Development of competences and conditions for good practices in ESD.A qualitative international survey.

International audienceThe concept of competence is still controversial. An operational definition in the educational field considers competence " holistic in the sense that it integrates and relates external demands, individual attributes (including ethics and values) and context as essential elements of competent performance". Each competence emerges from the interaction among " knowledge (including tacit knowledge), motivation, capacities, attitudes, values, emotions, mobilized for effective actions in particular contexts ". Our qualitative analysis identified competencies expected by projects of Education for Sustainable Development and the conditions for their development. Reports about "good practices" of UNESCO associated schools and an inventory of case studies in Italian Secondary Schools have been analysed to highlight the five learning pillars (to know, to do, to be, to live together and to transform) pursued by these experiences. The specific competencies were matched with a list of ESD themes, and with phases of realization of projects aimed at producing some change in the close life-environment. The development of the teachers' competencies seems to largely occur in parallel with the actualization of the experiences; teachers' and students' motivation appear mutually contagious and certainly play an important role. The integration of disciplinary knowledge in real life problems, and the identification of unifying trans-disciplinary conceptual networks, need attention

Education pour le Développement Durable (EDD) et compétences des élèves dans l'enseignement secondaire

Etude réalisée pour l'UNESCO Téléchargeable sur le site : www.ensi.org/Publications/Publications-reports/Etude réalisée pour l'UNESCO (2011° Plan 1 - Introduction : EDD et compétences p.3 1.1. Le Développement durable. La métaphore de la grenouille p.3 1.2. Thèmes et valeurs de l'EDD p.6 1.3. Constructivisme et compétences p.11 2 - La mise en pratique de l'EDD pour développer les compétences des élèves : p.16 A. Politiques éducatives et stratégies nationales en matière d'EDD p.16 1. Introduction : les objectifs de ce bilan p.16 2. Exemples dans 13 pays p.17 Suède p.17 Danemark p.19 France p.19 Italie p.21 Hongrie p.24 Maroc p.25 Liban p.26 Sénégal p.27 Cameroun p.29 Brésil p.30 Colombie p.32 Malaisie p.34 Australie p.35 3. Conclusion p.37 B. Le rôle des enseignants dans le développement des compétences des élèves p.40 1. Introduction : les objectifs de l'enquête auprès d'enseignants dans 24 pays p.40 2. La diversité des perceptions par les enseignants de questions relatives à l'environnement p.42 3. Corrélations entre conceptions anthropocentrées et opinions sociopolitiques ou religieuses p.43 4. Conceptions anthropocentrées et conceptions sur les droits de l'homme p.44 5. Conclusion p.46 C. Les manuels scolaires : relèvent-ils le défi des compétences liées à l'EDD ? Une analyse dans six pays p.48 1. Prémisses p.48 2. Synthèse des résultats p.49 3. Conclusions p.52 Images de manuels : un exemple (figure 7) p.53-54 3 - Les compétences par l'EDD dans des pratiques de classe stimulantes p.55 1. Introduction p.55 2. Les 18 exemples : 1. Afrique du Sud- 2. Biélorussie. 3. Colombie. p.56 4. Espagne. 5. France. 6. Grèce. 7. Indonésie. 8. Japon. 9. Lituanie. 10. Maroc. 11. Pakistan. 12. Portugal (1). 13. Portugal (2). 14. Sri Lanka. 15. Tanzanie. 16. Thaïlande. 17. Tunisie. 18. Ouzbékistan 3. Synthèse p.75 4. Discussion p.79 4 - Bilan et perspectives p.83 1. Compétences des élèves p.83 2. Difficultés p.84 3. Recommandations p.8

Diversity of teachers' conceptions related to environment and human rights. A survey in 24 countries.

