NATIONAL TEACHER TRAINING WORKSHOP ON INTRODUCING A Lucknow, India, 23 - 25 June 2014 1 Organized by: UNESCO New Delhi Office with support from the DESD Secretariat, UNESCO Paris under a Japan Funds- in -Trust (JFIT)Programme in association with: SEED (Society for Environment Education and Development) and CMS (City Montessori School), Lucknow, India in collaboration with: WWF India- World Wide Fund for Nature India TERI- The Energy & Resources Institute CEE- Centre for Environment Education, Paryavaran Mitra programme CUCAI -Confederation of UNESCO Clubs and Associations of India Prithvi Innovations, Lucknow Chief Guest Mr. VN Garg, Guest of Honor Mr. Aoyagi and other dignitaries 2 Contents Introduction ………………………………………….4 Context and background Objectives Proceedings ………………………………………….7 Day 1: Inaugural Session Session 1: Participants Introduction, Expectations and Agenda Setting …………………….11 Post lunch technical presentations and group discussion ………………………………….12 Day 2 :Session: Design, Implement & Evaluate …………………………………………………13 Day 3: Key case study presentations ……………………………………………………………..20 Feedback ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 25 Recommendations ……………………………………………………………………………….28 Annexurees……………………………………………………………………………………………..30 Workshop schedule…………………………………………………………………………………..30 Participants Information……………………………………………………………………………37 Media coverage………………………………………………………………………………………46 3 Introduction Context & Background: The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) has provided a new perspective to teaching and learning about the sustainability issues by encompassing the social, economic, cultural and environmental dimensions and looking at solutions to complex sustainable development issues through ESD as an enabling tool. This requires a multiple-perspective approach to teaching and learning in educational institutions which can promote interdisciplinary and intercultural competencies as it addresses challenges to local or planetary sustainability. UNESCO has come forward with the Multiple-Perspective Tool (MPT) to help secondary students to understand and work with complexities. A 3 day National Level Teacher Training Workshop was organized by UNESCO in collaboration with the SEED (Society for Environment Education & Development) and CMS (City Montessori School) in Lucknow on 23, 24 & 25 June 2014 to introduce the ESD Multiple-Perspective Tool in the School System (Programme schedule Annexure 1). Other collaborating organizations involved with the program were CEE India (Centre for Environment Education), Delhi Eco-clubs (Environment Department, Government of Delhi), IES (Indian Environment Society), Prithvi Innovators, TERI (The Energy & Resources Institute), WWF India and UNESCO Clubs who were actively engaged in preparatory and programmatic support. The participants included a group of around 60 Master Trainers selected from secondary schools across the country. The workshop was designed to help secondary students to work in multi-disciplinary and multi-perspective teams. The workshop was attended by over 80 participants from different parts of country comprising of secondary school teachers, educators and members of civil society organizations involved in ESD and biodiversity education (Annexure 2). This workshop was designed to help secondary students to work in multi-disciplinary and multi-perspective teams. The importance of addressing a multiple-perspective approach is to promote interdisciplinary and intercultural competencies to address challenges to local or planetary sustainability. Interdisciplinary thinking, in which concepts and knowledge from different academic traditions are used to analyze situations or solve problems, allows students to use knowledge in new and creative ways. Therefore, the multiple-perspective analysis helps students to understand the points of view of others who live in their community or across the world. 4 The ability of educational institutions to respond to the complex expectations embedded in ESD can be enhanced through a multiple-perspective approach to teaching and learning. A multiple-perspective approach promotes interdisciplinary and intercultural competencies as it addresses challenges to local or planetary sustainability. Interdisciplinary thinking, in which concepts and knowledge from different academic traditions are used to analyze situations or solve problems, allows students to use knowledge in new and creative ways. While multiple-perspective approaches and teams are applicable to the world of work, the requirements of a secondary classroom are related to mandated curriculum, the schedule of the school day and the duration of the academic year. The Multiple-Perspective Tool is intentionally designed to be flexible so that it