Category: Professional Development

Sustainability at everyone’s calendar at Yuverta

Post author By Hilda Weges
Post date 2022-10-03
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At Yuverta in The Netherlands Sustainability is one of the core values. We have written a policy with goals we want to achieve within a few years. One of our board members is responsible for achieving these goals. We also have a few dedicated colleagues to work on sustainability projects, to communicate internally and to find and collect sustainable ambassadors within Yuverta. They have developed a very nice idea, which is easy to copy to your organisation!

At our intranet our sustainability collegues have their own pages to inform and inspire others. They have made a sustainability calendar for every month of this year. Every month has a theme, which has a connection with one of the adopted SDG’s.

E.g. the theme of September is zero waste. This month they share tips, they share educational materials for our teachers and they challenge their collegues to change their habits towards sustainability. For example this month: don’t use paper cups, but use a mug or a glass.

They organise a ‘GreenTalk’ every month with one of our collegues. A 2 minute talk (video) about the sustainable impact he or she makes. It is very nice to hear collegues talk about their way of living, their passion for educating others on sustainability, and simply share their knowledge with others. You can find them on YouTube. Youtube offers the possibility to change the language of the subtitles (in screen you find a gear wheel).

This is a print screen of our intranet pages on sustainability with many news items and information about our sustainability strategy. On the right you can see blue tiles on several subjects. Links to our own sustainable calendar, SDG Netherlands, a Dutch initiative which is called Together for Biodiversity, a nature organisation, and several websites where you can find educational materials and projects.

Sophie van Kasteren – Yuverta – The Netherlands

Tags Sustainable school, Yuverta

Countries Finland Professional Development

E-learning at Savonia in Finland

Post author By Hilda Weges
Post date 2022-08-09
No Comments on E-learning at Savonia in Finland

Senior Lecturer in Business Economics and E-learning expert Hannu Viitala at Savonia university in Finland inspired the PROGRESS-parteners with his inspiration ideas and good practices in the field of E-learning.

Savonia teachers use all kinds of online tools during their lessons and COVID naturally enhanced their use but teachers were already used of using them. Tools like Microsoft teams, Moodle, Padlet, Exam and much more. But the pedagogy the teacher uses using these tools is far more important. It is not only about online learning but hybrid blended learning in which face-to-face learning is combined with online learning. At Savonia every class is a hybrid class.

Online learning is important for students and teachers. For students online tools are reasonable, motivational and practical that will also be important for their working life. Online tools make life easier for teachers and improve the quality of teaching. Working life need employees who are willing and able to learn new things!

All Savonia courses are available in Moodle and teachers are trained to develop the courses by themselves. The analytics functions of Moodle are used to evaluate and improve the course. That is the normal way of doing things at Savonia. To make it more attractive students also have entrance to a video lecture library.

Are you interested in the PowerPoint upon which this blog pots is based? You can open it through this link.

Tags education, Savonia, sustainability, Sustainable school, teach-the-teacher, Whole School Approach

Countries Finland Professional Development

Professional development of teachers

Post author By Hilda Weges
Post date 2022-08-01
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The Whole School Approach to sustainable development contains different fields of change that should be addressed to grow as a sustainable school. Professional development is one of these and this was the central focus of our project meeting in Finland last June.

As introduction Hilda Weges from the Dutch partner INTREEGUE presented some inspirational ideas and good practices of professionalization of Dutch VET-schools. Her main message: teachers should not only present and tell about sustainable practices but also need to act and show it themselves in their own behaviour. And that is why professionalisation of teachers and practice coaches is so important! They don’t learn it by themselves.

To realise the Sustainable goals also means that we have to change our behaviour. New competences and skills are therefor needed to realise these goals. The partners of In the European Inner Development Goals project have thought about these new skills. In this Inner Development Goals film you will learn more about these goals.

VET-schools in the Netherlands have different kinds of strategies and organise all kinds of activities to teach their teachers these new kind of skills and let them learn about sustainability and latest developments at the labour market.

First of all it is important as school to develop a vision and strategy about professional development of teachers and practical coaches to make sure that these activities are not short term projects but really imbedded in the school organisation and planning.

In line with the vision and strategy schools can think of the following actions and measures:

Set up a Manifest Sustainable Knowledge Sharing in which the principles for sustainable development and sharing of knowledge are described.
Set up a professionalization cycle: intake training needs, discussing interim results and adjustment on the way.
Set up an online expert platform where teacher can share knowledge and ideas. E.g through Microsoft Teams, LinkedInn or….
Add ‘Learning for sustainable development’, the SDGs, the Inner Development Goals into your professional development program and make them compulsory for new teachers.
Set up an intervision group with professionals, managers, or other employees who share a common challenge or problem and find solutions together.
Encourage teachers to participate in symposia, workshops and masterclasses in sustainability that are offered by third parties.
Start Learning Labs for Sustainable development for teachers to inspire them to set up new teaching and didactical methods.
Organise expeditions to innovative sustainable locations and businesses. Encourage teachers to do an internship at innovative sustainable businesses.
Organise Green Ted talks during lunchtime.
Send Inspirational mailings with good practices on regular basis.

Are you interested to use the presentation. It can be downloaded here.

[Picture Pixabay – Gerd Altmann]

Tags Inner Development Goals, professionalization, Sustainable development, teacher development, train-the-trainer, Whole School Approach

Countries Curriculum & Program Professional Development The Netherlands

The Inner Development Goals

Post author By Hilda Weges
Post date 2022-05-12
No Comments on The Inner Development Goals

Personal development is the precondition for social change. The shift to a more sustainable school can only be realised if managers, teachers and students have the right competentces to make that shift.

The Inner Development Goals show what inner shifts and human growth need to happen in order for us to increase our chances of reaching the SDGs.

They cover 23 skills into 5 categories and can be very helpful to identify the skills teachers and students need to learn.

The full introduction to the framework – Download

Introduction film Inner Development Goals

Professional Development

Sustainable Competences for learners of all ages

Post author By Hilda Weges
Post date 2022-01-27
No Comments on Sustainable Competences for learners of all ages

Education and training, like all sectors, must take action to respond to the climate emergency.

Learners of all ages need opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes to live more sustainably, embrace healthier lifestyles and contribute – both individually and collectively – to the green transition.

Acquiring sustainability competences, can help children, young people and adults to understand challenges related to climate change and the environment, reflect on their behaviours, and engage in action for a sustainable future.

The European competence framework on sustainability contains a proposal for these kind of competences . This framework called GreenComp can be used in education and training programmes and policies in formal, non-formal and informal settings.

Are you interested? The framework can be downloaded through the Environmental Sustainability Learning page.

Tags competences, education, greenskills, groenpact, progress, skills, sustainability

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