International audienceThe environmental, social and economical dimensions of ESD include human rights as equality of all the human beings independently to their gender, ethnic group, religion or sexual orientation. To analyse teachers' conceptions on environment and on human rights, and to identify eventual links between them and with controlled parameters, a large survey has been done in 24 countries (8 749 teachers). The data are submitted to multivariate analyses. In the less developed countries, the teachers' conceptions are more anthropocentric, less awareness of the problem of the limit of resources in our planet, and less reticent to use GMO (genetically modified organisms). These teachers are more believing in God, more practising religion, more for "a strong central power", "against the separation between science and religion". The priority of ESD in these countries is poverty and development, while it is to avoid wasting and excessive consumption in the most developed countries. The teachers with the most anthropocentric conceptions more agree with these propositions: "It is for biological reasons that women more often than men take care of housekeeping" and "Ethnic groups are genetically different and that is why some are superior to others", and more disagree with: "Homosexual couples should have the same rights as heterosexual couples". These points illustrate that some socio-cultural traditions can differ from values of ESD (the universal human rights)

EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: INTERNATIONAL SURVEYS ON CONCEPTIONS AND POSTURES OF TEACHERS

International audienceEducation for a Sustainable Development (ESD) is more and better im-plemented around the world. We first define the competences in ESD, in-cluding values and practices that can sometimes strongly differ from those of teachers. Recent inquiries show significant differences among the teach-ers' conceptions on ESD, linked to their disciplines, with difficulty to consider the three dimensions of ESD (economical, social and envi-ronmental). Other more qualitative research approaches identified several teachers' postures, as more or less neutral, interventionist or critical. ESD includes human rights as equality of all the human beings independ-ently to their gender, ethnic group, religion or sexual orientation. To ana-lyse teachers' conceptions on environment and on human rights, a large survey has been done in 24 countries, showing strong differences among these countries. In the less developed ones, the teachers' conceptions are more anthropocentric, reveal less awareness of the problematic limit of re-sources in our planet, and less reticence to use GMO (genetically modified organisms). These teachers are more fervent believers in God, deeply prac-tising religion. They also agree more than others with propositions as: "It is for biological reasons that women more often than men take care of housekeeping", or with statements justifying racism or homophobia. These points illustrate that some socio-cultural traditions may hinder values which are relevant components of ESD (e.g. some of the universal human rights)

What do laypersons want to know from scientists? An analysis of a dialogue between scientists and laypersons on the web site Scienzaonline

Scienzaonline is an interactive web site developed by the Museum of Zoology of Rome that offers various services. After the site had been online for three years, we examined approximately 800 questions received by the service Expert on line to understand what laypeople's interests in science are and in which life contexts they emerge. The contents of the questions were categorized to reveal the function and the nature of the knowledge that people expect from “experts”. Some kind of actual accomplishment motivates most of the questions, though a considerable number of them have knowledge and understanding as their objective. Information is the main form of expected knowledge and disciplinary knowledge is viewed as the privileged source of it. A relevant percentage of messages reveal the desire to obtain explanations and validations of reported facts, an aid to go beyond factual knowledge. Striving to find answers to “great unanswered questions” emerges as a passionate intellectual endeavor for some people

Dynamical models of spheroidal multi-component stellar systems

We present a significantly improved version of our numerical code JASMINE, that can now solve the Jeans equations for axisymmetric models of stellar systems, composed of an arbitrary number of stellar populations, a Dark Matter halo, and a central Black Hole. The stellar components can have different structural (density profile, flattening, mass, scale length), dynamical (rotational support, velocity dispersion anisotropy), and population (age, metallicity, Initial Mass Function, mass-to-light ratio) properties. These models, when combined with observations, will allow to investigate important issues, such as quantifying the systematic effects of IMF variations, of mass-to-light ratio gradients, and of different stellar kinematic components (e.g. counter rotating disks, kinematically decoupled cores) on luminosity-weighted properties. The developed analytical and numerical framework aims at modeling Early-Type Galaxies, but it can also be applied to dwarf Spheroidal galaxies and Globular Clusters.Comment: 4 pages 2 figures. To appear in the Proceedings of the 351 IAU Symposium "Star Clusters: From the Milky Way to the Early Universe

