Five trends of education and technology in a sustainable future

Quality education is one of the pillars in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.This overall goal can be connected to some general trends affecting education in the information age.We argue that education is key to the future quality of human life and the sustainability of the world.Generally,education is being transformed in both formal and informal learning contexts by new digital technologies.Overall,some of these major innovations and how they are changing education can be summarized into the following aspects:1)our educational aims and objectives;2)educational ecologies and contexts of learning;3)the processes of learning;4)the processes of teaching;and 5)educational governance and policy.Meanwhile,we note some of the potential risks and downsides of these technology trends.From the sustainable perspective,our review points to a great potential for educational reform,but it can only be achieved if we are willing to rethink and even abandon some of our traditional ways of doing things in education.

Eportfolio and Education for Sustainable Development （ESD） Fusion： An Innovation for 21st Century Technology

The purpose of this study is to provide a concrete innovation on how Education for Sustainable Development （ESD） is integrated into higher education using Advanced Educational Statistics as its platform. With this, university faculty, master＇s degree students and administrators can make appropriate strategies to become globally competitive and responsive to the sustainability mantra. A successful innovation has been developed, and found to be relevant and achievable. The key ingredient of this innovation is to utilize statistics as a platform of ESD fused with Multiple intelligences （MI）, Higher-Order Thinking Skills （HOTs） and latest technology. Moreover, this paper used a descriptive-correlation design, which identified the difficulties encountered by the master＇s degree students in making their innovations; then determined the relationship between the attitudes of students toward e-portfolio and their level of fusing ESD in statistics relative to： MI, HOTs and latest technology. Multiple regression analysis was utilized to predict its relationships. This innovation is highly appropriate for multidisciplinary, international students. It connects ESD principles with practice as it enables university＇s effort to contribute to ESD. This paper is supported by the actual, students＇ output which can be found in the website （http：//statisticsforndmu.blogspot.com/）.

Current Status of Key Competencies among Medical Students: A Latent Profile Analysis

The purpose of this study was to understand the overall level of key competencies of medical students and explore the potential profile of key competencies, promoting quality education, and improving the quality talent cultivation in medical colleges. A stratified random sampling method selected 734 medical students from four medical colleges in Chongqing Province of China. A general information questionnaire and a key competencies survey questionnaire were used to conduct the survey. The overall score and scores of each dimension of key competencies were analyzed. Latent profile analysis was conducted to classify the key competencies of medical students and compare the distribution differences of demographic variables among different categories. The results showed that 26% of medical students have never heard of the concept of key competencies, and 59% of them are not familiar with the content related to key competencies. The score of key competencies is 3.66 ± 0.60, with the highest score in the dimension of responsibility and the lowest score in the dimension of humanistic accomplishment. The latent profile analysis classified them into three categories: “low key competencies group (14.71%)”, “medium key competencies group (36.79%)”, and “high key competencies group (48.50%)”. The R3STEP regression analysis results showed statistically significant differences in educational level and whether they served as student cadres among different key competencies categories of medical students. This paper discusses three different potential key competencies categories among medical students, and the overall level of key competencies is relatively good. However, medical students lack a comprehensive and systematic understanding of key competencies. Humanistic accomplishment, healthy living, and practical innovation are the three dimensions with lower scores and should be given more attention. Medical colleges should integrate the concept of key competencies into teaching and implement it in medical practice to cultivate more high-quality medical talents for society.

Sustainability Capacity Building Based on Educational Method: A Case Study on China and Sweden Joint Program

Environmental Education and Education for Sustainable Development (EE&ESD) have been widely accepted as an effective educational method to contribute to capacity development and processes of change in developing countries. This paper takes SIDA supported EE&ESD in formal educationadvanced international training program, China as an example. By analyzing and reflecting its orientation, implementation, outcomes and evaluation, experiences and lessons learned are expected to help improve the sorts of international cooperation capacity building programs both from international and also Chinese perspectives.

The Role of the Finnish Basic Education Model in Enhancing Students’Happiness and Learning Motivation

This paper examines the Finnish basic education model,renowned for its student-centric approach and high performance in international assessments.The study explores the model’s core principles,including equity,teacher autonomy,and minimal standardized testing,and their impact on student happiness and motivation.Through case studies,interviews,and surveys with students,teachers,and parents,the paper provides an in-depth analysis of the Finnish model’s effectiveness.Challenges such as adaptability to diverse cultural contexts,integration of immigrant students,and sustainability in the face of global educational trends are also discussed.The paper concludes with recommendations for the continued evolution of the Finnish model,emphasizing the need for adaptability,inclusivity,and a focus on sustainability and technology integration.

