Competence in eco - social culture and sustainable future (14.12.2022)

Fatima had own webinar to introduce us about innovation on sustainability a higher education perspective on 14.12.2022.

  As starting session, We all participated in writing own comments by responding on her question like

 " what is sustainability? " Comments were meaningful and vary answers gave me to think that people care about sustainability as society's member. And interestingly some of comments were focused on circular economy, recycling and waste. 

 Fatima introduced about different scholar's perspectives.  

1.Rittel & Weber 1973 which defined sustainability as wicked problem. 

2. Perspective on changes required to less unsustainable state according to Erhenfield 2005

For me, those two scholar's thoughts gave attention that sustainability is required to be recognized as social problem or issue to take an action with various communities, working societies inter/nationally. 

 Sustainability's three dimensions are profit, planet and people by Elkington 2018. 

United Nations's perspectives and approach to sustainable development were significant important role to give guidance and promoting plan to all member nations in 2015. 2030 agenda is included to sustainable development and 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). 

17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) are as below:

No poverty, Zero hunger, Good health and well-being,

quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, life below water, life on land, peace justice and strong institutions, partnership for goals

During her webinar, she tried to make us to understand meaning of circular economy. Circular economy part was already familiar topic for me. I had to take course to learn about sustainability as one of general subjects in vocational school.  I learnt and understood that circular economy needs efforts and systemic cooperation altogether as individual, society, business, community and inter/nationally. Recycle is one of basic ways to take step. But circular economy's points of view is that It requires more systemically circle to make it sustainable via cooperation procedure while design, manufacturing, distributing, disposal etc.

Fatima's webinar time, different sector's sustainability's implementation were analysed briefly with four parts. For example, political perspective, companies perspective, civil society perspective and researcher's perspective. I figured out that most of active implementations and actions toward sustainability and sustainable developments took place after UN members's nation adapted agenda 2030 and published 17 sustainable envelopment goals (SDGs) in 2015. 

Fatima's webinar was insightful to think why sustainability is still difficult to improve or hard to see improvement by explaining about value. According to Fehrer & Wieland 2020, value creation logic depends on competitive advantage and profitability. Government is more company oriented, Consumer's consideration is still not focused on circularity or sustainability while purchasing according to Khitous et al., 2020. Meaning of value in circular economy emphasized co-creation by various actors with beneficiary's network. (Vargo & Lusch, 2016). 

When Fatima told us about the role of higher education institution, students has chance to learn solving problem skills on wicked problems by giving chance to companies to benefits without high costs. In my opinions, it is student centered. Teacher and school and educational institutions should be able to assist each other to give chances for student to learn about sustainability.

Her two design thinking example undertook in collaboration between the university of Ghent and various organization in Kortrijk in Belgium. It shows how design thinking helped to change society from loneliness to society friendly atmosphere, food packaging waste to eco-friendly material oriented lifestyle in restaurant. Collaboration between Oulu university and Business asema (Fablab) was introduced by Fatima. Focus on visualization by inspirational poster, Instagram and display to consumer was impressive that all materials are possible to reuse, recycle and resell for example, broken camera to fix, showing waste as a resource.     

Reflection on Fatima's webinar

: As potential subject teacher of society, I would like to apply for sustainability in my teaching in various way.  17 sustainable development goals by agenda 2030 will be strong guideline to conceptualize teaching subjects and student's daily practical activities. I am quite happy that I could learn sustainability in vocational school previously, while studying for practical nurse's qualification in Finland. Sustainability's subject was broadly used to know and apply in the society course in VET and as one of criteria in practical nursing demonstration as well. Most challenges to teach students about sustainability is to help them understand in philosophically meaning of circular economy and it's value and participation. Sustainability in practical way in workplace and VET needs teacher's precise teaching subject  according to student's own adhering learning qualification. However, It is possible as subject teacher to teach general meanings, social issue and problem recognized in Finland, student's responsibility to society, consumer's rights and what to consider and so on. Sustainability's most successful actor is hard to mention as individual or certain designated group or community or nations. Most important action can be collaboration by doing so together. Everyone has right to know and access opportunity. I or any person can learn sustainability from each other. That is why collaboration is important. 17 sustainable development goals are decided to help each other and  to be aware of social problem worldwide. True global minds can start from I and us together.

Further demonstration to examine learning environments for a sustainable future in your field.

Firstly, as student assistant in preschool currently, learning environments for a sustainable future is very important to make a firm foundation in student's daily life. For example,  sharing toys with friends, taking care of own belongings, checking their stuff in lost and found, throwing trash by sorting and recognizing materials, taking care of natures by not breaking trees or nature and learning nature protection and waste less picnic etc. However all these small things depends on preschool teachers and student assistant's efforts and awareness on sustainability to help them to practice in school and daily life. During my practice nursing study in VET, sustainability was always one of criteria to show demonstration in demonstration while work based learning apprenticeship. It gave challenges to make an effort to put sustainability in work based on learning, because it requires for everybody's changes by parents and workers and so on for example, reducing plastics by recommending parents to bring own fabric bags.

For sustainable future, what I could do in current working field is to recommend to be aware of meaning of circular economy, check on learning materials and sharing information to coworkers by remembering for example ecological marks in product when to order learning materials in school.

For example,

As a society subject teacher in middle or high school could provide students to have time to think and learn about own learning environments for sustainable future by doing role play with students. I could lead discussion among students. I would like to see  meeting with student's own active participation with circular economy theme. Student can take a responsibility as member of society and business, individual, politicians nationally and internationally. Closing, students can make own posters together to be harmonized and be concluded for cooperation.

As a society subject teacher in VET, learning environment for sustainable future is mainly helpful for students when they are acquired of  proper knowledge of sustainability while participating society classroom. Sustainability as teaching subject theme play a significant role to learn  combination of entrepreneurship and sustainability. For example, by giving an assignment to make own company while entrepreneurship classroom, put as criteria such as how student can apply to put make circular economy and sustainability better. Teaching ecolabel and meaning of different ecolable on product can be one of facts make influences to learn about product's target, purpose and what they are trying change toward society. For example, Fairtrade and Nordic ecolable and swan.

Available ecolables are founded via www.ecolableindex.com as below,

Conclusion

Teacher can make learning environment for sustainable future by associating as teaching theme. And teacher provides chances and participation for students to learn about student centered learning in social campaign activities for example, climate change campaign. It means that teacher can support students create own campaign to adhere sustainability as leading member. Teacher's role can be  open mind to discuss with students creative idea toward sustainable future, helping and supporting students to be connected between company and school for apprenticeship, helping to have sustainable oriented entrepreneurship mind and demonstration by keeping mind of sustainable future as well. 

Learning environment is not fixed always. It can be flexible and changeable by different member's effort and needs such as  students, teacher, school, government and companies. Understanding of teacher's role in VET are important to bridge among students, school, government, companies. 

Reference

https://oamk.sharepoint.com/:f:/r/teams/ProfessionalTeacherEducationProPeda2022-2023/Jaetut%20asiakirjat/General/Fatima_14-12-2022?csf=1&web=1&e=TxnyDh

https://www.ecolabelindex.com/ecolabels/?st=country,fi

https://sdgs.un.org/goals