From Mari Nuutinen (RCE ESPOo) I felt me so happy when you asked me to come to online discussion about teacher education and better school. I told you that I will join soon. Then I began to think more about education and teachers and educators around the world. I thought about humanity and meaning of our life. I was wondering how I can share my thoughts with people who have their own thoughts about humanity and who are working on teacher education and better schools. Now I have clarified my thoughts. It is very important and big deal when we are talking about ESD, "If we are to build our future on firm ground, we need to learn to maintain social, cultural, and economic well-being without depleting natural resources or overloading nature ´s delicate balance. It is the role of education and training to ensure that citizens of all ages have the knowledge, skills, readiness and vision that will enable them to build a sustainable and equitable future and commit to a sustainable way of life. It is demanding role that will require that firm support be given to teachers, trainers and educators" (Finnish National Commission on Sustainable Development, Sub-committee for Education, 2006) The idea of DESD is great. I think it tells about the most important message for humankind. The idea of RCE is great. It tells how to bring the message to every people´s everyday life. RCEs promote the long-term goals of ESD, such as environmental stewardship, social justice and improvement of the quality of life. RCE Espoo The application process was very important for us and especially that we had to decide together the vision and look honestly for challenges what we have concerning well-being , SD and ESD. RCE Espoo vision: “Sustainable future is an active choice and we will reach it together!” We understood that if we want to engage all people of Espoo towards sustainable future by lifelong learning and effective change of sustainable ways of acting, being, living, caring, working, affecting and enjoying it requires us will and faith to work for the more sustainable future. We found some very important papers for our work written by Ministry and National commission Sustainable development in education; Implementation of Baltic 21E programme and Finnish strategy for decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005-2014. http://web.abo.fi/fc/bup/Finnish_Min_of_Educ_strategy_for_sust_dev.pdf Towards Sustainable Development in Higher Education – Reflections, Publications of the Ministry of Education 2007:6 http://80.248.162.139/export/sites/default/OPM/Julkaisut/2007/liitteet/opm06.pdf Strategy for education and Training for Sustainable development and Implementation Plan 2006-2014. If we are to build our future on firm ground, we need to learn to maintain social, cultural, and economic well-being without depleting natural resources or overloading nature ´s delicate balance. It is the role of education and training to ensure that citizens of all ages have the knowledge, skills, readiness and vision that will enable them to build a sustainable and equitable future and commit to a sustainable way of life. It is demanding role that will require that firm support be given to teachers, trainers and educators.” The Sub-committee for Education proposes that a sustainable development programme of action be drawn up in every educational organization by 2010. It should be part of the budget and action plan and quality assurance. The aim is that 15 percent of day-care centres, schools and educational institutions should have received an external acknowledgement or certificate for their sustainable development activity by 2014. (National Commission on Sustainable Development, Sub-committee for Education, 2006) Challenges in Espoo (from our RCE application, 2009) Our educators or teachers at all educational levels (from early childhood care to the highest education) have not known about DESD or only some educators or teachers. ! According to Education Authorities there are needs: To get ESD program (SD Implementation Plan) to all education levels To implement good ESD practices which are developed in earlier projects To increase our competitiveness in a frame of ESD competences. Teacher education and in-service training To research how ESD work is managed and implemented in Espoo ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SOMETHING ABOUT VALUES; TEACHERHOOD, ENCOUNTERS PROJECTS AND RCE ESPOO GOALS My letter to Charles Hopkins (2009) when he told me more about ESD and the idea of RCE. I have thought much about ESD and my teacherhood. I have never thought really me as a teacher, why I am a teacher etc. After our conversation why I am a special needs teacher, I began to think more. It is true, I like to be a teacher and “see ”the importance of ESD. Why it is so easy for some teacher to be "sustainable teacher" and someone not. I thought about my pupils and what I have tried to share with them. I think that It depends so much about values. You can always find knowledge etc. So I hope we could find in Espoo the way how our teachers should find values, which are important in ESD. I read about values and The Earth Charter ( ESD Toolkit) According to National Core Curriculum for Basic Education 2004 "The objective of basic education is to support pupils’ growth towards humanity and ethically responsible membership of society and to provide them with the knowledge and skills needed in life. The education should promote learning and equality in society as well as acquiring knowledge and skills that the students need in studying and developing themselves later in life. Education also aims at guaranteeing sufficient equality in education throughout the country." ( see integration and cross- curricular themes, you can find something about ESD http://www.oph.fi/ops/english/POPS net new 2.pdf ) I found a very fine book: Pedagigical Love written by Simo Skinnari. He speaks about the good life, values, love etc. According to Curriculum the basic education is to provide pupils with the knowledge and skills needed in life. S. Skinnari speaks about the culture of thinking how it is important to question, but also to wonder or be astonished the mystery of life or world. We should seek for the truth/ trutful. We should support pupils` growth towards humanity and ethically responsible membership of society. Skinnari speaks about the culture of emotions. He speaks about beauty what consist of empathy ( ability to be in the place of someone else. Skinnari calls it the culture of heart) and esthetic ( ability to feel the