Education about organic food and sustainability in Denmark, Finland, Italy and Norway: Findings from the iPOPY project

This report presents results from “Work Package 4: Consumer perceptions, practices and learning” of the “innovative Public Organic food Procurement for Youth – iPOPY” project. The report gives an overview of organic food and sustainable development within national core curriculum and examples of education about organic food and sustainability in the participating European countries: Denmark, Finland, Italy and Norway

A whole story perspective : Norwegian youth reflections on Sustainable Development Goal 4.7

Wrought with climate instability and social inequalities the future at times appears tenuous, but there is also hope. One aspect of this hope lies in the vision of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 agenda, in particular goal SDG 4.7 and its core concepts of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Global Citizenship Education (GCE). To ensure youth voices are both heard and utilised in future curriculum development and decision making, critical insight is needed as to how youth today perceive and reflect on the concepts of ESD and GCE. The aim of this thesis is to engage youth with a critical, integrated perspective of ESD and GCE in order to contribute both to pedagogical learning methods and curriculum development from the perspective of those who it is imparted on. Through aspects of Decolonial Theory and critical pedagogy this qualitative research engages with the ‘whole story perspective’ to mobilize youth to think outside the ‘box’ and move between marginalized and mainstream perspectives. Empirical data was collected through two interconnected workshops from three Norwegian Upper Secondary Schools involving a total of 42 students (average age 17). The findings show there is a strong sense from all the youth that a more critical, action-oriented perspective is needed and wanted. Many groups refer to critical thinking, problem solving directly and indirectly indicating the present competencies and approaches do not suffice. The results also reveal that the youth are aware that what they know is not sufficient to contribute to a sustainable and just world. While an awareness that there are other ways of seeing and acting, these are perceived as essentially beyond what they can envision and what their education provides. To conclude, this research calls for a more integrated, critical approach to the core concepts of SDG 4.7, ESD and GCE. The youth call for change, and this is where their hope lies.M-D

Sustainable Development in the Study Curriculum and The Impacts to Society. The Case of University of Stavanger

Also known as the “PetroCapital” of Norway, Stavanger is famous for having a buoyant and well established ecosystem in the oil and gas industry. The University of Stavanger is regarded as a key player in the innovation ecosystem and contributes immensely to supplying skilled human resources to the innovation ecosystem. In recent years, the calls for green transition has resulted in a change in the dynamics of the “traditional” oil and gas ecosystem. The University of Stavanger responds to these calls by integrating Sustainable Development into the study curriculum. Through Discourse Tracing, this study examines whether the decision to integrate Sustainable Development in the study curriculum came from Macro, Meso or Micro levels of society. The Multi Level Perspective combined with the Pragmatist Didactic approach provides theoretical underpinnings to this study. Findings show that there is a strong level of influence on the University at all the levels (Macro,Meso,Micro) , establishing that all units in the innovation ecosystem work together to influence Sustainable development in the current study curriculum at the University of Stavanger

Education for sustainable development in social studies: A scoping review of results from Scandinavian educational research

In recent years, education for sustainable development (ESD) has been given increased attention, not only in the science and geography subjects, but all through the curricula. In the Norwegian context, ESD is implemented as an interdisciplinary theme in the newly revised curriculum, and similar changes are happening in countries all over the world. This ongoing shift has implications for both teachers and researchers, and raises the question: what do we know about ESD in social science didactics? The present study is a scoping literature review of Scandinavian research on ESD in social science didactics. The goal of the study was to give an overview of the research at present, as well as to scope out an agenda for further research. Using a range of inclusion and exclusion criteria, 25 studies were identified on the subject. The review shows, first and foremost, that the field is small, as well as predictably fragmented given the size of the sample. Some tendencies both in regards to themes and methods were identified. The majority of the sample studies used documents like curricula and textbooks as their data source. Thematically, teacher conceptions and attitudes towards ESD, often in comparison between subjects, were the most common objects of inquiry. Student or teaching-centred research was less prominent. The review shows a need for more research on ESD practices in social science classrooms and its implementation into teacher education.publishedVersio

Education in the 21st century

Master's thesis in global studies. VID Specialized University, Stavanger, May 2017MV 17 S

Teaching sustainable entrepreneurship: Learning approaches, pedagogical methods and teaching tools

Hvilke læringstilnærminger, pedagogiske metoder og undervisningsverktøy er aktuelle å bruke for undervisere innen høyere utdanning i undervisning knyttet til bærekraft og entreprenørskap? Undervisning på bærekraftig entreprenørskap (UBE) kombinerer aspekter fra entreprenørskap og bærekraft gjennom å utvikle ferdigheter og kompetanser som skal bidra til et mer bærekraftig samfunn gjennom å opptre entreprenørielt og nytenkende. Selv om det er enighet om at dette er ferdigheter som er viktige å utvikle, er likevel spørsmålet om hvordan man bør utvikle disse ferdighetene debattert. Ved hjelp av intervjuer og gjennomgang av eksisterende litteratur gir vi i denne rapporten en oversikt over 13 læringstilnærminger, 15 pedagogiske metoder og 24 ulike læringsverktøy som vi mener er nyttige i UBE. Metodene og verktøyene er videre delt inn kategorier basert på deres bruk i arbeidslivet og i høyere utdanning. Dette gjør denne rapporten til en praktisk veileder og inspirasjonskilde for undervisere som ønsker å øke studentenes kunnskap, ferdigheter og kompetanse knyttet til bærekraftig entreprenørskap. Which learning approaches, pedagogical methods and teaching tools can educators at higher education institutions use to teach sustainable entrepreneurship? Sustainable entrepreneurship education combines those aspects from entrepreneurship and sustainability education to teach students the skills and competences needed to contribute to a sustainable society by acting entrepreneurially. Although there is consensus that these skills and competences are crucial to have, how they are taught is still debated. Using a review of the literature and interviews with practitioners and educators, this report offers an overview and discussion of 13 learning approaches, 15 pedagogical methods and 24 teaching tools for sustainable entrepreneurship education. The identified methods and tools are further divided into categories regarding their usage in business and higher education, making this report an inspirational hands-on toolkit for educators

