Project EXCALIBUR
EXpanding Content And Language Integrated learning through BUilding a sustainable future in Realtime
Combining CLIL and LOTE with virtual 3D sandbox worlds to find solutions for real-life sustainability challenges
Project description
The theme of the Erasmus+ project EXCALIBUR 2022-2025 (2021-1-FI01-KA220-SCH-000029713) is sustainability. With the help of different communication languages, learners from various countries explored this topic in an intercultural setting. They worked online together in virtual 3D sandbox worlds in order to find innovative solutions to major environmental real-life challenges that unite the contemporary international world.
The EXCALIBUR project combined the approaches of Content and Language Integrated Learning for English (CLIL) and Languages Other Than English (LOTE) to the STEM subjects and the overall theme of sustainability. Furthermore, the learners developed their information and media literacy skills, along with the 6Cs of Deep Learning (communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, character and citizenship). Together, they combined their individual strengths to use their creativity, skills and interdisciplinary knowledge in order to find possible solutions to actual fundamental environmental problems in living environments.
The project partner team coordinated by Tampere University consisted of scientific and pedagogical experts from different European countries with expertise in language learning, virtual and game-based learning, CLIL and CLIL LOTE learning, information retrieval and STEM. The main focus laid on the societal interaction, meaning cooperation with mainly upper secondary schools. There were participating schools from Finland, Germany, Norway, France, Italy and Czechia. The participating learning groups consisted of learners using English, German and French between CEFR levels A2-C2. The groups included smaller subgroups or the whole class.
The learner-centeredness was the key element of the project and the learners were engaged in an intercultural dialogue and creativity. Even informal collaboration opportunities for learners were offered. The project team supported and guided their teachers throughout the project, for example in matters of organization and schedules and offered the collaboration environments and the approaches.
Welcome to follow our innovative project, where we combine virtual game worlds, language learning and sustainability!
Join our network for even further co-operation using the approaches developed during the project!
Sustainability sub-themes in the project
The Excalibur project focused on the following sustainability themes. Depending on the sub-project, these were studied at least in the Plain World Setting approach (cf. Project cases). These themes were drafted by the Tampereen klassillinen lukio Excalibur team and participating students and were complemented together with German, Italian, Czechian and Norwegian partners and associate partners.
- Sustainable buildings and their surroundings
- Sustainable energy solutions
- Sustainable traffic solutions
- Sustainable food solutions
- Sustainable recycling solutions
- Sustainable nature surroundings and supporting the biodiversity of the environment
- Sustainable schools
- Sustainable hospitals
- Sustainable tourism
- Sustainable economy & circular economy
The games used in the project:
Project approaches
In the Excalibur project we used different approaches:
- Plain world setting in Minecraft
- Learners discuss the given (or chosen) theme(s) together and what they know beforehand about the theme(s)
- Based on the discussions, critical reading and negotiations and
mutual decision making, the learners will build the objects in the 3D world - Afterwards they describe what they have done and present their work.
Additionally, they also report what they have learned about intercultural
communication and the sustainability theme(s) in question
- The SERASUM: For a better tomorrow adventure mission in Luanti
- An immersive game adventure designed and made by Landesmedienzentrum Baden-Württemberg
- Learners assume secret avatar identities in order to collaboratively complete missions
- Action based game worlds in Minecraft
- Learners experience a ready-built world, where they encounter sustainability-related issues
- Together the learners discuss the issues, consider possible solutions and based on a common decision, they improve the game environment
- Afterwards reporting tasks
- Making a Learning Story
- A tool to help teachers with structured planning of a 3D building project
- A narrative written by the teacher about the activity, to be carried out by the learners, creating the context in which the learners act
- Includes 5 constants and 7 stages
Project cases
Below you can see some examples of what various learner groups built during the project. CLICK HERE to see all project cases and their descriptions.
Education Evenings
In January and February 2025, there were Excalibur project online presentations, the so-called Excalibur Education Evenings. The project team introduced and discussed central topics to the project with the evenings’ participants. The evenings were held in English and in German.
The presentations by the project team were recorded and can be viewed HERE.
Getting started in your class
Description of sub-project cases developed and tested during the Excalibur project
Didactical matters about preparing for an own project
Technical guidance for Minecraft and Luanti (earlier Minetest)
Intending to do a project, based on an earlier Excalibur project case?