beauty of world). On the way to ethical we need thinking, empathy and esthetic but we also need the culture of Will and Action. The highest and most everyday/ ordinary virtue is to bring trutful, empathy and esthetic to the practice of life. Ethical - goodness, it is to respect the deepest "me" in me and anothers. Education is not to fill a dish/bowl but light/kindle a "fire" (fire of me) ( Herakleitos , 500 BC) Everyone of us is important, we should see the unique in everyone and in every situation. We teachers should be aware for change (a process of transformations that change both the learner and the environment). We need not much teaching material. I believe that with seeds, water and soil I can be a good ESD educator or teacher. I can teach a lot with seeds, if we look it from different kind of concepts: organism, life cycle, population, environment, communities and ecosystems and different kind of perspectives for example from other organisms, from inorganic things and from society (farmers, enterprises, consumers, schools, social and health cares, etc. I am interested to find a way to co-operate with teachers in ESD. I have seen my pupils inquiring, thinking critically, imagining, learning, sharing, acting, valuing, supporting others so I believe on sustainable future. ENCOUNTERS – FOR SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE- PROJECT (Keinumäki and Sorrila schools) In Encounters project the learning was seen in the socio-cultural framework. It is a process of transformations that change both the learner and the environment. It is transformative learning that concerns the whole school community and challenges it to use each one's strengths and abilities. Learners are looking for their optional learning opportunities and flexible and transactional spaces in the environment. The project responds to 21st century learning challenges by training the students and teachers to face learning opportunities with an open mind. The local community can offer a rich variety of multi professional cooperation if the school is ready to go for it. Local, national and international networking brings learning opportunities and the project funding gives resources for it. The objectives of the project were wide and flexible enough, which gave multiple ways for implementation. Everyone could feel the commitments and participation. The objectives of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable development for 2005-2014 were the basis of our project. ENSI and its EU-projects like Support gave the guidelines for the development. Sustainability was the 'leading star'. Its socio-cultural aspect was the most important but ecological and economic sustainability are intertwined in it. According to the socio-cultural learning theories students were subjects of their own learning and learning is based of social interaction, emotions and real life situations. Students could also take part in the planning of their learning environments, suitable both for them personally and as a group. Keinumäki school: Learning Packages took into account all dimensions of sustainable development The goal of the Encounters Project was to ensure that the development and education of sustainable development takes place in the school’s daily life. To reach the objective we planned and carried out five learning units/packages, which take into account all dimensions of sustainable development: The Ecological dimension: biodiversity, ecosystem function and interaction, environmental exploration, human responsibility and influence, environment-friendly practices in everyday life, relationship with the nature. The economic dimension: energy and water saving, sorting and recycling, consumption, equity, procurement. The social dimension: wellbeing, relationships, respect, safety, equality, participation and influence, finding the joy of learning, critical and innovative thinking, empowering and discovery. The Cultural dimension: our own traditions and roots, multiculturalism, justice, tolerance, science and art. These units aid children in perceiving the socio/cultural history of the area. They learn to perceive the relationship between man and nature; to see how the activities of various age groups affect nature; how people learn differently and how to approach differences. Finally they learn to understand how sustainable ways of life make a difference in building the future. RCE Espoo goals Sustainable development is incorporated in the plans for early childhood education and care of all Espoo's operative units of early childhood education as well as the curricula of schools, educational establishments and units of higher education. Sustainable ways of action are integral part of everyday life and operational culture of all educational organisations in Espoo. The target is to establish high quality learning that provides learners knowledge, skills, preparedness, values and attitudes needed for understanding and realizing sustainable lifestyle. All day-care centres, schools, educational establishments and units of higher education elaborate their own sustainable development programs. Construction of the programs is implemented in cooperation with Espoo's internal support service providers (catering, management and maintenance of premises). The program work will be supported by training and guidance. Additional training is organised and supporting material prepared for teachers, trainers, educators and employees working in communication and customer services to increase their capabilities to influence people’s knowledge, skills, values and attitudes related to sustainable development. Awareness of Espoo inhabitants is increased about the different areas of sustainable development (environment, wellbeing, economy and culture) as well as on the possibilities of promoting sustainable development in their everyday life, work and leisure-time activities. Production of environmentally friendly services and products that increase the wellbeing of inhabitants is promoted. The wellbeing of people and the environment and respect of cultural values are taken into account in the city planning of Espoo. The target of planning is to achieve safe and socially functional solutions that respect the cultural heritage and safeguard the vitality of local ecosystems. Prevention of climate change is taken care by rational placement of activities, traffic planning, and promotion of energy efficiency in construction industry. For inhabitants, pupils and students are created possibilities to participate and influence in city planning.

