Concept

Our children today are growing up in a world completely different from previous generations. The planet is under stress from pollution and climate change. To secure the planet and future generations, we need to learn to live in a sustainable manner. It is thus important to recognize that children and pupils need to be able to address these problems and be part of the solution. They need to master 21st century skills such as creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, media literacy and entrepreneurship. 

Children and pupils must learn to be pro-active and think outside the box to address the world’s current challenges that are well elaborated in the United Nation’s Social Development Goals (UN-SDG). Using the UN-SDG as framework, the project will develop and facilitate the acquisition of these 21st century skills. This focus is derived from the belief that informed and fact-based knowledge about global issues such as pollution, water contamination, etc. will inspire pupils to become more socially aware and open up entrepreneurial possibilities that they had otherwise not considered.

The project aims to challenge the pupils to come up with solution, work together, co-create and think critically both on how the issues of the world have arisen and how they can contribute towards a solution. Combining 21st century skills and the UN-SDG provides a perfect opportunity for pupils to develop critical thinking, problem solving, entrepreneurship and digital competences while working with real world issues such as pollution, water contamination, equality, etc.

Objective

21C-SDG (21st Century Skills in the Context of UN’s Social Development Goals) aims to foster skills critical for the development and success of pupils in the 21st century. These include critical thinking, entrepreneurship, media literacy, and creative problem solving.

Activities

The following activities will be conducted:

• Development of an educational curriculum, with a special focus on 21st century skills, and  UN’s sustainable development goals

• Development of educational materials targeted at pupils aged 10-15 years

• Development of an online platform intended as a hub for the materials, also acting as a place to share experiences and best practices between educational institutions

• Evaluation of the materials and the project as a whole

• Holding of multiplier events in partner countries

• Holding of End-of-project conference

Intended users of the curriculum

The 21C-SDG Curriculum is a digital compendium of educational resources, resulting from the cooperation between different institutions and agents around Europe, looking for support and inspire educators in their practices and activities. It provides tools and practical examples that offer insights into how to develop young people’s knowledge, skills, and attitudes to deal with the 21st-century challenges and to fully participate in their society within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Given the scope of the 21C-SDG project, the intended users are teachers of pupils aged 10-15 years, who are interested in improving their knowledge and capabilities in the design and implementation of educational experiences that combine 21st-century skills and Sustainable Development Goals. It could be also useful for youth workers, social workers, and non-formal educators who are operating within this framework. The 21C-SDG Curriculum has wide applicability, can be adapted, and applied to different educational contexts, age groups, topics, and goals.

Knowledge and education are considered among the major factors contributing to the reduction of poverty, sustainable development, and economic growth. The SDGs have been specifically created to draw attention to some of the biggest environmental challenges in the world today. As the SDGs are wide-reaching and can be used to provide new perspectives and real-world context to lesson plans. Students need to be aware of cultural norms and differences around the world so that they can succeed and thrive. The SDGs are universal goals for all people and are inherently global in nature. Learning about these initiatives will help students develop insights into issues around the world, such as lack of access to clean water and gender equality. These issues are inseparable from culture, and to truly understand the SDGs, students need to learn about the world around them. Developing global citizens who are passionate about caring for others and our world is essential for them to be members of our society. The curriculum includes chapters with extensions in which we discuss how to use certain educational resources. The curriculum provides the structure for the provision of quality learning, especially where teachers might be under-qualified and inexperienced, their classrooms under-resourced, and their students lacking the prior frameworks within which to situate their learning. The curriculum articulates both the competencies necessary for lifelong learning and the competencies needed for holistic development. Education should be inclusive and equitable, characterized by quality learning, promoting lifelong learning, and relevant to holistic development.

Objectives of the curriculum

The purpose of the curriculum is to develop successful learners, confident individuals, and responsible citizens who are resilient and uphold the core values and principles. The curriculum aims to ensure that students develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they will need if they are to flourish in life, learning and work, now and in the future, and to appreciate their place in the world. Students will get a greater knowledge of challenges faced not only in their own lives but also in the lives of others all around them. These SDGs highlight the structures behind our society – economic, legal, and political – and their complexities. They shed light on difficulties that students may not be aware of, or even take for granted. 

One of the key benefits of learning about the SDGs is that it opens students’ minds to different communities and experiences outside of their own. Empathy and curiosity are at the heart of global citizenship. They give students an awareness of the wider world, and its values and identities. This helps the development of students into more well-rounded citizens of the world and shows them the ways in which they can make a difference in the future. 

It is envisioned that this curriculum will help teachers to develop successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens who are resilient and uphold the core values and principles. This curriculum reinforces the connections between the SDGs through a holistic, life course approach taking into account the SDG targets and the relevant indicators.

