| 1. |
- Nordén, Birgitta, et al.
(författare)
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Heading Towards an Unknown Future : Non-Formal Learning Communities for Sustainable Societies – a Possible Pedagogy in Refugee Education?
- 2016
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- There is a wide consensus that radically different pedagogies are needed to deal with the challenges of our times (Reid &Scott, 2013). Barnett (2012) argues that preparing for the unknown should be a central principal in education. Not only do young people need to independently evaluate highly complex situations that will arise, but they also need to be prepared to take appropriate action, solve major social and environmental problems and organise their own learning throughout the life course (Öhman, 2008; Almers, 2009). School cannot provide a set of ready-made recipes, nor can education be limited to narrow national objectives. Increased mobility over the life course involves quickly getting our bearings in new surroundings, and learning to cooperate with people who may not share our culture, our language or our values. The challenge that transnational mobility poses to education is even more salient with respect to refugees and displaced populations. With the latest wave of refugees, this has become one of the most pressing questions on the European agenda (European Parliament, 2016). European Commissioner for Education Tibor Navracsics underlined in his speech of 29 September 2015 that education will play a key role in integrating refugees. A future rise in forced migration is a major concern also globally (British Council, 2016). Refugee education may be interrupted or altogether suspended at several points. Education systems differ across national borders, and validation of prior education is very limited. On each step of the journey, requirements and goals will differ. Language-in-education policies constitute a serious obstacle. Importantly also, refugees have a low status in the host countries, and young people are disempowered. Depriving this generation of access to education and preventing them from realising their dreams will have serious consequences. This paper argues that some of the pedagogies we find in transnational non-formal education networks can help to address these issues, building the competencies and capabilities young people need, more urgently than ever (Nordén & Anderberg, 2012). Such non-formal learning environments also have the potential of complementing formal schooling, which are focused on transmitting an existing body of knowledge, rather than learning to autonomously transform societies and shape the future. This case study analyses the development of learning processes among international network representatives meeting annually within Caretakers of the Environment International, CEI (Global Forum, 2013). What does it take to enable students to see the planet as one interdependent environment? CEI believes this occur through having students meet and work together. By organizing annual international conferences, making available a periodical for – and by – teachers and students, establishing national branches and organizing regional workshops, CEI tries to establish a worldwide network of actively concerned secondary school teachers and students, willing to prioritise challenging issues through their education and their action-taking. The network intends to be a podium for teachers and students to exchange concerns, ideas, strategies, actions and projects in the field of ESD. Teachers and Mentors have an important role in guiding the students in their project. Development of capabilities and competences has been researched in general and on the meta-level (Scheunpflug, 2014; Cotton & Winter, 2010; Rauch & Steiner, 2006). Communities of learning across borders considering projects and learning agendas not limited to national interests, but matching the different circumstances people are facing across the globe. Several characteristics of GLSD could be compared with what Dawe et al (2005) have called sustainability literacy. Nordén, Avery & Anderberg (2012) summarised the characteristics for transition skill competences, stressing that they involved by learners needed critical knowledge capabilities in (1) organising themselves and making decisions independently; (2) developing transnational learning communities and (3) democratic collaborative action. Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources Used: It is common in educational research to focus on learning outcomes that are easily measured. By contrast, many of the learning outcomes relevant in Global Learning for Sustainable Development are highly complex (Scheunpflug, 2011), and do not easily lend themselves to measurement. The capability to work with multi-dimensional and changing sustainability challenges is by definition a moving target. Additionally, self-organisation and democratic deliberation (Biesta, 2004; Roth, 2006) are a question of setting goals independently, and outcomes of such projects are not measurable against standardised goal criteria. Similar arguments can be made concerning the ability to effect social change for sustainbility, which includes changing agendas in education systems. Rather than focusing on learning targets specified in advance, we have therefore found it preferable here to look at the possibilities offered by these non-formal learning environments in terms of learning affordances for developing and practicing competencies and capabilities for sustainable futures. The notion of learning affordances (Caldwell, Bilandzic & Foth, 2012) has mostly been used to discuss the opportunities various digital environments provide for learning. We will use it here to describe different characteristics of the transnational network studied in this case study, in terms of providing advanced learning opportunities for young people with different backgrounds. Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or Findings: Findings suggest that the overall challenge in trying to enable this learning of those involved is keeping momentum between network structures and network processes. These informal settings teach awareness about how, not what, to think. The learning continuum advances as youth and their educators attain a sense of community and find their place within the local-global context by engaging in network activities. The results show similarities among examples of activities found in the CEI projects with those suggested by Cotton and Winter (2010), which are; stimulus activities, critical incidents, reflexive accounts, personal development planning, critical reading and writing, debates, group discussions, case studies, role plays and simulations, beside problem based learning. The ability to: think creatively and holistically and to make critical judgements; develop a high level of self-reflection; understand, evaluate and adopt values conducive to sustainability; bridge the gap between theory and practice; in sustainable development, only transformational action counts; participate creatively in inter-disciplinary teams; besides the ability to initiate and manage change. At a global level, there is a growing need to develop competencies and capabilities for transitions towards sustainability. Conflicts and climate change are drastically increasing the number of refugees and displaced people who need proactive preventive strategies, as well as skills that can be used across numerous contexts and in the face of changing circumstances. Increasingly, also young people need to manage their own learning processes in self-directed learning, regardless of where they are physically and where they may move in their lifetimes. As established social structures struggle to address global challenges, people across the planet need to be able to organise themselves and to take initiatives. Against this background, several aspects of the GLSD approaches investigated in this study appear highly relevant. References Anderberg, E., Nordén, B., and Hansson, B. (2009). Global learning for sustainable development in higher education : recent trends and critique. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education 10(4), 368–378. Barnett, R. (2012). Learning for an unknown future. Higher Education Research & Development, 31(1), 65-77. European Parliament (2016). “The situation is getting worse.” by Avramopoulos, Dimitris, EU Migration Commissioner. Visited at January 21, 2016 at: http://www.euronews.com/2016/01/21/imf-proposes-prickly-solutions-for-europe-s-refugee-challenges/ British Council (2016-01-21). “Beyond aid: educating Syria's refugees.” By Bubbers, Joel, British Council Director Syria. Visited January 21, 2016, at: https://www.britishcouncil.org/organisation/policy-insight-research/insight/beyond-aid-educating-Syrias-refugees Cotton, D.R.E and Winter, J. (2010) 'It's not just bits of paper and light bulbs': A review of sustainability pedagogies and their potential for use in Higher Education. In Sustainability Education: Perspectives and Practice Across Higher Education.(Editors: Jones, P., Selby, D. and Sterling, S.) Dawe, G., Jucker, R. and Martin, S. (2005) Sustainable development in higher education: current practice and future developments. A report for the Higher Education Academy. Global Forum for Enviromental Education (2013). Caretakers of the Environment International (CEI).A Global Network of Secondary School Teachers and Students Active in Environmental Education. Visited at 2016-01-20: http://www.caretakers4all.org Nordén, B., and Anderberg, E. (2012). Sustainable development through global learning and teaching. In (Eds.) Madu, Christian N. and Kuei, Chu-Hua. World Scientific Publishing.. Nordén, B., Avery, H., and Anderberg, E.(2012). Learning in global settings : developing transitions for meaning-making. Research in Comparative and Iinternational Education (7)4, pp. 514-529, Symposium Journals. Rauch, F. & Steiner, R. (2006): School development through education for sustainable development in Austria, Environmental Education Research, 12(1), pp. 115–127. Reid, A. and Scott, W. (2013). Identifying Needs in Environmental Education Research. In (Eds) St
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| 2. |
- Nordén, Birgitta, et al.
