RCE Scotland - 2022

Location

United Kingdom
See map: Google Maps
GB
Agents of Change Toolkit
CSV
Basic Information
Title of project : 
Agents of Change Toolkit
Submitting RCE: 
RCE Scotland
Contributing organization(s) : 
University of Edinburgh
Glasgow School of Art
University of Dundee
City of Edinburgh Council
Focal point(s) and affiliation(s)
Name: 
Dr Natasa Pantic,
Organizational Affiliation: 
University of Edinburgh
E-mail: 
natasa.pantic@ed.ac.uk
Name: 
Daisy Abbott,
Organizational Affiliation: 
Glasgow School of Art
E-mail: 
d.abbott@gsa.ac.uk
Name: 
Dianne Cantali,
Organizational Affiliation: 
University of Dundee
E-mail: 
dlcantali@dundee.ac.uk
Format of project: 
Toolkit, online
Language of project: 
English
Date of submission:
Friday, September 9, 2022
Web link: 
https://www.agentsofchangetoolkit.org/
Does this project link to any education and/or sustainable development policy or policies?: 
Yes
Scottish Government Learning for Sustainability Action Plan
At what level is the policy operating?: 
National
Scottish Government Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC)
At what level is the policy operating?: 
National
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
At what level is the policy operating?: 
International
UN Sustainable Development Goals
At what level is the policy operating?: 
International
Geographical & Education Information
Region: 
Europe
Country: 
United Kingdom
Location(s): 
Scotland
Address of focal point institution for project: 
Charteris Land, Moray House
University of Edinburgh
Ecosystem(s):

Target Audience:
Community, Primary, Secondary, Youth (Informal)
Socioeconomic and environmental characteristics of the area : 
Scotland is a country within the United Kingdom with a population of approximately 5.47 million. The natural environment of the region is diverse; from large urban areas to uninhabitable islands, and from highlands to lochs (lakes) and lowlands. In the 2011 census the rate of population growth was indicated at 0.54%, with net migration at 4.1 migrants per 1,000 population. Immigration from other UK countries to Scotland is the highest migrant contribution,

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. Scotland has mixed socioeconomic characteristics, and often within cities there can be areas of poverty next to more affluent areas. Several Local Authorities are ‘challenge authorities’ working to reduce the attainment gap and impact of poverty through the Scottish Attainment Challenge. Most of Scotland’s population is in the ‘central belt’ with many rural areas which bring their own challenges related to infrastructure.
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. The NPF is Scotland’s wellbeing framework and the SDGs share the same aims contained in this: to encourage transformational social, economic and environmental change to achieve increased wellbeing and a more peaceful and prosperous future.
RCE Scotland was a key partner collaborating to publish Scotland and the sustainable development goals: a national review to drive action. 2020. This report, while acknowledging progress on addressing the SDGs in Scotland significant challenges identified in relation to each of the them. The Toolkit aims to support agency to bring about change in relation to dealing with locally identified challenges.

Contents
Status: 
Ongoing
Period: 
September, 2020 to September, 2022
Rationale: 
Educators are widely recognized as key players in accelerating progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Raising knowledge and awareness of big global challenges such as social justice and climate change need to be accompanied by modelling how issues of inequality and sustainability can be addressed locally.

Research shows that educators can and do act as agents of change. However leaders and educators often feel unprepared for dealing with these challenges. Research on collaborations that facilitate change show that they involve time and resource-intense collaboration between researchers and practitioners which are costly and impractical at a larger scale.

The purpose of the project was to support those leading change in schools, community groups and Local Authorities through introducing new ways of working to support the change process. The Toolkit is designed to ease a burden within a busy educator or organisation’s work rather than adding to it. The Agents of Change Toolkit project has been co-designed in partnership with educators and organisations in Scotland to ensure relevance.
Objectives: 
The aim of this project was to improve education around the SDGs, particularly SDG4.

Its objectives were to co-create an engaging practical ‘toolkit’, enabling educators to
a) build the national Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicators into their local targets;
b) identify relevant knowledge and network with players within and beyond schools to consider solutions; and
c) evaluate their impact.

