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vision and scope of the material
The Alter Aqua educational material is the result of a fruitful cooperation of a committed team from Greece and
Malta with the ambition to raise awareness and sensitise the educational community on the very crucial issue of
Non-Conventional Water Resources across the Mediterranean, and particularly in the Maltese Islands.
The material has been developed based on the principles of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). It aspires
to be a flexible tool in the hands of the keen educator aiming to develop imagination, curiosity, creativity, observation,
skills and knowledge to his/her students, as well as an attitude of “new water ethic” in line with sustainability.
As Alter Aqua is based on the experience of the Rainwater Harvesting Programme in the Greek Islands, it is
expected that valuable experience and knowledge will be shared in the future with other water scarce
Mediterranean countries, where the programme can be replicated, adapted to the local needs.
objectives of the material
The Alter Aqua material aims to build the capacities of the English-speaking educational community of the
Mediterranean region, and particularly of the Maltese Islands on issues relating to Non Conventional Water
Resources (NCWRs). The material can be used by educators working directly within Environmental Education (EE)
and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), or indirectly across the curriculum. The main objectives for the
students are:
• To be acquainted with the water cycle and the impacts of human activities on it.
• To be informed about the alternative or Non Conventional Water Resources.
• To explore the benefits and risks of the NCWRs at various levels: environmental, social and economic.
• To be aware of traditional and cultural aspects of water and to find out how the past "wisdom" can be transferred
and applied in modern systems of water management.
• To develop the skills of critical thinking, decision making and participation.
• To acquire a positive attitude towards NCWRs and adopt responsible water consumption habits in their daily lives.
pedagogic approaches in the material
The material is addressed to teachers and students of late primary and early secondary level (8-13 years old). It
has been developed in a multidisciplinary way involving disciplines such as Environmental Studies, Science,
Meteorology, Home Economics, Mathematics, History, Language and Literature. The educational methods proposed
include discussions, experiments, simulations, field work, role-play and surveys.
The Activities contain a “theoretic” part, to be used mainly by the educator and a worksheet to be reproduced
for each student. They are based on learner-centred and experiential approaches, stimulating the learners to
questioning, working together and reaching conclusions. All activities require very simple materials and equipment.
The teachers are welcome to apply them either as a whole or in parts, according to their needs, objectives and
available time taking into account also the skills and interests of their students. To this end the Activities are
presented on separate A3 sheets.
This printed kit is not an end on its own: it is part of an educational pack that includes also a printed poster with
water saving tips for students, available in English and Maltese; as well as a series of hands-on material to support
the educators in their work. Moreover, particularly for the case of Malta an accompanying CD is included containing
a soft copy of the educational material applicable for interactive whiteboards, extended references for the
Maltese Islands and other support material.
 vision and scope of the material
The Alter Aqua educational material is the result of a fruitful cooperation of a committed team from Greece and Malta with the ambition to raise awareness and sensitise the educational community on the very crucial issue of Non-Conventional Water Resources across the Mediterranean, and particularly in the Maltese Islands.
The material has been developed based on the principles of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). It aspires to be a flexible tool in the hands of the keen educator aiming to develop imagination, curiosity, creativity, observation, skills and knowledge to his/her students, as well as an attitude of “new water ethic” in line with sustainability.
As Alter Aqua is based on the experience of the Rainwater Harvesting Programme in the Greek Islands, it is expected that valuable experience and knowledge will be shared in the future with other water scarce Mediterranean countries, where the programme can be replicated, adapted to the local needs.
objectives of the material
The Alter Aqua material aims to build the capacities of the English-speaking educational community of the Mediterranean region, and particularly of the Maltese Islands on issues relating to Non Conventional Water Resources (NCWRs). The material can be used by educators working directly within Environmental Education (EE) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), or indirectly across the curriculum. The main objectives for the students are:
• To be acquainted with the water cycle and the impacts of human activities on it;
• To be informed about the alternative or Non Conventional Water Resources;
• To explore the benefits and risks of the NCWRs at various levels: environmental, social and economic;
• To be aware of traditional and cultural aspects of water and to find out how the past "wisdom" can be transferred and applied in modern systems of water management;
• To develop the skills of critical thinking, decision making and participation;
• To acquire a positive attitude towards NCWRs and adopt responsible water consumption habits in their daily lives.