(författare)
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Transitions Towards an Unknown Future : Non-Formal Learning in Transnational Communities for a Sustainable Society
- 2019
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Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The study makes an inventory of learning opportunities young people were offered in connection with CEI 2016, one of the annual international conferences organized by the NGO named Caretakers of the Environment International (CEI), which year 2016 took place in Aalborg in Denmark. The learning opportunities offered by this transnational learning community are discussed in relation to some essential learning qualities to meet the comprehensive sustainability challenges facing our societies - in particular youth, who can be seen as a target group per se, many times in transition-like situations: (1) learning for uncertain future, 82) dealing with complex cross-border issues, (3) ability to collaborate, (4) take initiative and act in society. These qualities are difficult to achieve in formal school systems that are essentially organized to ensure the transmission of a specific learning content and measurable abilities. The question in this study has been inspired by a previous study in a Swedish school context (Nordén, Avery & Anderberg, 2012, Nordén, 2016), about abilities that allow high school students to get an agency towards local and global sustainability challenges. The critical skills identified were: (1) Organization/self-regulation and independent decision-making skills (2) Development of Transnational Learning Communities (3) Democratic cooperation in action. There is widespread consensus that radical new educational approaches are needed to address the challenges of our time (Breiting & Wickenberg, 2010; Mochizuki & Yarime, 2016; Reid & Scott, 2013). Traditionally, focus has been placed on transmitting an existing knowledge base. The situations we face are changing at a staggering rate, and future developments are characterized by great uncertainty. Barnett (2012) therefore claims that preparation for the unknown should be guiding in education. Young people must not only be able to explore different complex situations, but also be prepared to take initiatives to act, find solutions to major environmental and social problems, and steer up their own learning during their life journey (Almers, 2013; Barrat, Barratt-Hacking, Scott & Talbot, 2006; Öhman, 2008). In this context, one has talked about sustainability literacy (Dawe, Jucker & Martin, 2005). CEI's activities are non-formal (Mocker & Spear, 1982) in the sense that they are organized for the purpose of promoting learning for sustainability and have a well-considered overall structure, but participants can independently define the issues and projects they work with . The transnational learning community could thereby support a challenge-oriented learning (UE4SD, 2015). The results indicate that the processes are supported when young people and their teachers experience a sense of community and having a place in the local-global context. This is done both through intensive work on their own projects prior to the conference, through participation in the physical meetings during the conference and the subsequent network activities in connection with it. In order for society as a whole to take advantage of the potential of non-formal learning, alternative educational approaches need to gain increased recognition and attention. The focus has to be shifted from a narrow performance splash that values isolated results, to reflect more widely on the learning opportunities offered by different forms of education in their entirety.
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| 3. |
- Nordén, Birgitta, et al.
(författare)
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Hållbarhetsdilemman och platsbaserat arbete i förskolelärarutbildningen (Sustainability dilemmas and place-based work in preschool teacher education)
- 2016
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Förskolelärares kompetens är strategisk för hållbarhetsarbete i förskolan. En kursuppgift om intressekonflikter kring hållbarhet för studenter på förskolelärarprogrammet presenteras här. Uppgiften tar sin utgångspunkt i en plats i närområdet. Studenter får därigenom både problematisera och använda sin erfarenhet och kännedom om den lokala platsen i utformandet av relevanta pedagogiska aktiviteter. Utvidgat abstrakt: Hållbar utveckling i högre utbildning är ett brett fält som inbegriper såväl formuleringar i övergripande måldokument som konkreta handlingsplaner på institutionsnivå, gällande allt från miljöanpassning av universitetet som fysisk verksamhet, till frågan om hållbarhetsperspektiv i utbildningarnas eller forskningens innehåll (ue4sd outcomes). Bland de utbildningar som ges har lärarutbildningarna (Rauch & Steiner 2013; UNESCO 2005; Wals 2014) ett särskilt intresse avseende att utveckla kompetenser för samhällets övergång till hållbarhet. Skolan når de flesta medborgare och bildar grund för ungas fortsatta utveckling, men påverkar även deras syn på kunskapsparadigm, värderingar och expertis. Medan utbildning och yrkesutövning efter grundskolan delas upp i olika specialiseringar, kan elever i skola och förskola bilda grund för en integrerad transdisciplinär syn på samhället och den värld vi lever i. Avseende förskola och yngre barns introduktion till hållbarhetsfrågor har det argumenterats att de tidiga åren har stor betydelse för barnets syn på sig själv och på sin plats i världen. De tidiga åren är också viktiga för barnets relation till andra livsformer (Askerlund, Almers, Hyltse-Eckert & Avery, 2014). Samtidigt är det inte helt oproblematiskt att introducera högkomplexa hållbarhetsfrågor i förskolan, eftersom denna syftar att stärka barnets utveckling och socialisering genom lek-baserad pedagogik (Thulin, 2011; Edwards & Cutter-MacKenzie, 2013). Ytterligare