“BlueLightS is a great opportunity to upscale the experimentations on bringing Blue education to Spanish schools and to empower the teaching community.”
Carine Simon, Blue education expert at ICM-CSIC, responsible for the experimentation in Spain
What is the current status of Blue Education in Spain
There is no specific Blue education program in any Spanish region, and environmental education instruments vary across the country. For example, in the Balearic Islands and Catalonia, efforts are made regarding Green Commissions and Green Schools; Barcelona has a programme of “More Sustainable Schools” in which a “Blue Perspective” initiative was included in 2023.
The new educational law (LOMLOE) introduces the concept of learning situations, which build on students’ interest and expand upon them. However, very few schools engage in beach-based learning, and when they do, it is usually for recreational purposes and driven by individual teachers’ initiatives.
Meanwhile, non-formal education provides more marine-focused educational spaces, especially during summer periods.
What are the BlueLightS experimentation activities Spain
The experimentation takes place in Catalonia and Balearic islands, focusing on
- Empowering teachers to integrate Blue Education into their learning activities.
- Using more outdoor schooling methods and activities to help teachers and students to see the beach or riverbank as a natural environment to enjoy and to study in a transversal way. This will be through:
- Offering training to teachers:
- Proposing new methodologies which consider open schooling and experimental experiences;
- Testing the Educational Marine Areas methodology.
A few words about BlueLightS’ experimentation
BlueLightS’ experimentation aims to (1) elevate Blue education to the next level in each country; (2) integrate Blue Education into national education systems
The experimentation runs across nine EU countries from December 2024 to October 2026
