RCE Scotland - 2020

Location

University of Edinburgh
Room 1.17 Charteris Land, Holyrood Road Edinburgh
United Kingdom
See map: Google Maps
GB
Supporting global collaboration and professional learning: Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning.
CSV
Basic Information
Title of project : 
Supporting global collaboration and professional learning: Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning.
Submitting RCE: 
RCE Scotland
Contributing organization(s) : 
RCE Scotland
University of Edinburgh
International Development Education Association of Scotland (IDEAS)
Scotland Malawi Partnership
British Council
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (formerly the Department for International Development)
Focal point(s) and affiliation(s)
Name: 
kirsten.leask@ed.ac.uk
Organizational Affiliation: 
University of Edinburgh
E-mail: 
kirsten.leask@ed.ac.uk
Format of project: 
Manuscript
Language of project: 
English
Date of submission:
Update
Web link: 
http://learningforsustainabilityscotland.org/connectingclassrooms/
Additional resources: 
https://learningforsustainabilityscotland.org/events/making-connections-through-learning-for-sustainability-9/
https://learningforsustainabilityscotland.org/connectingclassrooms/collaborate/cluster-partnerships/
https://learningforsustainabilityscotland.org/connectingclassrooms/classroom-resources/
Does this project link to any education and/or sustainable development policy or policies?: 
Yes
Learning for Sustainability
At what level is the policy operating?: 
National
Curriculum for Excellence
At what level is the policy operating?: 
National
General Teaching Council for Scotland: Professional Standards for Teachers
At what level is the policy operating?: 
National
Local authority Learning for Sustainability strategies
At what level is the policy operating?: 
Local
Geographical & Education Information
Region: 
Europe
Country: 
United Kingdom
Location(s): 
Scotland
Address of focal point institution for project: 
Learning for Sustainability Scotland
c/o Moray House School of Education and Sport
Room 1.17 Charteris Land
Holyrood Road
Edinburgh
EH8 8AQ
Ecosystem(s):
Agricultural, Coastal, Forest, Fresh water, Mountain, Urban/Peri-urban, Wetlands
Moorland
Target Audience:
Primary, Secondary, Teacher Ed., TVET
Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area : 
Scotland is a country within the United Kingdom with a population of approximately 5.4 million. The natural environment of the region is diverse; ranging from large urban areas to uninhabited islands, and from mountains to low-lying agricultural lands. Scotland's socio-economic profile is also diverse. More details can be found here: https://simd.scot/#/simd2020/BTTTFTT/9/-4.0000/55.9000/

Scotland has partial self-government within the UK with devolved legislative powers over matters such as education, health and transport, as specified in the Scotland Acts 1998 and 2012.
Description of sustainable development challenge(s) in the area the project addresses: 
The policy framework in place in Scotland to address the SDGs is embedded at national level through the Scottish Government’s National Performance Framework, and ESD in general is embedded within Scotland’s Curriculum for Excellence and national policies such as Learning for Sustainability; as well as the requirements of the General Teaching Council for Scotland’s Professional Standards.
Implementation in educational settings requires, however, that all educators are able to address and implement ESD in their practice. Ensuring parity and equity of access across Scotland to professional learning, support, resources and opportunities to collaborate on projects that bring ESD to life for learners is, therefore, of paramount importance if this vision is to succeed.
Contents
Status: 
Ongoing
Period: 
September, 2018
Rationale: 
If we are to create confident, enabled learners with a sense of agency and the knowledge, skills and values to make sustainability the 'new normal', then learning experiences must be relevant, meaningful, appropriate and address affective, cognitive and behavioural learning. But to do this, our educators need to be able to readily access appropriate support if they are to confidently address and include sustainability in their practice and embed ESD across the learning experience in their settings. The Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning programme seeks to address issues of inequity in terms of making ESD part of the everyday for educators and learners: whether due to geographical location, educational sector, lack of expertise or funding issues. Funded by the British Council and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (formerly DfID), it supports early learning settings, schools and colleges in over 30 countries across the globe to collaborate locally and internationally to learn about – and take action on - the big issues that shape our world, with an explicit focus on the SDGs. It offers free advice and support, funding, professional learning, and resources to state-funded educational settings: delivered by teams of experts in each of the countries concerned. In Scotland, the programme is delivered by a Consortium of partners: led by RCE Scotland and the University of Edinburgh.
Objectives: 
CCGL’s aim is to support educators and learners to share, enhance and develop the confidence, skills, knowledge, values and attitudes they need to thrive on an increasingly interconnected planet – and collaborate on co-creating positive change as part of a whole-setting approach to ESD/Learning for Sustainability. The project contributes to SDG4.7 in particular, but the programme is designed to encouraged educators and learners to build collaborative projects that take action on all of the SDGs. CCGL also has a focus on Priority Action Areas 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Activities and/or practices employed: 
Activity comprises two main streams: 1. professional learning and 2. support to build learning partnerships with other schools locally across Scotland and nationally across the UK; as well as internationally; with schools from over 30 other countries taking part. Educators can choose to engage with either or both of these streams; depending on their individual circumstances.

