Why focus on soil education?
Soil lies at the heart of critical global challenges, including climate change, sustainable agriculture and biodiversity. Through an integrated science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) teaching approach, educators can use soil education to inspire students to engage with real-world problems, think critically and adopt sustainable practices.
What you will find in the course
The massive open online course (MOOC) content is specifically designed for:
- primary and secondary school teachers
- practice teachers
- formal and non-formal STEM educators.
Across four comprehensive modules, participants explore:
- what soil is and why soil health is essential for humanity
- how to use the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study 5E Instructional Model to enhance STEM teaching
- ways to address soil education from interdisciplinary perspectives – economic, societal, ethical, biological and chemical
- practical guidance on creating interactive, student-centred lessons focused on sustainability and real-world problem-solving.
The course emphasises linking classroom learning to broader societal and environmental challenges, such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and EU policies, making STEM education more relevant and impactful.
How to access the course materials
All modules, resources and learning scenarios are now freely available for self-paced exploration. Whether you participated during the live course period or are discovering it for the first time, this MOOC offers a valuable professional development opportunity.
Visit the European Schoolnet Academy to learn more and start your learning journey!
About LOESS and Scientix
This course is part of the Mission Soil project ‘Literacy boost through an operational educational ecosystem of societal actors on soil health’ (LOESS) and its goal to promote soil literacy. It is supported by Scientix®, the European community for science education, which fosters innovative approaches in STEM teaching across Europe.