ECO-Pedagogy
Pedagogy of Concrete Utopias: Promoting Youth Climate Activism in Formal Education
Organsied as part of SDG4 2022
Antti Rajala
University of Helsinki
In this talk Dr. Antti Rajala discusses pedagogical approaches in formal education settings for responding to youth's anguish about climate change and for supporting the development of youth's active citizenship and activism for sustainable futures. In particular, he examines the pedagogical potential of the concept of concrete utopia to support diverse youth in envisioning alternative futures and enacting them in the present.
"The state of the planet is broken",
United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres,
2nd December 2020
The climate is in crises. In 2015 in Paris Agreement (COP21) 193 entities (192 countries and the European Union) agreed to reduce global greenhouse emissions and thus the global warming and to provide financing to developing countries to mitigate climate change. In 2015 United Nations also set the new 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to guide governments, municipals, companies, universities, schools and various associations to act more sustainably.
In 2020 The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, described the fight against the climate crisis as the top priority for the 21st Century and for the human kind to exist.
You may watch or download the Secretary-General's speech below in the link, where you can also find more climate actions by the United Nations. United Nations Climate Action
We have huge ecological challenges:
Overconsumption and overuse of land
10 million hectares of forest lost every year
Biodiversity is collapsing
one million species are at a risk of extinction
Climate Catastrophe
each year recorded warmer than the previous
more forest fires, floods, hurricanes
Learn more:
Climate University is online and has courses for free on climate change, sustainability, circular economy, systemic change and leadership.
For Example: You may enroll on an online course Climate.now. It is a multidisciplinary study and teaching module on the basics of climate change. The course contains written material, video lectures and interviews, assignments, tests and a guide for teachers that will help anyone familiarise themselves with the basics of the climate change. You can complete the study module independently or as part of your higher education studies. The scope of the whole module is 5 credits. In addition to teachers and students, the material can also be used by companies, other organisations and media.
University of Jyväskylä: School of Resource Wisdom
University of Jyväskylä: Wisdom learning
Eco-pedagogy
Schools and teachers play a key role together with homes in educating future generations about climate and planetary responsibility.
Teacher's role
to guide students to sustainable and responsible activities
to assist students to identify the necessity of sustainable development
together with the students to seek solutions that secure the future of nature and thus the human kind.
Students require both conceptual understanding as well as new skills to be an active and responsible citizen.
Conceptual understanding:
State of the environment
Understanding of the climate change, biodiversity loss, overconsumption
Encouraging action and changes in behavior
Understanding complex systems and systemic thinking
Skills:
Eco-social skills
Critical thinking
Mitigation and adaptation skills
Consumption skills
Resilience, social-emotional skills and hope
Active citizenship
Learn more about Climate Change Education:
UNESCO: Climate Change education
World's Largest Lessons on SDGs (lessons plans and materials for teachers and students)
SITRA: Circular economy materials for schools
University of Jyväskylä: Eco-social sustainability and education