The first stream comprises a suite of opportunities delivered by RCE Scotland and Scotland’s five Development Education Centres (DECs); all of whom are members of IDEAS. Prior to COVID-19, courses were delivered through a mixture of online, blended and face-to-face sessions. All courses are now being delivered online. Courses on offer include both individual and whole-setting opportunities and cover a range of ESD themes; such as developing and supporting personal values, skills and knowledge of ESD; building equitable and sustainable partnerships, and delivering learning around the SDGs. Click here for more details:https://learningforsustainabilityscotland.org/connectingclassrooms/learn/

The second stream comprises expert support from the Consortium, and additional direct funding from British Council and FCDO, to support schools to build equitable and sustainable partnerships with other schools locally, nationally and internationally, in order to work together on SDG-related projects. Two types of partnership were on offer at the start of the programme in 2018: ‘one-to-one’ partnerships between one Scottish school and an international partner school and ‘cluster’ partnerships; which bring together multiple schools from Scotland, the rest of the UK and internationally. An additional model was introduced in 2021 ahead of the COP26 climate summit in Scotland (November 2021):'Supported Partnerships': a fully online, short-term partnership programme with a particular focus on taking action relating to SDG 13 (Climate Action) and COP26. Funding on offer for all partnerships (apart from Supported Partnerships) included monies for reciprocal visits (prior to the COVID pandemic), and cluster partnerships can also access additional funds for events, training, and project costs. Free expert support is also on offer from the DECs. The preferred model for engagement is now the cluster route; which was adapted to a fully virtual environment due to COVID-19 restrictions. Click here for more details: https://learningforsustainabilityscotland.org/connectingclassrooms/collaborate/cluster-partnerships/. During the COVID pandemic, all schools in partnerships have further been supported by a suite of online 'Get-Togethers'; developed and delivered by the Consortium on themes identified by schools themselves as being of interest or need.

Early on in the programme, RCE Scotland conducted light-touch research into the motivations and messaging for engaging with the CCGL programme across the various 'layers' of educational policymakers at setting, local, sub-national and national level in Scotland. This data was then used to shape a targeted suite of interventions and marketing activities to support policymakers - particularly at local authority level/municipality level - to utilise the CCGL programme as a means of adding value across learning; thus helping practitioners and school leaders to adopt an interdisciplinary approach to embedding ESD across the whole setting.

Size of academic audience: 
225 schools in partnerships across Scotland, 1900 teachers from 450 schools engaging in professional learning. Global figures are still to be confirmed.
Results: 
The project is still underway and activity will finish in December 2021 (with final reporting in the period from January-March 2022, ahead of the next iteration of the programme beginning in Spring 2022. Currently, there are 225 schools engaging in global partnerships across Scotland (approximately 9% of Scotland's schools) and 1900 teachers from 450 schools have engaged in professional learning. Global figures are still to be confirmed, but over the programme as a whole, several thousand educators and learners from across 30 countries have also taken part in the partnerships and professional learning on offer.