Embedding Chemistry Education into Environmental and Sustainability Education: Development of a Didaktik Model Based on an Eco-Reflexive Approach

The aim of this theoretical paper is to develop and present a didaktik model that embeds chemistry education into Environmental and Sustainability Education (ESE) using an eco-reflexive approach. A didaktik model is a tool to help educators make decisions and reflect on why, what, how, and/or when to teach. The model presented here is a revised version of the Jegstad and Sinnes model from 2015. It was systematically developed based on a critical analysis of the previous ESD (Education for Sustainable Development)-based model. This process is part of what is called didactic modeling. The revised model consists of the following six categories: (i) socio-philosophical framing; (ii) sustainable schooling and living; (iii) critical views on chemistry’s distinctiveness and methodological character; (iv) powerful chemical content knowledge; (v) critical views of chemistry in society; and (vi) eco-reflexivity through environmental and sustainability education. As in the model by Jegstad and Sinnes, the eco-reflexive didaktik model seeks to support chemistry educators in their sustainability-oriented educational planning and analysis, but from a more critical perspective. Based on an eco-reflexive Bildung approach, one additional category—socio-philosophical framing—was added to the revised model. This is because the previous model does not take sufficient account of worldview perspectives, cultural values, and educational philosophy. The eco-reflexive didaktik model is illustrated with boxes, and it is suggested that all categories in these boxes should be considered in holistic and eco-reflexive chemistry education. The purpose of such education is to develop students’ ChemoKnowings

Embedding Chemistry Education into Environmental and Sustainability Education: Development of a Didaktik Model Based on an Eco-Reflexive Approach

The aim of this theoretical paper is to develop and present a didaktik model that embeds chemistry education into Environmental and Sustainability Education (ESE) using an eco-reflexive approach. A didaktik model is a tool to help educators make decisions and reflect on why, what, how, and/or when to teach. The model presented here is a revised version of the Jegstad and Sinnes model from 2015. It was systematically developed based on a critical analysis of the previous ESD (Education for Sustainable Development)-based model. This process is part of what is called didactic modeling. The revised model consists of the following six categories: (i) socio-philosophical framing; (ii) sustainable schooling and living; (iii) critical views on chemistry’s distinctiveness and methodological character; (iv) powerful chemical content knowledge; (v) critical views of chemistry in society; and (vi) eco-reflexivity through environmental and sustainability education. As in the model by Jegstad and Sinnes, the eco-reflexive didaktik model seeks to support chemistry educators in their sustainability-oriented educational planning and analysis, but from a more critical perspective. Based on an eco-reflexive Bildung approach, one additional category—socio-philosophical framing—was added to the revised model. This is because the previous model does not take sufficient account of worldview perspectives, cultural values, and educational philosophy. The eco-reflexive didaktik model is illustrated with boxes, and it is suggested that all categories in these boxes should be considered in holistic and eco-reflexive chemistry education. The purpose of such education is to develop students’ ChemoKnowings

Sustainable development in higher education in Europe. Good practices compendium

Higher Education Institutions among all educational structures are vested with significant responsibility in implementing the concept of Sustainable Development, both to incorporate this concept within their activities (teaching, research, operations) and to widespread Sustainable Development in the society and business world. The report is the final product of Work Package 3 (WP3) entitled “Identifying sustainable and user-friendly Good Practices”. The objective is the identification and diffusion of Good Practices concerned with Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Higher Education Institutions. The topic is analysed in a broader sense, on one side considering the characterisation of the political and institutional framework, and on the other side describing formal and informal learning experiences in Higher Education Institutions. 36 Good Practices are discussed and presented in systematic forms, that have been categorized according to the following topics related to the implementation of Sustainable Development education: policies, institutional activities, teaching and practical experiences. The Good Practices represent a wide range of situations concerning different European countries, institutions, typologies of the initiatives, geographical levels of implementation. However in this diversity some characterizing aspects emerge: the holistic and interdisciplinary approaches to ESD, the attention in achieving tangible results, the involvement of local communities and the bottom-up approaches, the importance of partnerships and networking, the capacity building, the innovation of the initiatives, and the attention in building a framework favorable to Sustainable Development. The Good Practices were selected in a wider range of case studies, emerging from a “State of the Art” analysis in the field of Sustainable Development in the University Studies of Life Sciences in Europe, carried out within the ISLE project, and from the research of the project partners. The selection has been done in accordance with the criteria of transferability, pertinence, capacity building, user friendless, innovation, networking capacity and interdisciplinarity.peer-reviewe