If you could build a House of Tomorrow, what would it look like?

House of Tomorrow is a learning activity which challenges the students to imagine themselves living in the future and solving real life problems. The adventure starts as a role-play. The houses of Today Village are in danger due to severe storms and floods caused by climate change. The children of Tomorrow Village are worried and decide to help their neighbours by building strong, resistant houses. Next, the learning activity moves in real time. The students identify signs of climate change in the local environment. They use Minecraft to design eco-houses, Houses of Tomorrow, for their local community. The designs are used in an online awareness campaign to encourage a sustainable lifestyle.

During the learning activity the students make connections between the causes and effects of climate change. They work in teams to resolve a real-life problem by designing eco-houses to sustain life in healthy environments. The activities gave the children the opportunity to act like young engineers, investigate the real world, resolve problems, and learn, at the same time, about climate change and sustainability.

This learning activity is a result of the Terra Mission MOOC. I very much appreciate the Terra Mission teaching and learning resources. The lesson on climate change displayed by Gynzy platform is relevant and corresponds to students’ interests and curiosity. There is a strong focus on learning by doing activities which stimulates communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking.