Lionfish

Lionfish E+ is a small-scale partnership in school education, bringing together experts in documentaries from Fox Media Documentaries - Fox Media Film and learning scientists from EdMedia, CYENS Centre of Excellence in collaboration with local environmental centers and schools, aiming to engage students into playing an active role in reacting to climate change. Immersed in the 360VR film titled ''End of Line'', the students are transported to a climate hotspot, a coast in Cyprus, where the new region's lionfish species is spreading out, putting in danger the local ecosystem and the fishermen's craftsmanship. The primary objective is to help students understand the impact of climate change on the Mediterranean marine ecosystem, and the spread of lionfish, and via STEAM activities and visual thinking canvases, explore local challenges related to climate change and sustainability. It is crucial to address this age group in school settings. As the European Council states, the green transition is a priority in educational programs and needs to happen by providing students with opportunities to learn about the climate crisis as well as possible sustainable solutions through both formal and non-formal education. We see those early teenage years as a very crucial time when sensitivity to environmental and social matters is being developed and can affect their future and the way they interact with nature and take responsibility for their actions. In Lionfish E+, we explore and expand this educational potential by proposing innovative, attractive, immersive, and interactive experiences. The innovation of our Lionfish E+ project concerns the intersection of 360VR viewing with working on STEAM activities (Lego Mindstorms EV3, BBC micro:bits, 3D pens) and visualization tools. In this E+ project, the EdMedia group (CYENS) developed a learning toolkit built around a 360VR film, STEAM, and visualization tools (visual thinking canvases). We conducted pilot studies with more than 80 students aged 14-16 who visited the Cyprus Centre for Environmental Research and Education - CYCERE during March 2024. The learning scientists from EdMedia in collaboration with the environmentalists of CYCERE, engaged students into thinking about climate change. Through the “End of Line'' 360VR film, the students were transported to a climate hotspot, a coast in Cyprus, where the new region's lionfish species is spreading out, putting in danger the local ecosystem and the fishermen's craftsmanship. Furthermore, the students were involved in thinking about possible solutions to tackle the spread of lionfish as well as climate change in general, while they explored technological solutions e.g., robotics for clearing the oceans from this invasive species.