Circle Lab, a translational project funded by Erasmus Plus Program, is aimed at supporting the professional development of Secondary Education teachers by integrating circular chemistry into the curriculum, through online training, a set of innovative tools and an educational game for students.

The second intellectual output (IO2) of this project is a “Training for Trainers” (T4T) Program to support teachers and tutors in transferring content on sustainable green and circular chemistry (GSC Chemistry) to their students.

The T4T Programme encompasses 7 Learning Units (LUs) which cover chemistry's contribution to SDGs and circular economy and explore 3 key areas in which circular chemistry plays a strategic role (waste management, chemical recycling, and solar energy). The Program also presents innovative teaching methods to prepare students for GSC Chemistry and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Pre-test and post-test self-assessment questionnaires are provided allowing teachers to compare their entry-level knowledge on circular chemistry with the final learning outcomes and to evaluate improvement.

The T4T Program, soon available online on the Circle Lab platform, consists of theoretical and methodological lectures on GSC Chemistry, complemented by videos showing educational projects on circular chemistry and its application in industrial fields. This Output is the result of effective cooperation among the 8 Circle Lab partners, from Sweden, Spain, Italy, North Macedonia, and Lithuania, coordinated by the Italian partner CSCI. The output development started in October 2021 and the final version was presented, one year later, during the European Seminar held in Kaunas (Lithuania).

1. Research and co-design of the Learning Units (LUs) with the Project Partners.
2. LUs’ production, editing and graphics.
3. LUs’ testing with a sample of teachers, and fine-tuning.
4. Presentation of the IO2 during the European Seminar in Lithuania and transfer of innovation workshop with teachers and students.

During the European Seminar in Lithuania a workshop was held not only to assess the usefulness of the IO2 with Lithuanian students and teachers, but also to engage them in result capitalization. Three groups of students and teachers worked on the 3 key LUs (waste management, chemical recycling, solar energy) by sharing ideas on how to integrate the circular chemistry contents into their curriculum or by proposing educational projects on these topics. The workshop was very informative on how to transfer Circle Lab innovation into different educational settings, and the students’ contribution was very creative.

Further results are expected in the future also thanks to the interplay of IO2 with other project outputs. A set of tools for students, the IO3, is in fact under way and includes activities, exercises, short papers, and an intriguing game which will allow young people to learn about the impact of chemistry on the environment and society and chemistry’s crucial role as an enabler of circular economy.