The launch of the joint project
UNESCO IITE and Nisai Group have collaborated to provide unique experience for 10 selected Russian schools by implementing the project “Transforming teaching and learning at schools for achieving SDG 4: turning theory into practice with ICT”. The project manifests the idea of the significant importance of the Sustainable Development Goals as a key to many areas of progression and its vitality for young people to be aware of these for creating sustainable future. This aim is achievable by fully using the potential of ICT including new educational solutions.
The first introductory webinar for teachers and coordinators of the selected schools was held on 19 June 2020 and was aimed at providing teachers with a clear plan for project activities. Due to summer vacation at Russian schools, the implementation of the main activities was postponed to September 2020.
SDG competition for students
In September, in the beginning of the school year, one live session for teachers and one webinar for students were conducted. During the session for teachers, representatives of Nisai Group and UNESCO IITE held a training session on support for learners participating in the project specifically in its first stage, which is the SDG competition.
The competition implied that candidates should have made a short video (up to 2 minutes) to give a presentation in English about a global issue, in line with the SDGs. They should have explained why education is important to tackling this issue and different ways in which we can develop this idea for the future. Students were offered to complete their presentation as either an animation video with a voice, a slideshow video with voice or a vlog video, with the contestant presenting directly to the camera with the projected content.
Students could ask their questions at the special session arranged for them in September, they had 3 weeks to prepare the video until 17 October 2020. Following that, the organizers chose 15 best videos and selection was based on global issue knowledge, innovation, strength of argument for the role of education and other criteria. It is worth to mention that most of students (64%) expressed concern regarding environmental issues, while 9% of students covered the problem of gender inequality, and some students chose the topic of poverty as one of the most appalling issues nowadays.
Sustainable Development Goals course
The announcement of results of the SDG competition marked the launch of the SDG course for selected 15 students from different Russian schools. Sustainable Development Goals course has been designed to incorporate a number of UNESCO’s Sustainable Development Goals into one project. This 10-week course focuses on the things that people sometimes take for granted and investigates the fact that some of them are not available for all people. These group discussions allow students to consider the changes that they can make to their everyday lives.
Students have successfully joined the course at Nisai Virtual Academy platform on 17 November 2020 and will complete it by 9 February 2021. Following on from these discussions students will be able to show their own opinions in what the future should look like and what young people are realistically able to achieve at this time, as they design what they believe to be the sustainable city of the future.