Water Classrooms

Water is essential to life and is recognized by UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goal 6. (SDG-6) – water and sanitation for all.

Since water intersects with various aspects of our civilization, heritage, health and survival, the students of today, our “water-keepers” of tomorrow, need to develop an multi-disciplinary, integrated and ethical approach to learning about our waters. Our water education needs to equip students and youth with an aptitude to observe, identify and understand the issues related to water around them, including social exclusion and gendered relations of power underlying access to water.

In this project, we have developed pedagogical tools using place-based, visually engaging and interactive content for middle school students that would enable students to reimagine just, resilient and equitable water futures. We called this water curriculum the “Water Classrooms”.

These pedagogical tools have been pilot-tested with 29 students (7th and 8th standards mostly) from schools in and around Pune:

• Bal Shikshan Mandir English Medium School, Pune
• Jnana Prabodhini Navnagar Vidyalay, Nigdi
• SNBP International School, Pune
• Vikhe Patil Memorial School, Pune

The project was undertaken by Dr. Chhavi Mathur at the Living Waters Museum at the Centre for Water Research, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune.

Funded by Transforming Education for Sustainable Futures, India at The Indian Institute of Human Settlements, Bangalore.

In collaboration with the Centre for Environment Education, Pune, Science Activity Centre (IISER Pune) and contributors from Punyache Paani – Stories of Pune’s Waters.

The curriculum is meant for public good and is freely available for use to individuals and educational institutions, subject to terms of use as follows:

• This curriculum and/or associated files available through this website can be used by an educator in their classrooms or extra-curricular spaces or by individuals for homeschooling or caregiving.
• While using this curriculum and/or associated files available through this website, the user must acknowledge the Living Waters Museum, Centre for Environment Education (Pune) and Transforming Education for Sustainable Futures (India) through logos and/or text on the slides or any material shared with the learners.
• Copyright for singular teaching plans and other documents are held by authors, editors, Living Waters Museum and Transforming Education for Sustainable Futures (India).
• This curriculum and/or associated files are published under the CC BY-NC-SA International 4.0 License. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon the text in this work for non-commercial purposes. Any new works must also acknowledge the authors and be non-commercial. Derivative works must also be licensed on the same terms.
• Educators may modify, edit, copy, reproduce or redistribute the content in/for their classrooms only, to make it more place-based and/or student-centric and/or accessible to students. Eg. aspects specific to Pune, India may be replaced by locally relevant content – not provided in this curriculum – as per the need of the user.
• Prior to developing any and all derivative work using the curriculum and/or associated files, the concerned educator(s) or responsible authority/authorities must inform the team at the Living Waters Museum by contacting Dr. Sara Ahmed (livingwatersmuseum@gmail.com).
• If and when images or other media are used by the educator, proper credits must be provided on displayed or written materials shared with learners. (See guide for educators.)
• Under no circumstances may this curriculum and/or associated files available through this website be displayed on other websites or in printed publications or shared singularly with any individuals, schools or organizations other than those involved in creating this website (refer to associated logos).
• Except as expressly permitted above, you may not modify, edit, copy, reproduce or redistribute the materials in any manner for commercial use or for use in other projects funded by sources other than Living Waters Museum, Centre for Environment Education (Pune) and/or Transforming Education for Sustainable Futures.
• No materials may be shared in any manner except as stated above.