Intending to do an own European project, but utilizing the game server(s) offered by the Excalibur partners?
Publications to the themes of Excalibur-project
Arvola, P., & Pihkala-Posti, L. 2024. Kokeellisesta tiedonhausta apua kielten ja sisältöjen opetukseen. Informaatiotutkimus, 43 (3-4), 63-66.
Available cost-free at: https://journal.fi/inf/issue/view/11200.
Pihkala-Posti, L. 2022. Authentische Interaktion mit dem Computerspiel Minecraft. Fremdsprache Deutsch 66/2022 (Thema Interaktion – digital und vernetzt), 45-52.
Available at: https://fremdsprachedeutschdigital.de/ce/authentische-interaktion-mit-dem-computerspiel-minecraft/detail.html.
Pihkala-Posti, L. 2022. In der virtuellen Welt die reale Welt retten lernen. ON Lernen in der digitalen Welt 10/2022, 30-31.
Available at: https://www.friedrich-verlag.de/friedrich-plus/schule-paedagogik/digitale-schule/tools/in-der-virtuellen-welt-die-reale-welt-retten-lernen-12664.
Pihkala-Posti, L. 2022. Game-based Learning im Fremdsprachenunterricht. Möglichkeit fürs Training der 4Cs. Weiterbildung 04/2022, 38-41.
Available at: https://weiterbildung-zeitschrift.de/produkt/weiterbildung-04-2022-spielend-lernen/.
Pihkala-Posti, L. & Suonio, A. 2024. 3D-videopeliprojektikoulutus. SUKOL (Finnish language teachers union) web education event 7.10.2024.
Available at: https://vimeo.com/1017493144/839a1f2216
Pihkala-Posti L. 2025. Immersiiviset 3D-pelimaailmat kielten tunneilla – iloa, luovuuden intoa sekä erinomaista eriyttämistä.
In: O. Veivo, & S. Mäkinen (Eds.), Teknologiapedagogiikkaa kielten opetukseen. Turun yliopisto, 49-58.
Available cost-free at: https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-02-0083-1.
Wössner, S. 2023. Das Projekt “SERASUM: For a better tomorrow”: Game-based-Learning-Abenteuer zur Gestaltung der Zukunft (des Lernens). Weiterbildung 06/2023, 38-43.
Available at: https://weiterbildung-zeitschrift.de/produkt/weiterbildung-06-2023-wege-in-die-zukunft-das-lernen-der-lehrenden/.
Wössner, S. 2024. Crafting Sustainable Futures – Evaluation des zukunftsorientierten Lernabenteuers SERASUM: For a better tomorrow, einer globalen Simulation in Minetest zum Thema nachhaltige Entwicklung (MSc-Thesis). Donau-Universität für Weiterbildung Krems.
Available cost-free at: https://cloud.petiteprof79.eu/s/MSc_Thesis.
Wössner, S. 2024. Everyday Heroes: Empowering lifelong learners through SERASUM’s game-based adventure. MAD (MEDIA, ARTS AND DESIGN) ANTHOLOGY III: What if we can be heroes, just for one day?, 135-145.
Available cost-free at: https://door.donau-uni.ac.at/detail/o:5359.
Wössner, S. 2025. Future:Guide Bildung: Zukunft gestalten lernen. The Future:Project AG. ISBN: 978-3-910992-20-7.
Available at: https://shop.thefutureproject.de/products/future-guide-bildung.
The Excalibur project is supported by our official financed partners listed below.
Additionally, we collaborated with schools and teachers from Finland, Norway, Germany, France, Czechia and Italy.
Tampere University was created in January 2019 when University of Tampere and Tampere University of Technology merged to create a new foundation-based university. With 3,550 staff members and over 20,000 students it constitutes one of the biggest universities in Scandinavia. The research groups and projects conduct multidisciplinary research across institutional boundaries. The research undertaken in its Centres of Excellences (CoE) includes games and culture studies. Tampere University research strategy focuses on the essential research challenges of the information society and aims to produce information that is widely applicable both in developing new information systems or experience based interactive media products and in understanding the behaviour of the people working with information and media.
