How to build hope for a sustainable future in education?

The following questions and more will be discussed during the seminar day:

• What is education’s responsibility for hope for the future?
• What is the role of teachers in promoting sustainability?
• How sustainable development skills can be promoted in higher education?
• How social sustainability and pedagogical wellbeing can be enhanced in schools?

The seminar is open and free of charge for all who are interested in sustainability in education.

Register here

Programme

Wednesday 22.3.2023

9.30 Morning coffee

10–10.15   Welcome and opening the seminar, Director, Dr. Jari Laukia

10.15–11 Keynote 1: Orientation to the main theme of the seminar: Education's responsibility for hope for the future, Principal lecturer, Dr, Crister Nyberg

11–11.45   Keynote 2:  Digital pedagogies for transformative sustainability learning: can we do it online? Head of MCI Center for Responsible Management & Social Impact and Senior Lecturer, M.Ed. Regina Obexer

• Comments and questions to the keynote speakers, Chair of the seminar, Jari Laukia

12–13   Lunch (self-paid)

13–15   Parallel workshops

• The role of teachers’ in promoting sustainability and the current challenge. Facilitated by teacher students Anisa Sota, Pui Law, Samaneh Khalili and Farad Siddiq with Senior lecturer David Mauffret.
   
• Workshop on promoting sustainable development skills in higher education. Investigating the current situation and the needs of working life. Facilitated by Principal lecturer, Dr Crister Nyberg and co, to be confirmed.

15–15.15   Coffee break

15.15–16 Closing session, Director, Dr Jari Laukia and co, to be confirmed

Thursday 23.3.

9–12   Meeting at brunch and working with further RDI-collaboration initiatives

• Facilitated by Research director, Dr Irma Kunnari

Keynote speakers

Philosopher, PhD Crister Nyberg works as Principal Lecturer of guidance counsellor training in School of Vocational Teacher Education at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences. His expertise in educational sector includes topics like student welfare services, special education, pedagogics, critical thinking and communication. Research interests are especially in thinking skills, philosophy of language, ethics and sustainable development.

Regina Obexer, M.Ed., is a university lecturer and Head of the Center for Responsible Management & Social Impact at MCI | The Entrepreneurial School. She coordinates activities and initiatives in the field of responsibility, sustainability and ethics at MCI. Regina has previously worked in the field of digital education in higher education for two decades and held various management and leadership positions at universities in Austria and Australia. Her research interests are at the intersection of digital education, education for sustainable development, and responsible management education.

In this keynote she will talk about digital learning is an essential component of reaching the sustainable development goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 4.7, which proclaims that by 2030 “all learners acquire knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development”. Drawing on Transformative Learning Theory as a framework, she will discuss how digital pedagogies are being used to engage and support learners in the phases of transformative sustainability learning and present concrete examples of digital transformative pedagogies in action.