Horizon 2020
OTTER - Outdoor Science Education for a Sustainable Future 2022-2024
Learning Scoop was one of the seven partners in OTTER, an EU-funded project part of Horizon 2020, in 2021–2024. The project’s name OTTER was referring to Outdoor Science Education for a Sustainable Future.
The OTTER project aimed to enhance the understanding of Education Outside the Classroom (EOC) methods and pedagogies and how they can help improve the acquisition of scientific knowledge and transferable skills in students, specifically in the field of environmental sustainability and the reduction of plastic waste. It strived to increase interest in scientific topics among young people, while also contributing to the range of innovative educational projects and the increase of scientific citizenship within the EU.
Seven European countries and partners joined their forces in the project to promote science education and education-outside-classroom (EOC) models. Learning Scoop was happy and honored to be part of this great team 
! Together with Geonardo Environmental Technologies (Hungary), University of Limerick (Ireland), The Big Van Science (Spain), University of Groningen (the Netherlands), European Science Foundation (France) and Center for the Advancement of Research & Development in Educational Technology (Cyprus) we created a highly praised OTTER Lab model and an outstanding project. Read more about OTTER here Welcome | OTTER
When the project was completed, the whole consortium has happy and humbled to receive an excellent review of our work: “OTTER goes beyond the state of the art in the field of EOC, through its novel research into the impact of EOC on participants It synthesises learning from previous EOC projects, literature and the pilot activities to develop, extend and quality assure the EOC concept in an innovative way which can be implemented in many diverse countries, whatever a school’s background.--- The results are all of a high quality, having been well-researched, developed where appropriate using a co-creation approach and extensively tested. OTTER’s impact on the development of the EOC field is considerable in the way it has developed knowledge, expertise, and connections amongst practitioners, educators and policy makers.”
OTTER Lab is a student-centered, hands-on activity aiming to promote Sustainable Development through Education Outside the Classroom. This is an example of the OTTER Lab implemented in Finland.
Check also out practical toolkit on how to start Education Outside the Classroom activities with your students!