priority areas of education in Ukrainian university.

The project “Ecological education of preschool and primary school children: a European approach” involves the formation of future teachers’ deep convictions in the need to implement a comprehensive European system of environmental education and upbringing. The basis of its creation is the economic and environmental program European Green Deal and the educational program Green Pedagogy. Against the background of the economic and corona crisis, the implementation of the European Green Deal and Green Pedagogy programs will ensure the modernization of the economy and economic growth for human life in harmony with the planet and its resources, education of a conscious humane generation.

The project “Environmental education of preschool and primary school children: a European approach” takes into account the provisions of the Strategy of the European Economic Commission and is based on the integration of science and socio-humanitarian knowledge to further develop interactive personality – environmental responsibility, moral and environmental complicity, indifference, humanity, thrift, rationality, expediency, etc. In order to ensure quality environmental education and upbringing of the younger generation, the project provides a quality system of professional environmental education, designed to further develop general and specialized knowledge about the nature of natural phenomena, interdependence and interaction of society, man and nature, environmental management and audit skills. Environmental education of future teachers is aimed at improving environmental and professional competence and integrates environmental, cultural and professional components of the competence of the future specialist.

The conditions for the project implementation have been created in the Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University (VSPU): the laboratory of natural sciences, zoomuseums, the laboratory of methods of teaching natural sciences and ecology work; international scientific and practical conferences on environmental issues have been held for many years; collections of scientific works of preparation of future teachers for ecological education of the younger generation are published.

Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University, in particular in the Valentina Voloshina Faculty of Preschool and Primary School Education, maintains active ties with European universities: WYŻSZA SZKOŁA LINGWISTYCZNA W CZĘSTOCHOWIE (Poland Republic), Pedagogium Wyższa Szkoła Nauk Społecznych w Warszawie (Poland Republic), Wyższa Szkoła Poland Republic , Nigher economic school (Poland Republic), REZEKNE ACADEMY OF TECHNOLOGIES (Latvia), Folkuniversitetet (Sweden).Teachers repeatedly undergo internships in relevant educational institutions, establish contacts with teachers, cooperate in the implementation of joint projects.

VSPU cooperates with the Vinnytsia Regional Station of Young Naturalists, which is equipped with the latest equipment and territories (geographical site, research area, forest and river zones) for activities and research of the project; with schools of the city of Vinnytsia (secondary school №6 and secondary school №20), which work in the field of ecology; with the Department of Agro-Industrial Development, Ecology and Natural Resources in Vinnytsia Region, which will allow to quickly disseminate project information; from the Department of Education and Science of Vinnytsia Regional Administration, which will involve the pedagogical community of Vinnytsia in the project activities.

University students participate in Erasmus + student exchange programs, the International University Department: Best Practices program, supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine and the British Council; international Czech-Ukrainian project “Promeny pedagogickych fakult a univerzit pro XXI. stoleti”, implemented by the pedagogical faculty of Masaryk University.

The project uses research conducted during the implementation of scientific topics of the Department of Preschool Education “Training of preschool and primary education in the integration of Ukraine into the European educational space” (state registration number: 0121U109684 from 14-03-2021; Department of Primary Education “Improving the quality of training of future primary school teachers in the context of European integration” (state registration number: 0121U108285, from 11.02.2021).