OVERVIEW

The pedagogical and didactic approach to the subject aligns with the guidelines outlined in the EU's 2030 Agenda and the European Framework for Sustainability Competences. Specifically, the course will provide a current and contemporary definition of the concept of sustainability, understood in an interdisciplinary sense, focusing on the complexity of the issue, whose understanding is key to educating for sustainability. According to this approach, educating for sustainability means acquiring essential skills to make informed decisions and act responsibly in the relationship between humanity and the world, as well as in the approach to productive activities. In the context of achieving the objectives of the 2030 Agenda, appropriate emphasis will be placed on the principles of Integration/Universality/Inclusion as defined by the 2030 Agenda, aimed at implementing transformative practices that place the individual at the center through the commitment of all social components in constant dialogue with research.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The course aims to bring students closer to the concepts of sustainability and sustainable education. Through a teaching method that refers to the constructivist paradigm, teamwork and student participation in the construction of knowledge, it will address a problem of particular interest drawn from current events in the area, which has sustainability as one of the main keys to interpretation and allows you to develop reflections on the relationship between man/environment and the sustainable use of natural resources. These reflections will allow you to expand the contents of the education process.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the course students will be able to:

1. Describe the historical and legislative path that led to talk about sustainability

2. Define the salient principles of the concept of sustainability, sustainable development and education for sustainability

3. Identify teaching methodologies for sustainability education

4. Comment on the salient features of the Sustainability Agendas

5. Interpret the contents of the 2030 Agenda objectives

6. Interconnect the objectives of the 2030 Agenda in multilevel reflection processes

7. Debate on the salient issues related to sustainable development and sustainability education

8. Design educational intervention paths oriented towards sustainable development

At the end of the course students will also acquire:

1. Ability to communicate effectively in relation to the context, use sources and aids of various kinds, use critical thinking, process and evaluate information, argue

2. Ability to identify one's own abilities, ability to concentrate, critical reflection on a task, management of complexity, autonomy in making decisions and carrying out a task.

3. Ability to develop one's imagination and creativity, strategic thinking.

4. Ability to manage social interactions with a collaborative attitude and the use of constructive communication, to respect others and their needs, willingness to overcome prejudices, to express and understand different points of view

5. Awareness of one's preferred learning strategies, organization, and assessment of personal learning as understood and learned.

PREREQUISITES

None

TEACHING METHODS

Dialogue lessons are foreseen (supported by slides) in which the problems connected to sustainability education. The course will also provide practical (group) exercises, case study analysis, structured "debate" activities, world cafes, simulations and video analysis.

 The exercises will have the aim of helping the student to apply in practice what has been learned on a theoretical level. These activities will allow attending students to acquire an OPEN BADGE which will certify participation in a course aimed at acquiring soft skills relating to the following key competencies: functional literacy (advanced level); personal (advanced level); social (advanced level); learning to learn (basic level); project creation (basic level).

Aulaweb is the course workspace where the slides used by the teacher will be inserted (at the end of each lesson), in-depth materials, applications to encourage interaction and active participation by students. Students will also have the opportunity to upload materials they deem relevant to the topics of the course.

Experts and representatives of services for people with disabilities may be invited to the lessons.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The course is structured into several parts:

• Sustainability and Education for Sustainability
• Analysis of the 2030 Agenda and the European Framework for Sustainability Competences
• Teaching Methodologies and Strategies
• Design of an Educational Intervention for Sustainability

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Handouts and slides uploaded on Aulaweb  
• Santanelli Beccegato L. (2018), Education for Sustainable Development, Guerini Associati, Milan.  

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

RITA CERSOSIMO (President)

DAVIDE PARMIGIANI

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Classes will begin on September 23, 2024. Students are encouraged to check the course page on Aulaweb to review the schedule of sessions and their respective content.

Class schedule

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Attending Students

The exam will assess the knowledge acquired; it will be conducted in written form (multiple-choice test with 16 questions, each worth 2 points) and will cover the course content and materials uploaded on Aulaweb.

During the course, a group project will be assigned to evaluate students' ability to work in a team and design an educational pathway for sustainability. The project will be graded on a scale of thirty.

The final grade will be the average of the project grade and the written exam grade.

Non-Attending Students

The exam will assess the knowledge acquired; it will be conducted in written form (multiple-choice test with 16 questions, each worth 2 points) and will cover the course content and materials uploaded on Aulaweb.

Additionally, each student must submit a project outlining an educational pathway for sustainability, following the guidelines provided on Aulaweb, one week prior to the exam date they intend to sit for. The project will be graded on a scale of thirty.

The final grade will be the average of the project grade and the written exam grade.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The successful learning of the discipline is certified by the competence demonstrated by the student to have acquired a knowledge of the subjects consistent with the expected results and in accordance with the training objectives declined according to the Dublin descriptors. 

The tests completed at the end of the module are aimed at detecting the acquisition by the students of the ability to apply in practice, on an individual level, what they learned during the lessons

The realization of the project is aimed at evaluating in the student not only the planning ability but also the ability to work in a team, discuss, debate, and compare in choosing the best intervention strategies

The final exam is aimed at evaluating the knowledge acquired during the course.

In each test, the quality of the presentation, the correct use of the specialized vocabulary, and the capacity for critical reasoning in the study carried out will be taken into account. 

Exam schedule

FURTHER INFORMATION

All students are invited to periodically consult the page for this course on the AulaWeb e-learning portal (www.aulaweb.unige.it) to find all the information and materials relating to this course, appropriately updated.

Students with Specific Learning Differences, disability or other special educational needs certification are invited to contact the professor at the beginning of the course to agree on teaching and exam methods that, in compliance with the teaching objectives, take into account individuals learning methods  and provide suitable compensatory instruments.