How can Schools Help Healthy Cities? Experience from Denmark about the Development of Students’ Action Competence

Presented by Soren Breiting Research Program for Environmental and Health Education Danish University of Education Copenhagen Copenhagen

Danish students are encouraged To be participants To be involved To be responsible To let their voice be heard To know about the issue To be critical To make a difference

When are we ’participating’ ? When we see a movie we are participating – but on a very low level, with no influence When we see a movie we are participating – but on a very low level, with no influence If you are a chef manager, you are also participating, but on a very high level, because you have a lot of influence If you are a chef manager, you are also participating, but on a very high level, because you have a lot of influence The higher level of participation, the higher level of ownership will you generate to the aims and changes The higher level of participation, the higher level of ownership will you generate to the aims and changes

Health promotion and Health Education has a lot to do with ’Investing’ in short term concern and efforts to gain Long-term benefits

We have two options To build on campaigns, persuation and incentives/punishment To build on campaigns, persuation and incentives/punishment Or Or To help develop children’s and youngsters’ To help develop children’s and youngsters’ action competence

Comparing the health effect of campaigns etc. with building the action competence

Concerning learning development for Thai students What is the most important thing to change in Thai basic education? “Students need to be developed in order that they would no longer study in through rote memory and perform tasks given by adults without knowing the reasons.” (Q5. – Samme: Konkaen, Male, age 40, Teacher, 14 years experiences in this position, function as a resource teacher / secondary school local supervisor)

Comparing the health effect of campaigns etc. with building the action competence

How can we support health promotion? Top-down approaches ? Top-down approaches ? Bottom-up approaches ?

We need a third way Top-down frames Top-down frames For bottom-up participation with real influence

We can all learn from each other!

Learn to think - Many Thais told me ’We have never learned to think for ourselves!’

Students own investigations based on own ideas Investigating health hazards in the home and reporting back at school Engagement to the issue Ownership

Research results from MUVIN-DK Students’ real actions related to real health problems they have identified themselves are of immense importance Students’ real actions related to real health problems they have identified themselves are of immense importance They develop a higher level of interest in health problems They develop a higher level of interest in health problems They develop more belief in own influence They develop more belief in own influence

A healthy city is a very complex issue to work with

Big difference between the homes

Students and young people can’t solve all problems But if we only deal with individual problems related to health we miss the most important perspectives But if we only deal with individual problems related to health we miss the most important perspectives The students need to get experience with influencing some real problems they have identified The students need to get experience with influencing some real problems they have identified And to try to solve problems together And to try to solve problems together

Sustainable development is essential about: That actions and activities are influencing our future and How other people's living conditions are now and in the future But we have alternatives and choices daily and political NowThe Past Different futures Which future do we want ? Sustainable development needs democratic participation So does Education for Sustainable Development

Class work: Investigating the use of a local natural resource Preparation in class: Focus on a ‘natural resource’ e.g. WATER – prep for group work 1. Groups interview older people in the community about how the resource was used in older days and their feelings 2. Interview active people in the community about the same resource: How is it used today? Which problems are there etc. 3. Ask all for their expectations for the future related to this resource: What do people expect to happened? What would they LIKE to see happen? Back in class: Groups elaborate on their findings: Summarizing their interviews Groups elaborate on their own observations: Summarizing their own impressions Each student group prepares 4 big drawings / Posters Outdoor in the community: Back in class:

Back in class: Drawing the community concerning the selected resource through time BeforeNow Future 1 We fear Future 2 We expect Future 3 We hope (and might act for) Development Pictures showing The use of this resource in the community in old days The use and problems with the resource today Which future? Development

Advantages with this approach. 1 We are not telling students what to think, but how to dig into problems related to development and use of resources We are not telling students what to think, but how to dig into problems related to development and use of resources We help students to see the complexity of development issues We help students to see the complexity of development issues We help build students We help build students ACTION COMPETENCE ACTION COMPETENCE

Advantages with this approach. 2 The students will get a lot of personal experienced information from the people (old and younger) they meet – supporting their ‘episodic memory’ The students will get a lot of personal experienced information from the people (old and younger) they meet – supporting their ‘episodic memory’ They will be able to link short-term and long-term effects of change (essential dealing with sustainable development) They will be able to link short-term and long-term effects of change (essential dealing with sustainable development) The results from their investigation is visualized in such a way to make it easy for linking the concrete content to conceptual development The results from their investigation is visualized in such a way to make it easy for linking the concrete content to conceptual development

Advantages with this approach. 3 It generates plenty of possibilities for being in interaction with local people of different background and with different interests related to the natural resource in focus. It generates plenty of possibilities for being in interaction with local people of different background and with different interests related to the natural resource in focus. It is a good background for learning to be influential related to own ideas It is a good background for learning to be influential related to own ideas - supporting their action competence - supporting their action competence

School  Local community  School Students and teachers cooperate with the local community Students and teachers cooperate with the local community The school is a ressource for the local community The school is a ressource for the local community The local community is a ressource for the teaching in the school The local community is a ressource for the teaching in the school Respecting each other Respecting each other

Results from EE development in Hungary When students work without being ‘behaviour modified’ they become When students work without being ‘behaviour modified’ they become More optimistic More optimistic More concerned about their own possibilities More concerned about their own possibilities More participatory More participatory From Breiting & Csobod

Quality Criteria for ESD schools Inspiration for schools that want to take sustainable development seriously Inspiration for schools that want to take sustainable development seriously Helping to avoid serious mistakes forgetting real participation Helping to avoid serious mistakes forgetting real participation Making a focus on ESD as a way to develop the whole school Making a focus on ESD as a way to develop the whole school

Useful websites ActionCompetence.com ActionCompetence.com ActionCompetence.com EducationForSustainableDevelopment.com EducationForSustainableDevelopment.com EducationForSustainableDevelopment.com EnvironmentalEducation.net EnvironmentalEducation.net EnvironmentalEducation.net Search ”quality criteria for ESD schools” Search ”quality criteria for ESD schools”