​Introduction

The second webinar of UNESCO ASPnet's Change Initiative for Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) took place on 19 November 2020, bringing together a total of 87 participants: deans, teacher educators and student teachers from 18 TEIs, experts and UNESCO colleagues (Headquarters, Regional Bureaus, Institutes and Centres), with the objectives to building common understanding of Global Citizenship Education for Sustainable Development and to discuss a multidimensional conceptual framework for educational change processes and its application as well as to share examples of good practices examples.

Examples from TTIs were presented by Finland, Belgium, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Japan. Participants engaged in discussion on the expert presentations and country examples, agreeing that the exchanges were informative, useful and enriching and particularly appreciated the exchanges among institutions around the world.

Guiding questions

The webinar was opened by Ms Julie Saito, International ASPnet Coordinator, who set out the overarching guiding questions for the webinar:

• Why does it matter to educate students to become global citizens for sustainable development? How could the current COVID-19 pandemic become a game changer?
• What role can Teacher Education & Training Institutions play to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? Why should teachers and education leaders make Global Citizenship Education (GCED) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) their institution's priority?
• What are lessons and experiences worth sharing when taking change for Global Citizenship Education (GCED) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) forward in an educational institution? What challenges might arise and what approaches could be used to overcome them?

Overview of the context of Global Citizenship for Education

The first session was entitled  „Fostering Global Citizens for Sustainable Development" with a presentation from Ms Cecilia Barbieri, Chief of Section of Global Citizenship and Peace Education at UNESCO, and was moderated by Dr Felisa Tibbitts, Chair in Human Rights Education at Utrecht University and Lecturer at Teachers College Columbia University.

In her presentation, Ms Barbieri focussed on the need to ensure that education systems are fit-for-purpose, preparing learners to address increasingly complex global challenges and support a vision of development that is economically inclusive, socially just and environmentally sustainable, pointing out a current positive trend of a global momentum to do better: a global awareness that we are "one people, one planet". She then highlighted UNESCO's role to contribute to curricular, pedagogical and policy innovations, as well as the importance of engaging youth in such processes and in reshaping "the new normal". In line with the fundamental right to participation, which lies at the heart of UNESCO Global Citizenship Education, supporting young people to be responsible "change-makers" is a priority. She further indicated the importance of recognizing the interdependency between nature and humans as being part of a larger ecosystem. This in turn, requires more inclusive educational systems that see diversity (of cultures, knowledge systems, etc.) as a wealth to be fully recognized and valued. Finally, she pointed out inherent tensions in GCED, such as the „global vs. the local" (2min UNESCO video) as well as between developing individual competencies vs. seeking to transform the political and social systems. Further tensions mentioned included the relevance of GCED in resource-poor and conflict-affected environments. She concluded with a call for a renewed understanding of GCED towards the delivery of transformations, a commitment to human rights and the will to 'learn to live together' in peace and dignity.

To discuss how the SDGs and Target 4.7 are concretely set out in national and institutional contexts, Dr Sari Muhonen, Lecturer at Viikki Teacher Training School at the University of Helsinki (Finland), shared the Finnish Core Curriculum Framework. It includes key elements from the UN Agenda 2030, the SDGs and particularly Target 4.7. Global Citizenship Education and Education for Sustainable Development are embedded in its chapters on value basis, school culture, and transversal competences and various subject specific curricula. Sustainable future, human rights, democracy, cultural and linguistic diversity are at the core of all curricula. Priorities are placed on a) students' questions and interest, b) planning together, c) topical multidisciplinary learning projects, d) "difficult" and controversial issues for joint investigation, e.g., preventing violent extremism through constructive interaction. In Finland, GCED and ESD form a continuum of curriculum design and implementation from early childhood education and care to secondary education. The goal is a sustainable and equitable future for all towards life-long and life-wide learning. Their motto is: "Every teacher is a GCED educator" & "Everyone is a GCED actor".

Multidimensional Framework for Educational Changes Processes

In the following session a "Multidimensional Framework for Educational Change Processes" was presented by Professor Fernando M. Reimers, Ford Foundation Professor of the Practice in International Education and Director of the Global Education Innovation Initiative and the International Education Policy Program, Harvard University. He indicated the need to place a strong emphasis on SDG 4 and particularly Target 4.7 in the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic as the basis for education strategies emerging from it. In this context he presented examples of strategies including the application of SDGs into teaching and learning as well as curriculum development. Professor Reimers suggested a comprehensive and multidimensional framework he developed for designing and implementing a global education program that combines multiple perspectives: cultural, psychological, professional, institutional and political. He argued that when taking change forward, we need to look at all these dimensions and we need to reflect on the interactions between those changes and the other conditions in an institution (e.g. instructional demands and priorities, teacher capacity, parental and student expectations, assessments, etc.). Professor Reimers suggested this could provide a useful conceptual framework for ASPnet Teacher Education & Training Institutions when taking change for SDG Target 4.7 forward in their contexts and institutions. Such a framework could be of particular value when taking forward whole-institution approaches.

During the ensuing discussion, Dr Bert Tuga, President of the Philippine Normal University, National Center for Teacher Education, raised the question on what support teachers needed to take forward a whole-institution approach for GCED. Professor Reimers suggested the creation of a teacher team for GCED and to connect with other institutions, in particular other tertiary education institutions, in order to form strategic partnerships for teacher training and professional development, as well as to create connections between different departments within TEIs for the same purpose.