problem är att naturvetenskaplig kunskap förmedlas genom lärare som inte själva har en stark utbildning inom naturvetenskaper (Nilsson, 2012). En möjlig ansats för att undvika några av dessa risker är att arbeta praktiskt med lokala frågeställningar, och därigenom koppla reflektioner till lärarstudenternas erfarenheter. Relaterade till plats har identifierats som väsentlig i engagemang för hållbarhet (Beery & Wolf-Watz, 2014), samtidigt som det är viktigt att knyta till förståelse av globala samband (McInerney, Smyth & Down, 2011). Avgörande för utsträckningen i vilken lärarutbildningar skapar utrymme för lärarstudenter att utveckla kompetens i utbildning mot hållbarhet är även: kopplingar till forskningsmiljöer som fokuserar hållbarhetsfrågor; möjligheter att arbeta på tvärs över samhälls- och naturvetenskaper; handlingsorienterad kunskap (Avery & Nordén, 2015). Som exempel presenteras här en uppgift som gavs till studenter på förskolelärarprogrammet inom kursen Naturvetenskap och teknik i förskolan. Uppgiften handlade om hållbar utveckling och intressekonflikter (Öhman & Öhman, 2012). Studenterna skulle utifrån en plats i närområdet med hjälp av omgivningen gestalta och problematisera en intressekonflikt kring hållbarhet. Uppgiften syftade att utmana studenternas och andras tänkande kring hållbarhetsperspektiv, eftersom värderingar av vad som ses som hållbart kan bero på vilket perspektiv som antas, och för vem det skall vara hållbart. Studenterna skulle också fråga sig vilka prioriteringar och bortprioriteringar vi kan bli tvungna att göra för att fatta beslut som på sikt kan ge ett mer hållbart sätt att leva för människa och miljö. Diskussion och problematisering var i fokus i uppgiften. Genom att studenterna kunde välja vilken intressekonflikt de ville arbeta med, hade de möjlighet att relatera till frågeställningar som de själva hade kunskap om. Övningen var placerad i en utomhusmiljö, vilket gjorde att syftningar och de naturvetenskapliga implikationerna blev konkreta och mer entydiga än om de hade enbart representerats verbalt. Flera element i uppgiftsupplägget skulle kunna användas för andra kurser för hållbarhet.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Nordén, Birgitta, et al.
(författare)
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Knowledge capabilities for sustainable development in global classrooms – local challenges
- 2011
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Ingår i: Utbildning och Demokrati. - 1102-6472 .- 2001-7316. ; 20:1, s. 35-58
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Young Masters Programme provides young people around the world with a net–based global–local learning environment for sustainable develop-ment. The present study investigates certain aspects of the implementation of this programme in the secondary schools of a Swedish municipality, in the context of the Lund Calling project. The research focuses on critical abilities to act globally, referred to as “knowledge capabilities”, and how they relate to the implementation process of initiating global learning for sustainable development (GLSD). A phenomenographic approach and semi–structured interviews were used in the investigation of the experiences of secondary school pupils, teachers and headmasters who participated in the project. Participants’ experiences of the changes carried out are described in relation to examples of knowledge capabilities needed for GLSD. Critical knowledge capabilities found to have been developed through the implementation were: to take command, and to collaborate. Critical knowledge capabilities perceived as necessary, but not developed through the programme were: to be prepared, to act in a transdisciplinary manner, and to lead for a holistic understanding
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| 6. |
- Nordén, Birgitta, et al.
(författare)
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Learning in global settings : developing transitions for meaning-making
- 2012
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Ingår i: Research in Comparative and International Education. - : Symposium Journals. - 1745-4999. ; 7:4, s. 514-529
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Global teaching and learning for sustainable development reaches from the classroom to the world outside, and is therefore a particularly interesting setting for practicing transitions skills. The article suggests a number of features perceived as crucial in developing young people’s capability to act in a changing world and under circumstances that are difficult to predict. The suggestions are based on an empirical study of the Lund Calling project, which aimed at implementing a web-based international programme for teaching preventive environmental strategies in Swedish secondary schools. The article first touches on some of the conditions in Sweden that particularly impact young people’s transition to adulthood. Related research in sustainability education is also briefly outlined. Knowledge capability theory is used to discuss results from the empirical study of the Lund Calling project, where interviews were conducted with secondary school students, teachers and headmasters. Based on these interviews, features that appear to be particularly relevant as transition skills in global learning for sustainable development include transdisciplinary action, democratic collaborative action, as well as self-directed and independent initiative. The article concludes that young people today cannot, as in earlier periods of history, base their actions entirely on the traditions of the family or community. Instead, they also need to learn to form their own communities, capable of acting on both local and global levels. Education here plays an important role, to develop necessary transition skills that enable young people to be prepared for a rapidly changing and uncertain world.
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