Coordinators meeting

Coordinators meeting

By Dr Beena Nayaken, The Universal School Ghatkopar

Coordinators meeting

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Critical thinking, adaptability, and cross-cultural understanding

The Coordinators meeting at the Vaskivuoren Lukio at Vantaa (Finland) was a great opportunity for all partners.
Two days well spent in Intellectual discussions with all stakeholders from diverse countries to enrich students’ skills, broadening perspectives on global challenges and the SDGs.

This exchange fostered critical thinking, adaptability, and cross-cultural understanding, and ways to empowering the students to actively contribute to sustainable solutions.

Instill the importance of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in students

Our partner Ms Andreea Gatman, Act On Learning enlightened all coordinators on the way forward and the impact of coaching circles.
We collaborated to ideas on different strategies to instill the importance of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in students, to foster a deep, shared commitment to creating a sustainable future.

By working together, teachers can integrate SDGs across subjects, making learning relevant and inspiring students to become responsible global citizens.

This collective approach will allow students to grasp complex issues like climate change, inequality, and health, emphasizing their roles in creating positive change. Moreover, the unified message reinforced the values of teamwork, empathy, and responsibility and shaping a generation that is both aware of global challenges and equipped with the skills and mindset to address them effectively.

The Lukio, the Laugh and the Life on Land 

The Lukio, the Laugh and the Life on Land 

By Paula Silva, association Bora Ambientar

The Lukio, the Laugh and the Life on Land

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The Finnish school ambience at a Vantaa region high school, Vaskivuoren Lukio

The project Coordinators Meeting at Vantaa/Helsinki was an pportunity of meeting again many project participants from the partner organizations, to better know each other, to clarify important aspects of our common project and focus on delivering outputs on time.

But this mobility had some other very important dimensions: it allowed us to discover first-hand the Finnish school ambience at a Vantaa region high school, Vaskivuoren Lukio. The opportunity we were given to visit the school facilities, the teachers room in activity, and to have lunch at the school canteen, made us witness the relaxed and student-friendly environment, some creative inititives by the students and local food habits.

This meeting was also an opportunity to get to know the nature protection and environmental education in Helsinki region and, at least for me, a rediscovery of the nice capital city of Finland, Helsinki. The visit to the modern art museum Kiasma and mostly the Oodi Library as a social and cultural hub made available and accessible for anyone, confirmed my first impression in 2019, about the Finnish as a rather calm but very creative people!

Helsinki
Helsinki
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Sharing thoughts and personal experiences

The dinners we have had together, at places carefully chosen by our Finnish partner, made us know both local gastronomy and how gastronomy can go along with sustainability. But these common meals in Erasmus+ projects are not only moments of welfare and relaxation; they are an opportunity of building bridges across different countries cultures. For me they were moments of sharing thoughts and personal experiences and laughing a lot together!

The visit to Villa Elfvik, its green forest and the surrounding wetlands, and the Töölö open air area in Helsinky city were also great moments for me, as an environmentalist. I am currently committed with the Action Plan for Pollinators in Portugal and I strongly believe in the cities role in protecting pollinator insects; so, I especially enjoyed the walking tour from Oodi till the lake of Töölönlahti Park: this area has been massively planted with wild flowers of all colours, mostly all pollinator-friendly! I could see so many bumblebees, in action or just resting on the flowers…

Töölönlahti Park
Bumblebee on a flower at Töölö

After last project meeting in Portugal, were outside activities were most focused on marine life, therefore SDG 14 – protecting “Life below Water”, it was great to acknowled.

Ecology Leadership in the Classroom

Ecology Leadership in the Classroom

By Andreea Gatman, Act On Learning

Oddience2030 teacher training Program ” Ecology Leadership in the Classroom”

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Key ideas based on the assessment of the program

Emphasis on Inner Process Evaluation :

Rather than just evaluating the program against predefined expectations, the assessment focuses on supporting reflective processes. This allows the program to identify the « seeds » and potential for continued learning 

Assessment as Part of the Learning Process:

Assessments and evaluations are integrated into the learning process itself, becoming a tool for coherence. This shifts the focus from external expectations to clarifying intentions and allowing to evolve in dialogue with the program content and cohort. Prioritizing « Experiential » and « Holistic » Competencies: Based on the pre-program assessment, teachers prioritized competencies like physical and cognitive « ergonomics », global citizenship, inclusivity, and empathy – moving beyond just content knowledge towards more experiential and holistic growth.

Iterative Refinement of Creativity and Critical Thinking

 Based on the 67 registered answers as pre-course reflection, most teachers prioritized critical thinking and creativity.

" In the end what we want from this creative pedagogical prototype of a lesson, is for the students and teachers to have an image of us valuing connection, beyond all tasks, beyond the result, to have this agreement "

The continued assessment during the 4 modules, confirms the intention of prioritizing creativity and critical thinking and choosing such practices to bring into the classroom. 

Embracing Confusion as Part of the Creative Process :

Some participants, reported in blog articles or through assessments, the state of confusion, was more or less tolerated at some critical points. As an experience-based program,  later on, they identified external factors-distractions, as causes. Noticing confusion is critical to creativity (Lonka,2018).

Facilitation Focused on Ease and Connection :

Facilitation, as the etymological meaning of the word indicates is about “a certain ability to feel at ease what otherwise is hard or difficult work” and this speaks about the inner process, through integrative practices, of the teacher as part of “teaching with sustainable development goals.”

“In the end what we want from this creative pedagogical prototype of a lesson, is for the students and teachers to have an image of us valuing connection, beyond all tasks, beyond the result, to have this agreement”, Marie Alice Moreira, coaching circle and case clinic on creativity lesson with the team of teachers from Bel Orme.