Dr Mieke van Ingelghem, Lecturer at the UC Leuven-Limburg Faculty of Teacher Education (Belgium) raised a question about the best curriculum for teacher educators (i.e. training of trainers). Professor Reimers pointed out the similarities and differences in needs between teachers and teacher educators, suggesting observations for teacher trainers in different schools to inform their teaching of teacher educators, as well as the strategy to do an „audit" of current teaching practices at a TEI to compile documentations of good practices and successes already achieved. He also reiterated the importance of connecting different university/TEI departments to inform curriculum development, in pursuit of different educations enshrined in Target 4.7.

The second half of the webinar was dedicated to presentations of good practices from Africa and the Asia-Pacific regions.

Good Practices – Countries present examples

Dr Jim Taylor, Research Associate at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa) and key expert of the ASPnet Change Initiative, opened the first of two sessions, drawing parallels between the „Sustainability Starts with Teachers" (SST) project and the ASPnet Change Initiative and the opportunities to collaborate and learn from each other.

Dr Charles Chikunda, National Project Officer at the UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa (ROSA) in Harare presented the SST project. The project's course framework was developed by Ministries of Education, and other ministries including the TVET sector with the objectives of integrating Sustainability principles into education and training environments, with emphasis on curriculum change in TEI and TVET college programmes; enhancing the ESD capacity of teacher and TVET institutions via an ESD Regional Training Programme and to reinforce ESD in national education and sustainable development policies, with emphasis on policies influencing the education of teachers and TVET educators for Goal 4 of the SDGs (Target 4.7). It further aims to strengthen ESD Professional Networks in southern Africa and to enhance science education and cultural heritage through ESD integration and engagement.

Dr Alice Kuyayama of the University of Zimbabwe presented a change project focused on human rights and particularly related to Article 6 of the 1989 UN Charter of the Rights of the Child, which grants every child the right to safe shelter, food & nutrition, clothing, education, safe environment, and recreation regardless of their circumstances. The project focuses on providing a teaching and learning programme for children jointly incarcerated with their mothers. Incarcerated children have not committed any crime, yet they are marginalised, excluded and at risk. The project was developed to uphold the rights and welfare of these children and to complement the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services in the provision of teaching and learning programmes.

Dr Beauty Mulela Matengu of the University of Namibia and Mr Eliot Mowa presented their Change Project "Mitigation human wildlife conflict through cultural practices" implemented in the Zambezi Region of Namibia. The project aims to address human wildlife conflict caused by top down management and laws inconsiderate of local knowledge. The project team secured permission from Ministry of Education to work with schools in the Bwabwata National park in consultation with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Tourism as the custodian of Namibian National Parks. The objective is to engage schools and communities on cultural heritage practices that mitigate human and wildlife conflict.

The last session focused on how Teacher Education & Training Institutions can collaborate to support ASPnet schools and improve teacher education and training in pursuance of SDG Target 4.7 through the example of Japan.

Ms Taka Horio, Japan's ASPnet National Coordinator at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), discussed the positioning of UNESCO Associated Schools in Japan as "a driver to promote Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)". Japan defines ESD as a foundation to support the entire SDG agenda and as "education to cultivate leaders who will help build a sustainable society for the future". Guidelines for schools have been widely shared to strengthen the work of ASPnet members in Japan. Expectations for an ASPnet member and ESD hubs in Japan include: Mutually learn from one another through the network; build an open network through collaboration with multi-stakeholders; widely promote ESD outside of school; indicate in the school management policies the efforts to implement ASPnet activities; make efforts to formulate curricula that put emphasis on the process of learning that aims at problem solving and to improve teaching methods; engage in research and practice and endeavor to spread the ESD concepts.

Professor Tomonori Ichinose of the National University Corporation Miyagi University of Education presented Japan's ASPnetUnivNet. Established in 2008, ASPnetUnivNet is a network of universities supporting ESD and its activities in ASPnet schools. There are 1116 ASPnet members in Japan Areas of support include:

1. Membership applications: assisting schools in the membership application process
2. School activities: providing schools with universities' intellectual resources through workshops and model projects
3. Networking at national and global levels: linking ASPnet members nationally and globally
4. Building regional partnerships: encouraging cooperation with adult and community education institutes, NGOs, NPOs and other organisations.

Professor Ichinose also highlighted specific examples of innovating teaching and learning, integrating UNESCO's values and becoming role models in their communities and abroad:

1. The use of UNESCO sites, such as Biosphere Reserves or Cultural Heritage Sites, for providing more project-based and real-life, immersive approaches to ASPnet members' teaching and learning.
2. Linking up with Local City Boards of Education, who promote sustainable development and through which ASPnet schools can become part of a city movement. ASPnet TEIs have been supporting this through teacher training seminars.
3. Integrating UNESCO's values through capacity development for teachers. In the Japanese School Teacher Certificate system, every teacher has to renew their certificate every 10 years. At the time of renewal, teachers have to take over 30 hours of continued learning. ASPnet TEIs provide subjects concerning ESD/GCED UNESCO issues for six hours to satisfy the selective subject for those teachers who need to renew their certificate. In this teacher training, teachers will be able to understand the concept of "sustainability" in each subject that they take charge of.

Feedback from participants in a "Thought Cloud"

Before the closure of the webinar participants contributed to a thought cloud reflecting their experience of and feedback to the webinar: ​

The next webinar of the series will take place on 13 January from 1.30-3.30pm CEST.