Initial results regarding impact indicate:

1. Upskilling of Scottish educators. In the professional learning stream, teachers have reflected on how to develop the skills and dispositions required to live in an interdependent world. The programme has enabled teachers to critically consider practical approaches to learning and teaching for ESD at an individual, whole school and global level and to develop confidence in their teacher leadership for ESD and engage in peer-learning opportunities through an established practitioner network. All of this has been framed within the context of Scotland’s national Learning for Sustainability policy approach and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. RCE Scotland's 'Making Connections through Learning for Sustainability' professional learning course was recognised nationally by the General Teaching Council for Scotland with an 'Excellence in Professional Learning Award' in 2019.(https://learningforsustainabilityscotland.org/2019/09/27/learning-for-sustainability-scotland-is-a-gtcs-professional-learning-award-winner/)

2. Collaborative activity between educational settings: The partnerships stream has resulted in an increased level of collaborative activity on ESD themes between schools from different sectors and geographical areas across Scotland, and a sharing of diverse worldviews, perspectives and cultures with their counterparts in other parts of Scotland and overseas. This is an ongoing process: with the expectation that the partnerships being established now will continue for many years to come; benefitting learners and educators of the future to take collaborative action on the big issues that shape our world. In Scotland, this is adding value to the delivery of the Scottish Government 'Vision 2030+: Learning for Sustainability Action Plan', as well as the national Curriculum for Excellence; and enhancing the interdisciplinary experience for both learners and educators.

Below are two quotes from participants:

Impact on secondary teacher
‘ I realised, unless we are looking at sustainability as part of our everyday school life, having a greater awareness and embedding into our curriculum, we cannot implement changes’. June 2021

Impact on pupils
‘….An example involved Primary Seven pupils (11-12 year olds) who, after learning about sustainable palm oil, noticed this was an ingredient in a school dessert. They wanted to know if this was sustainably sourced and when they discovered it was not, they wrote to the local authority to have it removed from their lunch menu. This was an idea that came from our learners and was entirely led by them following their learning in the classroom’. Primary Teacher January 2021.

An interim document providing a snapshot of activity from across the UK, and including Scottish schools, can be found here: https://connecting-classrooms.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/connecting_classrooms_through_global_learning_-_case_study_booklet.pdf




Lessons learned: 
Ongoing. Final report is due in Jan-March 2022.
Key messages: 
Understanding the big issues that shape our world has never been more important. Issues like health and well-being, biodiversity loss, inequality, climate change, and how to live sustainably affect – and connect – us all; wherever we are in the world.
Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning supports educators and learners from early learning settings, schools and colleges across the globe to collaborate locally and internationally on and learn about these big issues. It helps teachers and pupils to enhance and develop the confidence, skills, knowledge, values and attitudes they need to thrive in an increasingly interconnected world – and create positive change as part of a whole-setting approach to Learning for Sustainability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Relationship to other RCE activities: 
‘Values and Learning for Sustainability in Initial teacher education’ https://www.rcenetwork.org/portal/rce-scotland-2018
Funding: 
British Council
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (formerly the Department for International Development)

Pictures:

File Name Caption for picture Photo Credit
Image icon KAM-CCGL-LOGO-SOCIAL-SDG-01 - final.png (75.95 KB) Connecting Classrooms through Global Learning British Council/ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
(https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs) and other themes of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
SDG 1 - End poverty in all its forms everywhere 
Indirect
SDG 2 - End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture 
Indirect
SDG 3 - Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages 
Indirect
SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 
Direct
SDG 5 - Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 
Indirect
SDG 6 - Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 
Indirect
SDG 7 - Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all 
Indirect
SDG 8 - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all 
Indirect
SDG 9 - Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and foster innovation 
Indirect
SDG 10 - Reduce inequality within and among countries 
Direct
SDG 11 - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 
Indirect
SDG 12 - Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 
Indirect
SDG 13 - Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 
Direct
SDG 14 - Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development 
Indirect
SDG 15 - Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification and halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss 
Indirect
SDG 16 - Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels 
Indirect
SDG 17 - Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development 
Direct
Theme
Traditional Knowledge  
Direct
Agriculture 
Indirect
Arts 
Indirect
Curriculum Development 
Direct
Forests/Trees 
Indirect
Plants & Animals 
Indirect
Waste 
Indirect
ESD for 2030-Priority Action Areas
Priority Action Area 1 - Advancing policy 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 2 - Transforming learning and training environments 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 3 - Developing capacities of educators and trainers 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 4 - Mobilizing youth 
state: 
Direct
Priority Action Area 5 - Accelerating sustainable solutions at local level 
state: 
Direct
Update: 
Yes