Adaptive, reflective, and generative approach

In summary, the Oddience2030  teachers’ program has taken an adaptive, reflective, and generative approach.

The program seeks to create the necessary conditions for what is experienced and learned through the program to continue unfolding.

Oddience, un partenariat pour développer des compétences nouvelles

Oddience, un partenariat pour développer des compétences nouvelles

Par Lucile Boncompain, Les Couleurs de l’Education

Oddience, un partenariat pour développer des compétences nouvelles

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Apprentissage de la créativité et de l’esprit critique croisé avec le développement des connaissances en matière environnementale

La première originalité du projet Oddience tient de l’apprentissage de la créativité et de l’esprit critique croisé avec le développement des connaissances en matière environnementale. Il s’agit d’une formation à plusieurs entrées de contenus (environnement et « soft skills ») et nécessitant plusieurs approches de formation.

Prises indépendamment,

  • Les connaissances en matière environnementale pourraient se développer de manière transmissive – à l’appui de rapports scientifiques, de la fréquentation et de l’imprégnation en milieu naturel, d’apports sur supports variés et progressifs.
    • La preuve du développement des compétences environnementales pourrait rester interne et individuelle (augmentation des connaissances, du niveau des sujets traités et des questions abordées)
  • La créativité et l’esprit critique – que certains pourraient encore penser relevant de l’inné et par conséquent peu chercher à les former – peuvent se développer de manière expérimentale.
    • La preuve du développement de ces « soft skills », ou compétences psycho-sociales, émotionnelles et comportementales, selon les traductions, tient de l’évolution du comportement ou de la capacité à se comporter.

Concevoir leur enseignement à l’aide des grilles d’évaluation

En reliant les deux types de compétences dans le même projet, en termes de formation, Oddience s’est donné pour but indirect l’exploration d’une modalité de formation mixte et impliquante :

  • Mixte, par le va-et-vient entre les apports scientifiques en connaissances sur l’environnement et l’exploration sensorielle et émotionnelle de la créativité et de l’esprit critique.

 

  • Impliquante, par le fait qu’à la suite d’une première phase de découverte, les équipes passent à la mise en pratique d’enseignement et qu’elle ne peut se faire sans mesure parallèle de l’impact sur le comportement des apprenants.

C’est là, la deuxième originalité du projet Oddience. Il s’agit d’amener les partenaires et les enseignants des établissements scolaires à concevoir leur enseignement à l’aide des grilles d’évaluation et d’avancer en crabe en quelque sorte, en faisant évoluer les grilles d’évaluation au fur et à mesure de leur enseignement et vice versa.

Les étapes sont habilement coordonnées

En synthèse, l’ingénierie du projet Oddience allie les divers ingrédients nécessaires à la formation des enseignants : des apports scientifiques (sur l’environnement), la mise en pratique, l’expérimentation (séances avec les élèves), la collaboration, l’évaluation – la mesure d’impacts (en termes de créativité et d’esprit critique).

Traditionnellement, ces étapes se déroulent de façon linéaire et l’évaluation vient sanctionner la réussite des objectifs fixés au départ.

Dans le projet Oddience, les étapes sont habilement coordonnées. Elles s’interpellent pour se nourrir et s’enrichir. Il ne s’agit pas non plus d’une démarche circulaire à la manière d’une recherche action. Il s’agit plutôt d’un éco-système apprenant qui devrait arriver à faire aboutir en dernière année à la fois les compétences environnementales, les comportements créatifs et les esprits critiques et des grilles de compétences.

Finland welcomes the coordinators

Finland welcomes the coordinators

By Naseema Saiyad, Agrupamento de Escolas de Albufeira

Vantaa in Finland welcomes the coordinators of the Erasmus+ ODDience2030 Project

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Prepare the next year's activities on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals

On September 2nd and 3rd, me Naseema Saiyad and Ascensão Marrachinho participated in the coordinators’ meeting at the Vaskivuoren Lukio School in Vantaa, Finland.

The meeting served to make a balance of last school year, and to prepare the next year’s activities on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), based on the development of critical thinking and creativity.

During these days, the participants had the opportunity to learn more about the organization and the activities carried out by the Finnish school. There was a fruitful debate of ideas about the activities developed and the ones to be carried out.

pilat observation
pilat
Oddience2030

Learn more about the organization and the activities carried out by the Finnish school

On the first day, after the morning meeting, the group went to visit the school and found some particularities: usually, students agree on thematic days in which they dress according to the theme.

On that particular Monday, they agreed to come dressed as superheroes or villains. The next day, the theme was funeral and wedding.

Informal meetings take place every Monday, with the school principal, where they talk about activities and projects that are being developed at school.

It should be highlighted that all students have free lunch at school and they have at their disposal several leisure spaces (ping-pong, snooker and several sofas) and quiet areas to relax.

The music room was the most impressive one for the number and diversity of musical instruments.

General secondary schools usually give a lot of importance to the visual and performing arts, and there is a well-equipped stage for the purpose of arts.

The bonds of the its members

After finishing the meeting, the group went to visit Elfvik, in Espoo, and its rich and green park. The visit was guided by a colleague from the host school.

At the end of the day and already in Helsinki there was an opportunity to taste Finnish cuisine.

The next day was mainly dedicated to planning the current year and the next mobilities. After the completion of the work, it was time to visit the Helsinki Museum of Contemporary Art – Kiasma and the Library/Multipurpose Space – Oodi

This third meeting of the group strengthened the bonds of the its members. There is a lot of work waiting for the group for next year, but, above all, many challenges and learning outcomes for students and teachers.