can be adapted and implemented within a variety of school settings. Multiple-perspective analysis helps students to understand the points of view of others who live in their community or across the world. Multiple-perspective analysis deals with difficult questions of power, money, resource distribution and conflict of interest. Such questions have complex answers. Also, multiple-perspective analysis is a changing undertaking. For example, a person’s point of view may change depending on whether or not an issue indirectly or directly impacts her/his life. To illustrate this let us imagine a person who does not think about where the garbage goes when s/he tosses it out and it is hauled away. Now imagine the level of interest and concern of this same person when the municipal government announces it plans to locate a landfill or garbage incinerator adjacent to this person’s home. The Multiple-Perspective Tool seeks to assist teachers to meet new expectations. Teachers and their students require tools and frameworks for thinking about complex issues. Such tools and framework help them untangle the complexities of sustainability issues and create solutions that are locally appropriate while being mindful of global consequences (e.g. cleaning up local pollution without shipping toxic and hazardous waste to another country). In a few years the students of today will become voters and some will assume positions of leadership. In these new roles as adults, they will have to deal with complex issues that have no apparent answers. They will have to learn their way forward to create a more sustainable world. Objectives 1. To introduce the concept of Multiple Perspective Tool in school education system through capacity building of select teachers. 2. To engage resource persons and educators involved in ESD and biodiversity education for preparation of a model ESD MPT module for schools in India and the South Asian region. 3. To prepare a group of sensitized and aware teachers and schools work as master trainers for future training programs. 5 Students of the CMS performing the world peace prayer 6 Proceedings Workshop inaugural Ceremony at the main CMS Auditorium 7 Monday, 23 June 2014 Inaugural Session Welcome Remarks: Professor Geeta Gandhi Kingdon, President & Chief Operating Officer City Montessori School Introduction to the program: Dr Ram Boojh, UNESCO New Delhi Chief Guest: Mr. V N Garg, Agriculture Production Commissioner & Principal Secretary of Forests and Environment, Government of Uttar Pradesh Guests of Honor : Mr. Shigeru Aoyagi, Director and UNESCO Representative to Bhutan, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka, UNESCO Office in New Delhi ; Prof. Geeta Gandhi Kingdon, President & Chief Operating Officer City Montessori School ; Prof Munna Singh, Vice Chancellor, CSA University of Agriculture &Technology Vote of Thanks: Dr M Z Hasan, Adviser, SEED India A colorful inaugural ceremony of the workshop was held in the CMS Auditorium in the presence of all the teachers of the school numbering around 4500, out of which some 80 were registered for the workshop. The programme commenced with a world peace prayer and all religion prayer by students of CMS, symbolizing the strength and the unity of all the continents of the world to build a sustainable education for the future generations. This was followed by lighting of the lamp by the chief guest and other dignitaries. Professor Geeta Gandhi Kingdon, President & Chief Operating Officer City Montessori School welcomed the delegates and highlighted the importance of such an initiative. She talked about the interconnectedness of the universe and that the multiple perspective tool is a means to understand these connections and better appreciate and preserve them. She further informed that the workshop is to associate teachers with "ESD Multiple Prospective Tool" for bio-diversity awareness and will help teachers and through them, the students, for forming multi- disciplinary and multi-perspective teams. With multi-perspective tools, we may hope to find out solutions for global conundrums, Prof. Kingdon said. Both teachers and students need tools and framework to ponder seriously over global issues in present era. In coming years, modern students will lead the society and 'multi perspective analysis' to help them preparing for this new role, she informed. Dr Ram Boojh of UNESCO New Delhi Office gave a brief introduction of the workshop. He mentioned that the workshop is meant to introduce the concept of Multiple Perspective Tool in the context of biodiversity in the school education system through capacity building of teachers. He elaborated that the exercise is being organized for the 8 first time in South Asia with the objective to involve and engage teachers and