Drawing on research and theories of change the project aimed to ensure that the toolkit is engaging, accessible, and effective and includes research-informed, pedagogically sound, educational ‘playful activities’ and ‘serious games’, made freely available to all.
Activities and/or practices employed: 
The Agents of Change Toolkit project was developed through a collaborative partnership between teachers, researchers, leadership, educational authorities, designers, and out-of-school educators.

A series of six seminars and workshops https://teacher-act.net/events/ were held to co-design an engaging, practical toolkit for schools and teachers to identify the changes required to improve education around the SDGs.

A highly interdisciplinary co-design methodology was used to create games (and other toolkit elements) in consideration of theories of change towards particular purposes for particular schools using scenarios related to SDGs.

Participants’ reflections at the beginning and at the end of the project were captured using a Log for Teacher Reflection on their Agency for Change (TRAC) as well as the actual change in their schools after the project (along the parameters they identified as their targets).

The project draws on research and theories of change to ensure that the toolkit is engaging, accessible, and effective and it includes a research-informed, pedagogically sound, educational games, made freely available online.


Size of academic audience: 
The development of the Toolkit involved 40 individuals and 20 organisations. 18 practitioners attended workshops, and 30 attended seminars. The Toolkit is now being promoted for use in schools in Scotland and globally.
Results: 
The Agents of Change Toolkit is an interactive online resource that enables educators to incorporate research about effective ways of making change through a five step process and including an innovative series of educational games. https://www.agentsofchangetoolkit.org/

As part of the Toolkit, a series of 8 ‘playful activities’ have been developed. Importantly, the toolkit guides school staff to evaluate the impact of change in and on their school communities, which is sometimes missing from the whole-school improvement efforts.

The Toolkit has resulted in the ongoing sharing of case studies of change processes in different settings, with themes including inclusion and equality, migrant integration, rewilding and covid renewal.

The Toolkit provides a new way to engage with leaders and educators within an educational community e.g. school, community group, Local Authority, using playful activities to explore different aspects of a structured change process. In doing so, it provides a helpful structure in what may sometimes be challenging conversations, creating momentum and providing clear steps to take through the change process.

The seminars and workshops have seen educators from across Scotland participating in designing the toolkit and serious game to meet particular needs within their communities, as well as ensuring that the toolkit design is inclusive of a range of educational settings and contexts.
Lessons learned: 

Game-based learning has considerable potential for efficient delivery of both knowledge and behavioural aspects of learning.

A significant challenge was in requiring to move all of the project activities online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, the original plan to produce a physical toolkit and game was revised, with an online Toolkit and range of ‘playful activities’ being developed by workshop attendees.

It was important to share a draft version of the Toolkit and some ‘playful activities’ with participants in the final workshop. These have informed the final version, including ensuring that the Toolkit includes ways of practically showing how it can be part of practitioners’ everyday lives, and providing video guidance alongside the written Toolkit.

Key messages: 
The Agents of Change Toolkit provides educators and organisations with a practical way to engage in identifying the changes required to improve education in their settings around the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 4.
Relationship to other RCE activities: 
This work relates to the activities of the Scottish Government’s Learning for Sustainability Policy and Stakeholder Network, of which RCE Scotland is a member
Funding: 
The project was funded by the Scottish Universities Insight Institute

Pictures:

File Name Caption for picture Photo Credit
Image icon Agents of Change Toolkit.png (357.65 KB) Agents of Change Toolkit https://www.agentsofchangetoolkit.org/
Image icon Mini games Agents of Change Toolkit.png (99.43 KB) Mini games Agents of Change Toolkit https://www.agentsofchangetoolkit.org/
References and reference materials: 
File AGENTS OF CHANGE Toolkit Reference materials.docx
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 
Indirect
SDG 11 - Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 
Indirect
SDG 12 - Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 
Indirect
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
Curriculum Development 
Direct
ESD for 2030-Priority Action Areas
Priority Action Area 2 - Transforming learning and training environments 
state: 
Indirect
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: 
No
I acknowledge the above: 
Yes