From Dr Jerath Neelima (RCE Chandigarh) Deliberations with respect to Teacher Education Community Q. What has worked well for your RCE in terms of implementation of programs on teacher education for sustainability. A. RCE Chandigarh has a very good network with its partners especially from the Department of Education (through District Science Supervisors) and State Institute of Science Education who help in implementing all teacher education programmes. Further, the resource material developed by RCE Chandigarh is site specific, provides authentic information on local issues, has helped to link local issues with global issues and is bilingual (English and local language). Hence the outreach is better. Q. Your RCE visions on teacher education and learning for better schools in the current times of accelerating change? A. “Integrating Sustainable Development across sectors through Formal and Non-formal Education”. Q. Suggestions on how you the thematic discussion to be structured on 23 September 2012. A. The discussions should start with sharing of vision, programmes and experiences of participating RCEs followed by identification and prioritization of most relevant issues which are common to all RCEs. To further fine tune the discussions, this could be followed by identification of issues specific to continents/areas. The discussions should lead to devising strategies for ESD and defining an action plan. Q. Case studies on teacher education for sustainability (with your permission files will be uploaded on the Portal). A. RCE Chandigarh has adopted a multi-pronged approach for teacher education. This includes integration of EE in formal education, training of master trainers for better outreach and engagement with ESD through non-formal capacity building programmes. The Punjab State Council for Science & Technology which houses RCE, Chandigarh attempts to reach out to about 5000 eco-clubs in schools in the area. Each eco club has 40-50 students as its members and is managed by a lead teacher. Need assessment exercises are carried out from time to time with teachers and district science supervisors (who monitor their activities and facilitate educational programmes at provincial level). Capacity building programmes are designed accordingly. In order to reach out to maximum number of eco club teachers, our RCE has identified about 100 dedicated teachers as “Master Trainers”. These Master Trainers are trained by RCE resource persons on issues of concerns to eco-club teachers. They then conduct field level trainings based on resource material provided to them. They are encouraged to adopt modern pedagogic techniques like activity based teaching-learning, discussions, debates, role play, games etc. Many a times, they are also asked to design their own local specific resource material. The District Science Supervisors facilitate field level trainings. The eco-club incharge teachers are also motivated to informally discuss these issues with their colleagues in school so that the message can reach out to all students. Hence these trainings have a multiplier effect. Q. Challenges your RCE has encountered in implementing teacher education for sustainability A. Finding financial resources for teacher education is a major challenge. There is also a dearth of resource material (especially action based resources adopting modern pedagogic techniques) in local language. Another major challenge is lack of opportunity to teachers for advanced training. Q. Suggestions on future collaborative actions in the aftermath of Rio+20 Conference. A. Future collaborative actions can be in the following areas in addition to those specified above : Prioritizing themes/issues which are critical factors in moving forward with sustainable development education. Identifying sustainable development indicators. Taking up inter and intra-sectoral multidisciplinary research. Points for inclusion in document for distribution: 1. What are the key issues/challenges facing RCEs currently in teacher education for sustainable development and better schools? The major challenges facing RCEs are: Lack of appropriate teaching learning resource materials. Lack of locale specific information and an understanding of its linkage with global issues. Low focus in the region on action based and participatory pedagogy. Less opportunities for capacity building. 2. What are the top three things you feel need to be discussed in person at the 7th Global RCE Conference? Discussion of raising of resources for RCE activities is required as most RCE activities depend on resources available under other programmes. Development of regional platforms for networking and information exchange as most areas in a region have common issues of concern. Identification of sustainable development issues which need to be addressed at the school/community level. 3. What are the top three concrete collective actions (e.g. implementation of collaborative research or capacity development programs) would you like to be effected? Development of policy papers, region specific strategies and action plans and collaborative R&D projects. Development of theme based projects and programmes which would ensure enhanced common action and a visible impact of the RCE structure (such themes be identified yearly). Development of common outreach materials and capacity building programmes.