Feasibility and Early Outcomes of a Parent Training Intervention to Engage Parents in Children’s Media Education

The importance of parents in mediating adolescents’ Internet use is documented by many studies in the literature. Very few, however, regard interventions to support parents in this role. We wanted to assess the feasibility and the early outcomes of an Internet-based parent educational group course aimed to support parents in adolescents’ media education. The intervention was conducted with two different groups of parents (N = 20, 75% women; mean age = 46.9 y; SD = 6.3) at different time-points. The intervention included five sessions, during which information about parental mediation strategies was provided and practical exercises based on the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) approach were proposed. The intervention generated greater awareness, openness and flexibility and increased parental familiarity with technological devices. Overall, the proposed web-based and group-based parent training model has shown good feasibility and promising early outcomes in supporting parents as Internet mediators.publishedVersio

Two Dimensions of Moral Cognition as Correlates of Different Forms of Participation in Bullying

The present study investigated the extent to which moral disengagement and the tendency to consider moral rules as socio-conventional rules are distinct dimensions of morality, and their association with three different forms of participation in bullying (perpetrating bullying, defending the victim and passive bystander behavior). These two types of moral cognitions have been theorized in different models of morality and are usually studied independently, even if research on moral shifts (the interpretation of a moral rule transgression as a socio-conventional rule transgression) suggests some possible overlaps. A group of 276 Italian students from primary and middle school (aged 8–15) completed self-reports assessing moral disengagement, socio-conventional perception of moral rules, and participation in bullying as bully, defender of the victim and passive bystander. Results from structural equation modeling analysis confirmed that moral disengagement and socio-conventional comprehension of aggressions are separate and moderately connected morality dimensions. Controlling for age, gender and SES, only moral disengagement was positively associated with perpetrating bullying. These results point to moral disengagement as the critical component of moral cognitions to be addressed in interventions.publishedVersio

Teachers' conceptions concerning the environment across nine Mediterranean countries

Text of the oral communicationInternational audienceMediterranean countries share the same climate, the same nature and the same roots of civilization. Nevertheless they differ in socio-political aspects, economical development and religions. Are the teachers' conceptions on Environment linked to some of these parameters? Our research, held in the context of the BIOHEAD-Citizen project " Biology, Health and Environmental Education for better Citizenship ", analysed the answers of 4189 teachers from nine Mediterranean countries to a questionnaire dealing with some topics of Environment: utilization, protection, GMO, feelings of animals, ... Multivariate analyses show great divergences among the teachers' conceptions, several inside each country and some differentiating the countries. In countries from the South of Mediterranean Sea (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon), the teachers' conceptions are more anthropocentric and more pro-GMO than in European Mediterranean countries (Cyprus, Malta, Italia, France, Portugal). The anthropocentric conceptions from the South Mediterranean countries are correlated with a low economical development, but also with a high degree of believing in God and practising religion (with no difference among religions) and with some socio-political positions more "at right" and against secularism. These correlations between knowledge, values and attitudes related to Environment are to be taken into account to improve the Environmental Education in each country

Challenge your Brain. Blogging during the COVID Lockdown as a Way to Enhance Well-Being and Cognitive Reserve in an Older Population

Background: The lockdown linked with COVID-19 restrictions has been reported to have severe consequences at an emotional and cognitive level, this was especially true for vulnerable populations, such as the older adults. This study aims at exploring the effect of a blog-based intervention implemented during COVID lockdown to increase the perceived well-being and cognitive reserve (CR) of a sample of American older adults. Methods: Forty-one participants (63% female), age range from 64 to 83, participated in a blog-based 5-week intervention. Their level of well-being as well as cognitive reserve were assessed before and after the intervention with specific scales. Participants were matched by age, gender and education level to a quasi-equivalent control group living in the same area who was tested on the same variables. Results: Results showed a significant increase in both perceived well-being and CR in the intervention group. A significant difference was also found when comparing the intervention group to the matched controls.publishedVersio