MALIA: a project to raise awareness on Marine Litter in the Atlantic and Mediterranean

Marine litter awareness hands on actions through learning by doing (MALIA) is a funded Erasmus+ project aiming at inclusion of marine conservation practices in the national school curricula. The project is being carried out by four educational centres, three associations and one research centre, from Spain, Italy, Cyprus and Portugal. Its main goal is to improve students and teachers awareness on marine litter problems, tackling the subject in a proactive way. To achieve this, open educational materials are being designed, which can be used in different educational systems. In this paper the materials designed during the first year of the project are presented. The materials include field and bench activities to link the topics to concepts and methods in relevant disciplines, such as geology, biology, chemistry and new digital technologies. In line with educational challenges of the 21st century, they take advantage of the scientific method, and inquiry and problem-based methodologies.