Teaching materials on geothermal energy published in Germany
The Federal Geothermal Association has published four textbooks for fifth grade to high school students with extensive basic knowledge on geothermal energy and the heat transition.
The new school year is about to begin for around 11 million schoolchildren in Germany. With the support of the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection, the German Geothermal Association (Bundesverband Geothermie) has published new teaching materials on the subject of “Geothermal energy – renewable energy from deep within the earth”. With the start of school, the materials now shared show geothermal as one of the possible solutions to the energy crisis. The greater use of geothermal energy can help to overcome the current energy crisis, according to Dr.-Ing. Andreas Bertram of the German Federal Environment Agency.
The energy and climate crisis requires immediate and sustainable solutions, with the heat transition playing a central role. As a previously underestimated pillar of our future energy supply, geothermal energy can make an important contribution. Interactive school and learning material is now available for schoolchildren and teachers to download free of charge at www.geothermie.de/schulpaket (in German).
The teaching material now shared is available in different formats according to grade level. The four textbooks each contain 20 pages of concentrated knowledge on geothermal energy for students from fifth grade up to high school (A-level). The integration of interactive elements convey both basic knowledge and a systemic view heat transition in a step by step approach. The aim is to provide students with extensive basic knowledge in order to form an informed opinion and to understand the need for an energy supply with renewable energy technologies.
Interactive teaching material
The exercise books are ideal for interdisciplinary lessons or as an element of independent learning in project weeks or in home schooling, primarily in the areas of mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology, the so-called “MINT subjects”. There are numerous interactive elements and many starting points for presentations, specialist work and group work in the class. The individual learning books are based on framework learning plans. They include age-specific subject input, charts, written assignments, web quests, video links and experiments at different levels of difficulty so that they can be used in all school types.
“We need a significant acceleration of the heat transition and as the Geothermal Association (Bundesverband Geothermie) we are pleased to be able to make another contribution in the form of digital teaching material and hope to inspire schoolchildren as tomorrow’s specialists for the transformation of our energy supply.” explains Helge-Uve Braun, President of the association. “We would like to thank the Federal Environment Agency and all supporters of the project who have contributed to the excellent technical quality of the teaching materials” he adds.
Source: Release by the German Geothermal Association (Bundesverband Geothermie)