Exploring Education for Sustainable Development in a Chinese Kindergarten:An Action Research

Purpose:This article was intended to share and reflect on experiences concerning the education for sustainable development(ESD)project at Hongqiao Kindergarten in Shanghai.The project aimed to explore how ESD could be implemented in a current curriculum and to provide useful examples of educational activities and experiences.Design/Approach/Methods:The action research included two cycles with four steps.The first cycle involved the integration of ESD into a traditional science curriculum.The second cycle involved the validation and optimization of the ESD objectives.The implementation strategies were reviewed and refined.Findings:First,a variety of strategies can be used to identify the theme and choose the content.Second,the objectives should be developed on children’s life experiences and interests.Third,the idea of ESD can be implemented in multiple ways.Fourth,a reasonable objective system involving ESD was constructed for children by ages.Fifth,there were many effective ways to integrate ESD activities into other domains of curriculum.The challenges and implications were also discussed.Originality/Value:The study had a positive effect on teachers’ability to practice ESD.This was a pioneer project in early childhood education in China,which provided valuable information for those aiming to implement ESD practices in Chinese kindergartens.

The Impact of Meetings on the Network Governance and Mobility of UN Policy Programs on Environment and Education

Purpose:This paper adds to the understandings of how face-to-face meetings contribute to the network governance and global mobility of United Nations(UN)policy programs on environmental and sustainability education(ESE).Design/Approach/Methods:Data from interviews with 13 international ESE policy leaders were transcribed,coded,and analyzed for key themes related to the research purpose.Findings:The findings indicate that meetings provide an arena for collaboration and influence on UN ESE policy programs,as well as facilitating the impact of the policy programs on UN member country policy.In addition,attending meetings enables the production of network relations that bind ESE policy communities together across distant locations.They are also a venue for the networking labor involved in forging new relationships and facilitating the social learning that supports global policy mobility.Originality/Value:This pilot study enriches understanding of face-to-face meetings as a key vector of policy mobility and a significant factor in the overall network governance of UN organizations and their policy programs.We hope the study contributes to the fields of critical policy studies and ESE,as well as to informing policy actors on how important their participation in meetings can be for the network governance and mobility of UN policy programs.

Education for Sustainable Development in Ethnic Autonomous Areas of China:A Comparison of Two Curriculum Initiatives and Their Educational Implications

This paper examines the educational implications of two curriculum initiatives in China that have produced curricular materials promoting education for sustainable development(ESD)in minority-populated ethnic autonomous areas in China.The two curriculum projects present distinctive discourses,conceptions,models,frameworks and scopes of ESD in the country.Nonetheless,there is a likelihood that the actual implementation of the curriculum initiatives,especially the enactment of the curriculum materials produced,might be thwarted due to structural and systemic educational constraints,an anthropocentric approach to sustainable development,poor teacher support and teacher training,omissions of the affective learning components in curricular contents,as well as loopholes and weaknesses in the development of the curriculum materials themselves.

A Critical Analysis of Education for Sustainability in Early Childhood Curriculum Documents in China and Norway

Purpose:This article examines how early childhood curriculum documents in two culturally different contexts are associated with current concepts of sustainability and principles of early childhood education for sustainability(ECEfS)in China and Norway.Design/Approach/Methods:Applying critical document analysis,the study explores a number of landmark curriculum documents from China and Norway,comparing the ways in which ECEfS is conceptualized,including the concept of sustainability,children as agents of change for sustainability,and sustainability in young children’s everyday lives.Findings:Corresponding to the analytical framework,China and Norway attach different importance to the three dimensions of sustainability-social-cultural,economic,and environmental.For example,Norway has a more autonomous view of children’s agency,while China gives more emphasis to teachers’support.The two countries also have different perspectives on how to work with families and communities based on significantly different traditions and institutions.The comparative document analysis argues that predominant cultural dimensions in each context,such as collectivist and individualistic factors,may shape the understandings of sustainability in each country’s early years’curriculum documents.Originality/Values:By broadening the focus on the social-cultural aspects of sustainability,this study extends the development of a culturally inclusive understanding of the concept of sustainability and contextualized/localized approaches to ECEfS across the globe.

New Realization of Disaster Risk Reduction Education in the Context of a Global Pandemic: Lessons from Japan

The global COVID-19 pandemic has challenged different development sectors,including education.In this article,two main analyses are provided:one on the biological hazards of the pandemic in the context of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015−2030,which analyzes the overall impacts on the education sector.Then we discuss the overall impact on education sectors,with specific focus on disaster risk reduction(DRR)education and education for sustainable development(ESD).Disaster risk reduction education and ESD are analyzed from the perspective of school-community-family linkages.Specific case analysis of COVID-19 response in the education sector is presented from Omuta City,Japan,which is considered as a champion city for ESD.Four phases of response in Omuta City are characterized with three specific foci:(1)mitigating covid impacts on educational program and participants;(2)preventing exacerbation of covid transmission within and outside schools;and(3)maintaining educational program integrity despite covid.Key lessons are summarized in the concluding section,which explore the importance of(1)educational governance(on critical decision making)during the pandemic as well as with cascading risks;(2)enhancement of school-community-family linkages as pandemic response commonalities between ESD and DRR education;(3)risk communication and citizen behavior;and(4)use of technology.We argue that integration of health and DRR education is important,that resilience needs to be redefined in terms of sustainable development goals(SDGs),and that education plays a vital role in achieving these ends.