Aims and Objectives

Taking into consideration all the challenges and shortages described in the rationele, the proposed project aims at developing an ICT-enabled capacity-building program to in-service teachers and teacher educators and turn them able to use innovative teaching methodologies and pedagogies orienting to education for sustainability (EfS). The more specific objectives are to:

1. Support the development of the faculties of education in partner universities to align curriculum, teaching, learning and research with the area of education for sustainability.

2. Build capacity of academic staff at the faculties of education that will turn them able to contribute to the development, implementation and evaluation of a wide ICT-enabled in-service teachers training program on education for sustainability.

3. Develop an efficient, cost-effective, decentralized, multiplier and innovative in-service teacher professional development program enabled by blended learning, focusing on the integration of education for sustainability across school curricula.

4. Develop innovative teaching, learning and curriculum materials in the form of a multilingual e-Toolkit addressing the integration of education for sustainability in teaching, learning and curriculum.

5. Develop a Euro-Asian Network of ICT-enabled Education for Sustainability to strengthen cooperation in the field of ICTeEfS and replicability of produced outputs and outcomes.

Expected Changes

The ways in which the situation set out under the rationale will be changed can be described as follows:

First, the ICTeEfS project will establish mechanisms at each partner country to contextualise ICT in Education for Sustainability (EfS) filling an existing gap that prevents policies towards building a more sustainable society, nationally and regionally.

Second, Faculties of Education in the partner countries’ institutions will have integrated education for sustainability themes in courses related to teaching methodology and curriculum, filling the current gap between school knowledge and real-life problems.

Third, there will be a shift from teacher-centered to student-centered instructional/learning designs enabled by ICTs, responding to the PCs educational reform initiatives. Merging ICTs with critical reflective pedagogies will enable target groups to see technology as a tool that can empower them to address real-life problems related to environment, society, economy and culture conducive to their country and region.

Fourth, teachers take investigative roles that help them discover and construct new understandings and knowledge. That, is, turning teachers able to reflect not only on their previous values and beliefs but also on the ethics dimension of teaching.

Fifth, by using participatory and collaborative learning approaches to teaching, learning and curriculum, trained teachers will expose positive attitudes to common efforts and collegiality, which were missing before.

Sixth, ICT coordinators, instead of putting most of their efforts to maintenance of ICT hardware and teaching about technology, there will shift to function as human resources able to carry out district/school-based teachers’ capacity building to advance EfS in teaching, learning and curricula.