Climate Change Education in Ukrainian Universities…
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Sterling in 2004: (a) denial, (b) adding a ‘green aspect’ to a curriculum or programme,
(c) integrating sustainability in all teaching and learning and (d) re-thinking (and reorienting) the very foundations of what we currently do. In our experience, the first
step usually begins with (b) and (c) with an ambition for a systems approach to
institutionalization of ESD.
Finally, the third block of interview questions provided a possibility for the respondents to describe any barriers and necessities in their climate change teaching. Here
many of them expressed the need in a common communicational interdisciplinary
platform, to be able to share knowledge and expertise on climate change problem with
colleagues from other fields of studies. Some teachers from Humanities described
their demand for an expert support from colleagues of Natural Sciences, which had
not been met due to working overload, lack of both corresponding procedures and any
precedents of such interfaculty communication. “I could barely come for a consultation to my colleagues from Ecology department… but I do not know them, they
are possibly busy”—says an Economy teacher. Another crucial challenge indicated
by respondents concerning interdepartmental communicational gap was related to
a traditional science division, which creates an additional barrier to sustainability
teaching. “All our educational system is too regulated by the formal division of
sciences… our university is not flexible for any interdisciplinary studies”—claims
another teacher of Humanities. As possible solutions, respondents proposed to organize repeated common scientific seminars, which can set up a dialogue between
academic staff in a systemic manner introducing a community of practice.
5.3 CCESD for Teachers
Apart from the abovementioned, a continuous professional development of university teachers could be helpful in ensuring the right working methods and socially
proactive approach in CCESD. Baltic University Program (BUP) Teachers Course
on Education for Sustainable Development in Higher Education can serve as a good
example of initiative addressing this demand. The 7-month course focuses on the
implementation of SDGs in the learning methods by a better integration of SDGs
into teachers’ own practical work, courses and study programmes. The core idea of
the course is to introduce and practice the change project approach for bringing the
interdisciplinarity to teaching practice. Course participants are expected to develop
a change project based on their already existing courses/study programs in order to
change the content for better ESD integration. Thus, planning and implementation
of the change project is regarded as the main outcome of the course, with a peer
review support by participants and course coordinators via the e-platform Moodle
and during two field workshops (BUP official web site, 2020).
This format and example of mutual interdisciplinary collaboration and professional development of university teachers from different universities under the
umbrella of the BUP ESD course can serve as a good starting solution to address
challenges expressed by respondents in the block 3 of interview. Firstly, it forms a
397
Sterling in 2004: (a) denial, (b) adding a ‘green aspect’ to a curriculum or programme,
(c) integrating sustainability in all teaching and learning and (d) re-thinking (and reorienting) the very foundations of what we currently do. In our experience, the first
step usually begins with (b) and (c) with an ambition for a systems approach to
institutionalization of ESD.
Finally, the third block of interview questions provided a possibility for the respondents to describe any barriers and necessities in their climate change teaching. Here
many of them expressed the need in a common communicational interdisciplinary
platform, to be able to share knowledge and expertise on climate change problem with
colleagues from other fields of studies. Some teachers from Humanities described
their demand for an expert support from colleagues of Natural Sciences, which had
not been met due to working overload, lack of both corresponding procedures and any
precedents of such interfaculty communication. “I could barely come for a consultation to my colleagues from Ecology department… but I do not know them, they
are possibly busy”—says an Economy teacher. Another crucial challenge indicated
by respondents concerning interdepartmental communicational gap was related to
a traditional science division, which creates an additional barrier to sustainability
teaching. “All our educational system is too regulated by the formal division of
sciences… our university is not flexible for any interdisciplinary studies”—claims
another teacher of Humanities. As possible solutions, respondents proposed to organize repeated common scientific seminars, which can set up a dialogue between
academic staff in a systemic manner introducing a community of practice.
5.3 CCESD for Teachers
Apart from the abovementioned, a continuous professional development of university teachers could be helpful in ensuring the right working methods and socially
proactive approach in CCESD. Baltic University Program (BUP) Teachers Course
on Education for Sustainable Development in Higher Education can serve as a good
example of initiative addressing this demand. The 7-month course focuses on the
implementation of SDGs in the learning methods by a better integration of SDGs
into teachers’ own practical work, courses and study programmes. The core idea of
the course is to introduce and practice the change project approach for bringing the
interdisciplinarity to teaching practice. Course participants are expected to develop
a change project based on their already existing courses/study programs in order to
change the content for better ESD integration. Thus, planning and implementation
of the change project is regarded as the main outcome of the course, with a peer
review support by participants and course coordinators via the e-platform Moodle
and during two field workshops (BUP official web site, 2020).
This format and example of mutual interdisciplinary collaboration and professional development of university teachers from different universities under the
umbrella of the BUP ESD course can serve as a good starting solution to address
challenges expressed by respondents in the block 3 of interview. Firstly, it forms a