A New Information and Knowledge Concept for Schools

On behalf of “Tut gut!” Gesundheitsvorsorge GmbH and in cooperation with gutessen consulting, the St. Pölten UAS is developing a concept for a "H2NOE" water school basic workshop. In a special teaching unit, this workshop informs pupils of secondary level 1 and 2 about the topics of water, health, and environmental protection in an entertaining and creative manner. In addition, everyday life at an “H2NOE” water school is presented. The language level is adapted to the respective age as well as to the knowledge level of the target groups. The Research Group Media Creation of the St. Pölten UAS creates audio-visual and interactive materials accompanying verbal and written content with the aim of making it easier to understand and experience. In the later phases of the project, a virtual guide, which leads the students through the individual modules of the course instead of a teacher, is developed.

From the “H2NOE” Water School to Environmental Protection and Health

The basic workshop lays out what needs to be done to turn a school into an "H2NOE" water school. In addition, schools are supported in motivating their students to drink water regularly. In a first step, the basic workshop provides information on the topic in an entertaining way and show – using the example of the BORG Deutsch-Wagram – which adaptations a "H2NOE" water school can make in everyday school life and in the school infrastructure in order to promote health and environmental awareness among the pupils.

The basic workshop also provides information on health related issues and on issues concerning environmental protection, such as:

• How important is water for our health and for our environment?
• What happens when we consume too much sugar in form of sweetened drinks?
• How does our body react when we do not drink enough?

Activation exercises are included between the modules of the workshop. These short breaks are intended to serve as a best practice example and encourage children and adolescents to also drink water during the lessons or to exchange ideas about the content they have just learned.

Interactive Methods and Age-Appropriate Teaching Style

The modules for the “H2NOE” water school basic workshop build on different teaching methods. In order to involve the children and adolescents right from the start, they are asked to take part in an interactive quiz at the beginning of the workshop (using the platform Mentimeter). They are asked three questions each on the topics of avoiding plastic waste, sugar consumption, and sufficient fluid intake. The answers can, for example, be sent via smartphone or notebook, and the distribution of the answers to the questions is displayed immediately. 

The information regarding the “H2NOE” water school concept is provided in the format of video documentaries or reports, but also includes interviews with students, teachers, and the headmaster of a water school. These video contributions are based on a participatory approach – at the BORG Deutsch-Wagram, the students were encouraged to use a video camera to present, critically reflect on and shoot interviews on what qualifies their school as an "H2NOE" water school.

For the transfer of knowledge about other aspects of the topic of water, the workshop mainly relies on animations. For this purpose, an age-appropriate visual language for the young target group had to be developed. Through targeted sound design and sonification (i.e., translating content into sounds), as many senses as possible are engaged, thereby better anchoring the content in memory. For the activation exercises, the animations are sometimes looped for an indefinite period of time in order to provide the classes with a moving background during the water breaks and discussion rounds.

It is important that the students are met at eye level and not lectured from above. This collegial interaction is also expressed in the fact that the students themselves explain content and are given the chance to present it “with a charming wink”. Thus, we aim for an authentic appearance of the students and an exchange of professional knowledge in an informal and friendly atmosphere that also leaves room for joking around and reflecting on the issues.

The elements of the basic workshop from the first project phase will soon be freely available via the website of “Tut gut!” Gesundheitsvorsorge GmbH.