pedagogic approaches in the material
The material is addressed to teachers and students of late primary and early secondary level (8-13 years old). It has been developed in a multidisciplinary way involving disciplines such as Environmental Studies, Science, Meteorology, Home Economics, Mathematics, History, Language and Literature. The educational methods proposed include discussions, experiments, simulations, field work, role-play and surveys.
The Activities contain a “theoretic” part, to be used mainly by the educator and a worksheet to be reproduced for each student. They are based on learner-centred and experiential approaches, stimulating the learners to questioning, working together and reaching conclusions. All activities require very simple materials and equipment.
The teachers are welcome to apply them either as a whole or in parts, according to their needs, objectives and available time taking into account also the skills and interests of their students. To this end the Activities are presented on separate A3 sheets.
This printed kit is not an end on its own: it is part of an educational pack that includes also a printed poster with water saving tips for students, available in English and Maltese; as well as a series of hands-on material to support the educators in their work. Moreover, particularly for the case of Malta an accompanying CD is included containing a soft copy of the educational material applicable for interactive whiteboards, extended references for the Maltese Islands and other support material.
Structure - content of the material
The Alter Aqua educational material includes:
• 10 Activities, each including some basic information on the issue at hand, plus objectives, the process step-by-step, practical tips and references. Each activity is accompanied by a respective Worksheet for students.
• Methodological guidelines for the educator, presenting in brief the main educational methods and practical tips for the implementation of activities.
• An information sheet providing an overview of the Water Resources and challenges in Malta.
DOWNLOAD THE MATERIAL
Authors: Prof. Michael Scoullos, Iro Alampei (MEd), Vicky Malotidi (MEd)
Scientific coordinator: Prof. Michael Scoullos
Coordination of production: Konstantina Toli (MSc)
Pedagogic contributors (Malta): Marvic Refalo (3EMI), Elizabeth Saliba (3EMI)
Text editing: Anastasia Roniotes, Celia Roniotes
Art direction: Pavlina Alexandropoulou - PI Beliefs
Citation: Scoullos Michael, Alampei Iro, Malotidi Vicky “Alter Aqua: Educational Material on Non Conventional Water Resources: An application of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)”, GWP-Med & MIO-ECSDE, Athens, 2012.
© GWP-Med & MIO-ECSDE, 2012, 2014
ISBN: 978-960-6793-09-7
 The Alter Aqua poster
The poster is produced to function complementarily to the educational material.
It explores the water cycle in Malta and includes also tips and advices for responsible behaviour of young consumenrs.
DOWNLOAD THE POSTER IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE (pdf)
DOWNLOAD THE POSTER IN MALTESE LANGUAGE (pdf)
The posters are free! If you wish to receive the posters in large numbers to cover the needs of a class, a relevant seminar etc. please email us your request at info@mio-ecsde.org or info@medies.net
The Alter Aqua program
The current material is developed in the framework of the “Alter Aqua Programme” on Non Conventional Water Resources (NCWRs). It was initiated in 2011 by Global Water Partnership Mediterranean (GWP-Med) in partnership with the Ministry for Gozo (MGOZ) and the Eco-Gozo Project, aiming to mobilize NCWRs in the Island of Gozo, as a sustainable solution to address water scarcity issues, due to resources depletion, rising demand and climate change threats. Alter Aqua aims to optimise the use of NCWRs, such as rainwater harvesting, greywater and wastewater reuse, as a sustainable way of improving access to water in the water scarce Maltese islands. In 2014, the second phase of the Alter Aqua Programme was launched in partnership with the Ministry for Energy and Health, expanding activities in the island of Malta.
Read more on Alter Aqua in the respective webpage of GEP-Med.
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