Pilot Sustainable Schools Objectives, aims Procedure Measures Organisation Christine Bächtiger Christine.baechtiger@zuerich.ch www.stadt-zuerich.ch/ugz ESD Meeting Hamburg 13-16 September 2011 Hier Logo 6 einfügen Schulamt
Objectives, aims Guiding principles of school authority Sustainable City of Zurich on the way to the 2000-wattssociety 76.4 % Yes Various political initiatives and decisions by the City Council (in the areas of environmental, energy and climate education) UN decade on Education for Sustainable Development Seite 2
Sustainable Schools as contribution to the 2000-wattssociety Teaching and Learning: Education for Sustainable Development as part of the curriculum Whole School approach: schools as role models: i.e. healthy, organic food, eco-leisure, sustainable consumption Running of the school: i.e. eco-efficiency and fostering of resource-light behaviour. Optimising buildings. Cooperations: i.e. with schools from SUB-project, with other departments in the city authority. Management of schools: Environment and sustainable development is visible in mission statements of schools. Selected aims are embedded in school development plan and are implemented. Seite 3
Procedure Interested schools decide themselves in which areas (whole school, teaching and learning, ) and how intensively they want to become active for sustainable development and the aims of the 2000-watts-society. Support for schools: Participating in the project Umweltschulen Lernen und Handeln of Stiftung Mercator Schweiz und SUB i.e. financial support, seminars for teachers and headmasters, exchange with other schools, coaching service. Seite 4
Procedure Support for schools: Analysing and benefitting from synergies with current school reforms, i.e. Redefining 3. Sek (year 10) from 2011 onwards Talks for teachers Continuous professional development pre-/after school personnel Curriculum development Seite 5
Procedure Supporting schools: Analysing and benefitting from synergies with current projects by City authority, i.e. Renovation of school buildings, educational products, procurement Additional process and professional support, tailored to individual school, i.e. Support with creation and implementation of school development plans Seite 6
Measures Pilot Sustainable Schools City of Zurich 2000-watts-society Introductory module additional teaching modules Eco-Schools project SUB Training modules for headmasters and teachers: school and curriculum development Website for all schools of zurich Website Tools and support materials for school and curriculum development School network Exchange, mutual learning, financial support tailormade Professional support, coaching during implementation Information and support centre Coaching and support during implementation Award Recognition (with label) for ecoschools Seite 7
Organisation Eco-Schools project SUB School authority Pilot Sustainable Schools City of Zurich environmental and health protection Further actors: City authorities, teacher training institutions, parents, teaching experts Seite 8
Thank you for your attention Seite 9
ESD Meeting Hamburg 13-16 September 2011 Swiss Foundation for Environmental Education + sustainable schools Dr Rolf Jucker Swiss Foundation for Environmental Education rolf.jucker@sub-fee.ch Seite 10
Swiss Foundation for Environmental Education (1) Founded in 1994 A national centre of excellence for EE and ESD Mandate: The Foundation is tasked to promote and embed EE in the Swiss School system (compulsory schooling, A-levels and teacher training), further the acceptance of EE as an indispensible part of Education for Sustainable Development and good quality education in general. Seite 11
Swiss Foundation for Environmental Education (2) Funding from National Government Environment Ministry Regional Conference of the Education Ministers of the Frenchand Italian-speaking Cantons Contributions from 22 Cantons Income for consultancy work (concepts, expert advice, etc.) Seite 12
Swiss Foundation for Environmental Education (3) What we do: Coordination and networking of key stakeholders Support and expert advice on embedding EE/ESD Quality frameworks in EE Evaluation/dissemination of information on EE/ESD Monitoring of developments in EE/ESD in Switzerland and abroad Pilot schemes on EE and ESD Seite 13
Swiss Foundation for Environmental Education (4) Who do we work with? Aim: to embed EE in a systemic way to complement the work of other partners work directly with disseminators, rather than schools and teachers: Education authorities (national, regional and cantonal level) Teacher trainers, researchers and other EE professionals Decision makers in teacher training institutions Political decision makers (focus educational policy). Seite 14
