{"id":3424,"date":"2026-02-18T11:06:25","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T11:06:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/?p=3424"},"modified":"2026-02-18T11:06:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T11:06:25","slug":"making-a-splash-bringing-ocean-learning-into-every-classroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/3424\/making-a-splash-bringing-ocean-learning-into-every-classroom\/","title":{"rendered":"Making a splash: bringing ocean learning into every classroom"},"content":{"rendered":"

Europeans care about the ocean, but few understand how their daily choices affect it. EU-funded researchers are working with teachers to bring \u201cblue\u201d education into classrooms across Europe.<\/p>\n

By<\/em> B\u00e1rbara Pinho<\/p>\n

Around 40% of the EU\u2019s population lives within 50 kilometres<\/a> of the coast, and large parts of the continent\u2019s economy, climate resilience and wellbeing depend on healthy oceans and seas. Yet despite this close connection, understanding of how the ocean works \u2013 and how human activity impacts it \u2013 remains limited.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have people living right by the sea, relying on it every day, but they still don\u2019t know much about it,\u201d said Melita Mokos, a marine biologist at the University of Zadar in Croatia.<\/p>\n

Her work focuses on ocean literacy \u2013 helping people understand how the ocean functions, why it matters, and how everyday choices affect its health.<\/p>\n

Although awareness campaigns have increased in recent decades, many people still underestimate both the pressure human activity puts on the ocean and the benefits society gains from healthy marine ecosystems.<\/p>\n

A recent survey of 3 500 young people illustrates the challenge. While three-quarters said a healthy ocean matters, almost half believed the ocean is still in good condition.<\/p>\n

To help close that gap, Mokos has joined a group of researchers from across Europe involved in BlueLightS, an EU-funded initiative launched in 2024 as part of the EU\u2019s mission to restore our ocean and waters. The project aims to strengthen blue education \u2013 a key pillar of ocean literacy \u2013 by helping learners of all ages understand their connection to the ocean and role in protecting it.<\/p>\n

BlueLightS is one of several EU-funded initiatives tackling the ocean literacy challenge. Sister projects such as ProBleu and SHORE are also experimenting with new ways to connect people to the ocean, from education and community engagement to hands-on learning. While each project has its own focus, they share a common goal: helping people see how closely their lives are linked to the health of the sea.<\/p>\n

Connecting the blue dots<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite growing awareness of ocean issues, researchers say a fundamental disconnect remains between knowledge and action.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see a clear gap between what people know about the ocean and what they understand about how their own actions affect it,\u201d said Pierre Strosser, a consultant at ACTeon, an environmental consultancy specialising in the sustainable management of oceans, coasts and natural resources based in Colmar, in the centre of France\u2019s Rhine valley.<\/p>\n

With a PhD in water management and economics, Strosser has the advantage of nearly a decade of experience working on ocean literacy initiatives across Europe. He coordinates the work of the BlueLightS team, which focuses primarily on blue education.<\/p>\n

Their approach places the ocean within a broader human\u2013nature ecosystem, including not only seas, but also the rivers and lakes that flow into them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ocean starts in every city \u2013 even in Strasbourg, where I live \u2013 through the river, through what we consume and even through the air we breathe,\u201d said Strosser.<\/p>\n

Their objective is to highlight how people affect the ocean \u2013 and how the ocean, in turn, affects them. Plastic litter left on a beach, for example, can be carried into the sea, break down into extremely small particles of plastic, and be swallowed by marine life. Those particles can eventually return to humans through the seafood we eat.<\/p>\n

Making education bluer<\/strong><\/p>\n

To put this idea into practice, the BlueLightS team is developing learning resources, training teachers and proposing adaptations to school curricula. They have also built a multilingual knowledge hub<\/a>. Anyone with a useful resource can access it and upload new material, making it easy for educators across Europe to find and use.<\/p>\n

One contributor is Team Malizia, an international offshore sailing team that produces marine learning materials in Dutch, Portuguese, German, and many other languages.<\/p>\n

Their My Ocean Challenge programme uses the drama of round\u2011the\u2011world racing to engage children with ocean science and climate solutions.<\/p>\n

The other two focus areas \u2013 school curricula and teacher training \u2013 present a bigger challenge. Strosser and Mokos recognise this, but they believe change here could have the greatest long-term impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need a systemic approach,\u201d Strosser said. \u201cWe cannot work with schools one by one. We need to bring a bit of blue into the whole education system.\u201d<\/p>\n

The BlueLightS researchers are testing this approach in France, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, Greece, Romania, Ireland, Finland and Sweden.<\/p>\n

In France, Strosser and his team are reviewing school curricula to identify opportunities to integrate blue education themes. Their aim is not to add new content to an already crowded syllabus, but to highlight connections that already exist between people, society and the ocean.<\/p>\n

Another way to drive change at scale is by working directly with teachers. The researchers are supporting teacher-led projects across Europe and running training sessions to help educators bring blue topics into their classrooms.<\/p>\n

Teaching the teachers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last October, Mokos and her team in Croatia welcomed 15 teachers to her Adriatic hometown of Zadar for a two-day training workshop. The session focused on practical ways teachers could incorporate blue education into their classrooms.<\/p>\n

The participants came from across Croatia, including inland regions far from the coast, and taught a wide range of subjects, from geography and languages to culture and mathematics.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main goal was to show them that, whatever subject they teach, there is always a way to include blue education,\u201d Mokos said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just biology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Croatian language teachers, for example, were encouraged to explore literature from a new perspective. Many works in the national literary canon reflect marine themes and the country\u2019s long relationship with the sea, offering natural entry points for blue topics.<\/p>\n

Mokos said the teachers showed strong interest and enthusiasm. Still, she emphasised that a single training session can only go so far, reinforcing the need for a broader, more systematic approach.<\/p>\n

Towards a \u201cblue\u201d curriculum<\/strong><\/p>\n

That is why she is also working with Croatia\u2019s national education and teacher training agency to develop a formal, accredited training programme.<\/p>\n

In Croatia, as in many European countries, teachers earn certified professional development credits by attending approved courses. These credits support career progression and can lead to salary increases.<\/p>\n

If BlueLightS training becomes a recognised option, more teachers will be able to access it and pass that knowledge on to their students.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis first training was a pilot,\u201d Mokos said. \u201cNow we want to formalise it and add it to the agency\u2019s catalogue, so teachers can choose it and receive proper certification.\u201d<\/p>\n

BlueLightS will run until 2027, but the team wants its impact to last well beyond that.<\/p>\n

Their work supports the EU\u2019s goal of restoring the health of oceans, seas and inland waters by 2030 \u2013 a mission that depends not only on policy and innovation, but on informed citizens who understand their connection to the ocean.<\/p>\n

By weaving ocean literacy into school curricula, teacher training and everyday learning, Strosser, Mokos and their colleagues aim to ensure that future generations grow up seeing the ocean not as something distant or abstract, but as a living system shaped by daily choices.<\/p>\n

In doing so, they hope to bring a bit of blue into every classroom \u2013 whatever the subject, and wherever that classroom may be.<\/p>\n

Research in this article was funded by the EU\u2019s Horizon Programme. The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u200bThis article was originally published\u202fin\u00a0Horizon<\/a>\u00a0the EU Research and Innovation Magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n

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