Wie Kinder komplexe Systeme verstehen lernen: Beiträge zur Didaktik des systemischen Denkens und des systembezogenen Handelns in der Volksschule

Schlussbericht des Aktionsforschungsprojektes der Pädagogischen Hochschulen Zürich und Rorscach als Teil eines Schweizerisch-Deutschen KooperationsprojektesSystemverständnis und Handlungskompetenz in komplexen Systemzusammenhängen sind wesentliche Aspekte der Lebenstüchtigkeit in unserer immer vernetzteren Welt. Eine Didaktik systemischen Denkens und systembezogenen Handelns in der Volksschule ist aber – mit Ausnahme einiger Arbeiten im angelsächsischen Sprachraum – noch nicht entwickelt worden. Mit explorativen Fallstudien mit Aktionsforschungsansatz und einer Begleitforschung in Form von qualitativen Interviews wurden Ansätze zu einer Didaktik systemischen Denkens gesucht und nach den Möglichkeiten der Förderung dieses Denkens bei Kindern gefragt. Mit diesem Projekt wurde im deutschen Raum Neuland betreten. Die Resultate lassen den Schluss zu, dass Systemdenken (SD) schon in der Volksschule wirksam vermittelt werden kann. Sie zeigen, wie wichtig das Verständnis von SD bei Lehrkräften als Ausgangspunkt für erfolgreichen Unterricht ist und weisen auf unterschiedliche Umsetzungsmodelle hin. Und sie geben Hinweise darauf, wie ein Training für Lehrkräfte gestaltet werden könnte und was für Unterrichtshilfen nötig sein werden, um SD in der Volksschule breiter zu verankern

Transformative Learning and Education for Sustainable Development

Is higher education capable of promoting learning for change? Can transformative learning nurture spaces for innovation in education for sustainable development? A call to action from saguf

The integration of biodiversity education in the initial education of primary school teachers: four comparative case studies from Europe

In this article, we present results from an international research study on biodiversity education in pre-service education of primary school teachers. The study was carried out between 2004-2006 in four teacher education institutions in Cyprus, England, Switzerland and Germany. We used document analyses and indepth interviews with 27 teacher educators and 22 student teachers to examine the integration of biodiversity into the pre-service teacher education programmes, and the student teachers' satisfaction with their respective education. In all teacher education institutions, aspects of biodiversity education were integrated mostly in the natural science modules which provided students at least with some information on the scientific aspects of biodiversity. Few modules included aspects of the controversial nature of biodiversity conservation in relation to economics, ethics, social and political concerns, and methodological approaches on how to deal with this. In the institutions in Cyprus, England and Germany the teaching focus was content-oriented, whereas in Switzerland a situated method-oriented approach was used. The student teachers in Switzerland felt more confident to teach about biodiversity in school. All interviewees thought it necessary to prepare primary school student teachers on how to address biodiversity in schools, and strategies on how best to achieve this are critically discussed

Confidence and perceived competence of preservice teachers to implement biodiversity education in primary schools—four comparative case studies from Europe

This multinational research study was carried out between 2004 and 2006 in four teacher education institutions in Cyprus, England, Switzerland, and Germany. With the help of a written questionnaire, the confidence and perceived competence of preservice primary teachers (N = 690) to deliver biodiversity education in school were investigated. Data were triangulated with findings from a previous stage of the overall research project. Study participants' confidence to carry out certain outdoor activities in school increased with the number of similar experiences they had during their own secondary school education, and the more personal classroom experiences they had during their teacher education. A sound knowledge of local wild organisms strongly added to their confidence. However, preservice teachers' perceived competence, and thus motivation to implement biodiversity education later on in school, was related even more strongly to the extent of preparation they had received during their teacher education. The results indicate that teacher education programmes that focus exclusively on filling (biodiversity) knowledge gaps might fail to raise confidence and competence in their students to carry out biodiversity education in school. Programmes that have a higher possibility of attaining effectiveness in biodiversity education seek to strike a balance between background knowledge development, pedagogical content knowledge, and opportunities during teaching practice that leads to experiential gains in enacting meaningful activity sequences and engaging students in holistic educational innovations. Within such programmes, it would be fruitful to further explore the relationship between confidence, perceived competence, and actual teaching performance