• This course is available in: Berlin, Dublin, Florence, Valencia
• --> Read the full course description and tentative schedule <--

Contemporary education is increasing its focus on environmental issues such as the overconsumption of natural resources, climate changes, and global warming. If humanity has a chance to survive the global ecological crisis, raising awareness of these critical challenges among the youngest generations is mandatory. Accordingly, school teachers are required to promote the value of environmental sustainability. But how to do it effectively while nurturing students’ attention and curiosity? This course proposes a learning approach based on the 3D-Printing Maker Culture as a precious strategy to answer the question. On the one hand, the movement Maker Culture promotes the value of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts, and emphasizes active and social learning. Promoters of Maker Culture practice informal, networked, peer-led, and shared learning motivated by fun and self-fulfillment. On the other hand, 3D printers allow designing, prototyping, and creating small three-dimensional objects directly at home. Exploited within the Maker Culture movement, they enable the crafting of small components to replace damaged or missing parts in otherwise wrecked objects. Thus, 3D printing becomes an effective way to recycle broken objects and prevent waste. This course will introduce participants to the use of 3D printers within the Maker Culture in order to promote environmental sustainability at schools. Constructive discussion in the course will help participants gain consciousness about the Culture of Repair, Zero-Waste Life, and the Maker Movement. Participants will also meet the world ...read more.