Education: Levels of implementation Policy National, regional, cantonal Political mandate Funding Educational policies Professional mandate Framework Coordination Educational authorities Education Institutions (ITT, CPD, HE) Tools Training, capacity building, resources Schools Implementation Seite 15
ESD = reorientation Reorient the curricula: From pre-school to university, education must be rethought and reformed to be a vehicle of knowledge, thought patterns and values needed to build a sustainable world.' (UNESCO 2009, 7) ESD calls for new kinds of learning that are (...) of a transformative nature (i.e. learning as change).' (UNESCO 2009, 65) Seite 16
Crucial skills for a sustainable world Ability to act sustainably in the real world Systemic understanding of the biosphere as our lifesupport system (society and economy as dependent subsystems) -> see figure 1 Appreciation of the resilience, fragility, richness, diversity and beauty of nature and the interdependence and equal importance of all forms of life Ability to develop and implement strategies for change in cooperation with others (networking, working in teams) (see Jucker, 2011) Seite 17
Sustainability Fachkonferenz Umweltbildung, Positionspapier Umweltbildung 2010 Seite 18
... and sustainable school projects??? Ideally suited for: Participation, ownership and real involvement Solution-oriented, holistic and transdisciplinary learning empowerment: concrete results instead of hopelessness in the face of global challenges and threats Practicing to be a change agent: concrete action rather than virtual games Reattaching learning to a sense of place. Seite 19
Action not words First, for students [such projects] reduce large and unsolvable global problems to manageable scale. Students cannot solve the problem of global warming for example, but they can comprehend and help to solve the problem of energy efficiency on their own campus. In the process they learn that many things that appear to be hopeless are, in fact, amenable to reason, effort, and an ecologically disciplined intelligence. Second, students learn how to analyze problems in order to render them solvable. (Orr, 1996, 22) Seite 20
New projects (1): Umweltschulen Lernen und Handeln - A collaborative project between SUB, Stiftung Mercator Schweiz and city and canton of Zurich - aims and objectives: - encourage schools to become eco/esd schools - support through information centre and project funds - school network - support materials, teacher/headmaster training sessions - awards Seite 21
New projects (2): CoDeS Collaboration of schools and communities for sustainable development - EU-project with 28 partners - SUB project leader - aims and objectives: - a multinational network with a focus on school-community collaboration addressing sustainability - fresh perspectives on inquiry based science learning - a survey of exemplar cases of such collaborative efforts revealing features relevant for successful implementation - Travelling Guide on how to achieve succesful collaborative projects - an interactive platform Seite 22
Examples of good practice «Im Birch» School, Zurich (K - 9 school, 800 pupils) Fotos: Walter Mair, Zurich Seite 23
Examples of good practice: Im Birch Kindergarden, elementary and secondary school Builder-owner: City of Zurich, architects: Peter Märkli Year of construction: 2002-2004 (in new quarter) Minergy label, solar energy on roof tops Energy and climate change in elementary school curriculum (in cooperation with NGO myclimate.org) Seite 24
Successful learning (1) Seite 25 www.jugendsolarprojekt.ch
Successful learning (2) Seite 26 www.bergwald.ch
ESD in Switzerland: where are we? The necessary discussion has not happened on why we need ESD why ESD makes no sense other than as the new guiding principle/perspective which informs whatever we do in education. Linked to missing discussion on sustainability in general, in terms of overarching guiding principle for all our societies. Missing Visions: Where do we need to be in 2050 in order to be a sustainable society? What do people need to be able to do, think, feel? Seite 27
Conclusion Aims (cf. World Conference in Bonn, 2009): decidedly holistic, systemic approach to ESD move ESD from the margins to the centre: not ESD embedded in the existing system, but ESD as the new system. Seite 28