Educational guidelines for geoparks
General information for Geoparks on the development of Education activities and resources
Education at all levels is at the core of the UNESCO Global Geopark (UGG) concept and follows the recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development published in 2023. It provides the legal foundation for Target 4.7 of the UN SDG 4 on Education and includes 14 guiding principles. From university researchers to local community groups, UGGs encourage awareness of the story of the planet as read in the rocks, landscape and ongoing geological processes. UGGs also promote the links between geological heritage and all other aspects of the area’s natural and cultural heritage, clearly demonstrating that geodiversity is the foundation of all ecosystems and the basis of human interaction with the landscape.
A Geopark education programme
A new or existing geopark can always update and improve its education offerings. The networking principle of UNESCO Global Geopark allows a regular comparison of other geoparks’ activities and the development of projects in partnership. One of the recent cooperative projects of a number of European Geoparks was the EU Interreg funded Atlantic Geoparks Project (2017-2020). One of its deliverables was the development of a Geopark Management Toolkit which includes a section on Geo-Education. This section describes the various themes linked with education in the Geoparks (it’s not just about rocks), the various settings for education in Geoparks (formal, non-formal and informal) and gives some case-studies of educational activities offered by some of the project partners then.
Teaching approaches
When the geopark is directly involved in education, it is preferable to hire personnel with qualifications and experience as teachers or educators. However, this is not always possible as Geoparks operate with small staff numbers who have to be engaged in a number of tasks, sometimes involving themselves in education. There are a number of time and curriculum constraints when interacting with teachers and pupils but it is important to prioritise dialogue as a pedagogical principle.
Importantly as well, the toolkit advocates for the need to develop an education programme for the Geopark; a framework document that describes clear aims and objectives with an action plan to achieve them. This document should be built in collaboration with local educators and agencies with an education remit so as not duplicate efforts and consult with the local communities and institutions before its finalisation. It is vital as well that the geopark connects with teachers and finds ways to assist them in delivering the local curriculum requirements. A survey of the local teachers’ needs is an important first step. The Geopark can then either engage directly in school visits or interaction with students at geosites, and/or can also train the local teachers and educators on how to make the best use of the Geopark territory’s landscape and educational resources (if any). Additionally, partnerships can be developed with the schools, universities or other agencies to help deliver on the Geopark’s education programme.
Teaching resources
Finally, on this platform, you will find a number of educational resources. Some of these were produced by the Geopark partners, some were produced by this Erasmus+ project, while others are pre-existing resources from various sources. When developing new educational resources for your Geopark, it’s important to explore first what is available and what could be translated or adapted for the local context.
An example of these is offered by the Global Geoparks Network for their 20th anniversary in 2024 where a number of videos or posters are offered to be adapted or translated for local use by its members. Additionally, this platform also gives examples of teacher’s lesson plans to be directly disseminated to your local teachers or adapted for your local needs. Again, there are a number of existing resources available, and it is important to spend time exploring these and consult with local teachers before creating new material.