EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
GIVES ACTION COMPETENCE by Ullrika Forsgren | ulrika.forsgren@gavle.se Jill Pålsson | jill.palsson@gavle.se
The municipality of Gävle is a medium-sized municipality with a little more than 100 000 inhabitants. The number of children and students in municipal preschools and schools is 17 700, and the number of employees around 3 300. Since 2015 the municipality of Gävle has a strategic plan for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The plan has a whole school approach, and all preschools and schools are expected to have a certification for ESD, for example Eco Schools. For a good outcome, it is important that the principals take the lead (see this movie – english version – from the Swedish National Agency for Education for more information: (399) Leading Education for Sustainable Development YouTube). The local Department of Education in Gävle offers support for the preschools and schools in form of inspiration, education for teachers and principals, exchange of experiences, Gävle learning teacher network, projects, a digital platform, and regional, national and international projects. The aim of the strategic plan is to ”Give children and pupils action competence for a sustainable development of society”. It is not only important to have knowledge, but also to know how to make a difference – and this must be practised in the framework of preschools and schools. ESD should not be viewed as a separate subject, it is meant to be part of the everyday teaching. From an early age the children learn and practise how to take care of each other, animals and nature. As they grow older, the problems the pupils face and try to change grow more complex – such as climate change, democracy and economic growth. For the children and pupils to develop action competence, it is important to use different methods in the classroom context. To learn for life and motivate the learners, the teachers
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need to start in real-life issues that are important to the pupils, and there needs to be a large amount of participation and influence from the learners. One of the key success factors in Gävle has been the so-called ESD coordinators. In every school district, there is one teacher with a special assignment to coordinate the work with ESD in the district. The coordinators meet regularly to exchange experiences and develop their competence in the ESD area. Thanks to the ESD coordinators, the work with ESD flourishes in the whole of Gävle municipality, and the children and pupils continue developing action competence.