More information: tuni.fi/en
Project contact(s): Laura Pihkala-Posti & Paavo Arvola
Main actor(s): Laura Pihkala-Posti, Paavo Arvola, Aleksi Kinnunen & Elina Hongisto
Tampereen klassillinen lukio, The Classical High School of Tampere has approximately 640 students and about 50 staff members. It has a special status as a national STEM profile school, offering a wide selection of special courses and a specialized natural science study programme. Several of the specialization courses are multidisciplinary and are organized in cooperation with the University of Tampere and Tampere University of Applied Sciences. This cooperation gives the students a good opportunity to concretely familiarize themselves with the newest achievements in the field. The Classical High School of Tampere also offers a wide selection of foreign languages, such as German, French, Spanish, Russian, Latin and a basic course for Italian. The language program also includes the Deutsches Sprachdiplom der Kultusministerkonferenz, an official language certificate for the entry in German universities.
More information: tampere.fi/en/tampere-classical-upper-secondary-school
Main actor(s): Laura Pihkala-Posti, Annukka Suonio, Elina Lappi & Tuija Laurikka
The Arctic University of Norway (UiT) is a medium-sized research university that contributes to knowledge-based development at regional, national and international level. Having gone through three merges with different university colleges, UiT is currently a multi-campus university spread throughout Northern Norway. It’s the northernmost university of the world and the third largest in Norway, with approximately 15500 students and 3300 staff members. Many of UiT´s research centres and study programmes reflect the specific character of the Arctic, with key research focusing on topics such as polar environment, climate research and indigenous people. UiT is also a founding member of the University of the Arctic, an international network of 160 study and research institutions of the circumpolar region.
More information: en.uit.no/startsida
Main actor(s): Beate Lindemann
TeacherGaming is an edtech company focusing on helping teachers and other educators to use video games and new media in their everyday work. It is one of the pioneers of games in education, having created some of the biggest impact video game solutions in the world such as MinecraftEdu, which has been in use in over 15,000 US schools alone. The company was founded in 2010 with the mission of lowering the threshold of game-based learning for teachers and students without sacrificing pedagogy. Founded by teachers, TeacherGaming’s focus has always been on the role of the teachers in the learning process with games. Currently it has an extensive network of over 50 game developers and thousands of schools in over 80 countries.
More information: teachergaming.com
Main actor(s): Mikael Uusi-Mäkelä & Santeri Koivisto
Università Telematica degli Studi (IUL) is a unique online university in Italy established in 2005 by public authorities. It has been supporting the evolution of the Italian educational system presenting itself as a “lifelong learning university” and providing online university courses (three year degrees, specialization degrees, master’s degrees, post-graduate degrees) addressed to educational staff, working students and young students. IUL provides also refresher courses addressed to technicians and professionals who wish to acquire knowledge and develop competences relevant to their working field. The university has a strong expertise in e-learning and has recently developed a new learning model, based on professional video-lectures and on the right balance between delivery of content and interaction among the students and with teachers/tutors.
More information: iuline.it/en
Main actor(s): Andrea Benassi & Letizia Cinganotto
The Hittorf-Gymnasium high school is an accredited MINT-EC bilingual school and a part of the “Europaschule NRW” -network. Since 2019 it’s also part of the IBO, offering both the German Abitur, as well as the International Baccalaureate. With currently over 1000 students and approximately 110 teachers, Hittorf-Gymnasium is one of the bigger high schools in its area. One of the main focuses of the Hittorf-Gymnasium is bilinguality, in addition to the early promotion of scientific knowledge and skills. In the field of STEM subjects, the school is supported by partners such as RWE, Germany’s second largest energy company. The school’s annual “Europa Tage” (European days), deepen the students’ awareness of being part of the European community and offer students the opportunity to focus on for example language learning, multiculturalism, international relations and decision-making processes.
More information: hittorf-gymnasium.de (in German)
Main actor(s): Anika Klopmeier
The Landesmedienzentrum Baden-Württemberg (LMZ), along with regional city and district media centers, offer educational and technical advice, continuing education, quality-checked media, support for school networks, technical support for media use and procurement, and lend out media technology. On lmz-bw.de, interested readers can find expert information on media education and youth media protection. The LMZ also provides a network solution for schools, access to teaching media via the SESAM media library, media pedagogical programs (e.g., mentor programs), training for contemporary teaching and learning, and the development of innovative learning concepts.
More information: lmz-bw.de (in German)
Main actor(s): Stephanie Wössner & Frederike Schneider-Vielsäcker
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Join our network to follow co-operations using the approaches developed during the project!