RCE Czechia - 2020

Education for the Future
CSV
Basic Information
Title of project : 
Education for the Future
Submitting RCE: 
RCE Czechia
Contributing organization(s) : 
Charles University Environment Centre
Society for Creativity in Education
Focal point(s) and affiliation(s)
Name: 
Laura Henderson
Organizational Affiliation: 
Charles University Environment Centre
E-mail: 
laura.henderson@czp.cuni.cz
Date of submission:
Monday, July 27, 2020
Geographical & Education Information
Region: 
Europe
Country: 
Czech Republic
Location(s): 
Prague
Ecosystem(s):

Target Audience:

Contents
Status: 
Ongoing
Rationale: 
Czech education is overwhelmingly concerned with facts about the past, presented in knowledge silos through frontal teaching. Opportunities for critical thinking, values reflection, collaboration, multiple ways of knowing, creativity, imagination and empowerment for active citizenship are largely absent. Students are not familiar with the idea that they will create their common future, and that the form the future takes is a matter of choice and intention.
Objectives: 
This project seeks to re-frame a pupil's relationship with the future by opening up the questions, What is the future we want? What values do we want to live by? Education for the Future empowers students to envision alternative futures and build confidence in actively shaping the future.
The project explores the potential mutual reinforcement of arts-based and sustainability education in developing critical and systems thinking, normative and anticipatory competences, collaboration and self-awareness, and self-perception as an agent of change.
Activities and/or practices employed: 
The pedagogical approach is interdisciplinary project-based learning, based on Creative Partnerships methodology (developed by the international foundation Culture, Creativity and Education). Pupils, class teachers and external artists work together over several months to identify a local sustainability challenge. Using the SDGs as a tool for analysis, four classes are developing a complex and holistic understanding of this challenge. The work is presented to the local and school communities as a way to initiate discussion on local sustainability challenges.


Results: 
-Publication of a literature review, "Education for the Future: Creative Learning for Empowering Change"
-Publication of a mapping exercise on creative education in the Czech Republic
-Establishing a network of creative learning organisations committed to developing pupils' imagination, creativity and competences for sustainability
-Community-based events showcasing pupils' work
-Interactive, online teaching resources
Lessons learned: 
-Importance of decolonizing young people’s imaginations of apocalyptic futures and encouraging positive envisioning through inspiring real-life examples of empowerment and change.
-Encouraging positive, creative mindsets and self-efficacy through playfulness and experimentation.
-Subtle and cross-cutting nature of truly a participative approach requiring rigorous attention to students’ decision-making opportunities in every aspect of the project.
-Value of community building among teaching teams (artist and class teacher) for peer support and learning, and ongoing professional support for teaching teams

Pictures:

File Name Caption for picture Photo Credit
Image icon Future_Cities.png (495.09 KB) Examining standards of living in Prague as part of the “Future Cities” project in a class of 14-year olds. Pupils are identifying the challenges of city living, who is most negatively impacted, and what could be different to ensure all citizen’s needs are Marketa Kolařova
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
(https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs) and other themes of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 
Direct
Theme
Arts 
Direct
ESD for 2030-Priority Action Areas
Priority Action Area 2 - Transforming learning and training environments 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 3 - Developing capacities of educators and trainers 
state: 
Indirect
Priority Action Area 4 - Mobilizing youth 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 5 - Accelerating sustainable solutions at local level 
state: 
Indirect
Update: 
No