Educational approach

Education has an important task in preparing young people for their participation in society, while it carries the capacity to ensure current and future generations develop the knowledge, understanding, values, skills and dispositions necessary to overcome social, political, and environmental challenges and threats and to ensure a sustainable future for both current and future generations. the educational approach employed in the 21C-SDG curriculum is firmly focused on developing citizens capable of responding to complex 21st century challenges. In that sense, the curriculum emphasizes the principles of both 21st century education and citizenship education.

Quality 21st century education encompasses the acquisition of a broad set of knowledge, skills and values capable of fostering critical thinking, creativity, solidarity, dialogue and problem solving (UNESCO, 2015a). The Incheon Declaration (UNESCO, 2015b), resulting from the 2015 World Education Forum, states that quality education is that which: fosters creativity and knowledge, and ensures the acquisition of the foundational skills of literacy and numeracy as well as analytical, problem-solving and other high-level cognitive, interpersonal and social skills. It also develops the skills, values and attitudes that enable citizens to lead healthy and fulfilled lives, make informed decisions, and respond to local and global challenges through education for sustainable development (ESD) and global citizenship education. (p. 2) Having said that, we understand that 21st century education is about teaching 21st century skills, employing enabling technologies, and using personalized and flexible learning approaches, while it includes equipping students with the necessary resources to compete in a global economy; to create a fair, just and flexible society; and to teach students to think well. In summary, common themes that are crystallized include connectivity, criticality, flexibility, and a call for educational change.

21st century education is under the umbrella of citizenship education which, in turn, refers to how education can support students’ development of identity. It helps them to develop self-confidence and a sense of agency, and successfully deal with life changes and challenges such as climate change and inequalities. It also gives them a voice: in the life of their schools, their communities and society at large and enables them to make a positive contribution by developing the knowledge and experience needed to claim their rights and understand their responsibilities. 

Structure of the curriculum

The curriculum is organised in 6 modules. Each module will focus on the intersection between one specific Sustainable Development Goal and the acquisition of 21st century skills. The promoted skills are based on Michael Fullan’s 6 Global Competencies, and include character, citizenship, collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. Module 1 explores in depth Sustainable Development Goal 4 – Quality Education. Module 2 focuses on Sustainable Development Goal 5 – Gender equality. Module 3 aims to highlight Sustainable Development Goal 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities. Module 4 promotes Sustainable Development Goal 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production. Module 5 presents Sustainable Development Goal 13 – Climate Action. And, finally, Module 6 focuses on Sustainable Development Goal 14 – Life below Water. 

Each module comprises:

❏ a theoretical introduction about the dedicated Sustainable Development Goal and the acquisition of 21st century skills that will enhance the knowledge of both students and teachers;

❏ a repository of 6 learning tools that promote the acquisition of 21st century skills through the knowledge around each Sustainable Development Goal;

❏ a repository of country-specific good practices.

The Curriculum builds upon the national information and examples provided by the 21C-SDG partners during the project execution and includes specific contextual information relevant to the project countries, namely: Denmark, Cyprus, Portugal, Italy, Latvia, and the Republic of North Macedonia. The Curriculum is however conceived as being ready to be used at the European level and tailored to the national context of any of the 27 EU Member States.

We sincerely hope that the Curriculum will actively contribute to a solid understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals and will foster the acquisition and development of 21st century skills. 

How to use the curriculum

The curriculum provides everything you may need to guide your students to the discovery of the Sustainable Development Goals, with the aim to enhance their soft skills.

Each module of the curriculum deals with a specific Sustainable Development Goal, and it has been structured in three parts:

- An introductory section, that we suggest sharing with your students under the form of an easy tale, in a creative way including some practical examples. This may help to avoid boring or scaring off your students with a theoretical content that could appear more complex than what it really is.

- A central body composed of six learning tools, i.e. didactic activities that it is worth analyzing in advance to decide which of them best fit with the educational objectives related to the age of your students. Each activity has different characteristics, and choosing the activities to be carried out with your students, we suggest to pay attention not only to the objectives and the modalities of development, but also to the estimated duration and to the didactic material required. But no worries: these tools are easily scalable, and if necessary, you can adapt your interventions, in order to match the activities with your timetable and with the available stuff!

In order to foster the cooperative learning-by-doing, many activities require to split the class in small groups. For this reason, it is highly recommended that you get help from a teacher able to manage group dynamics and to supervise with you the work of the various groups.

Finally, please note that the learning tools have been designed during a period of general uncertainty due to the unpredictable situation of Coronavirus pandemic. In view of the limitations and distance required nowadays in many European countries, it is possible that some activities may not be developed in the manner foreseen. In that case, you and your teachers should find the way to arrange different and tailored options to develop them respecting the safety rules and, at the same time, without losing sight of your objectives related to SDGs and 21st century skills for your students.

- An existing good practice identified at local level, able to show how many nice and important things we can do for the future of our Planet if we use our skills and competences to plan new solutions to the problems the SDGs are focused on. The analysis of good practices can serve as an example and a stimulus to your students and can both precede the performance of didactic activities and follow it as a comment and confirmation of the validity of the path taken together.