Education for Change Newsletter

EduC News VII 2008-10-15

To all partners and teams,
Over, EduC project is over! Long live EduC!

We wanted to improve in-service training and teacher students with ESD experience. I think it was March 2003. I don’t remember exactly how we got to know about Comenius as a source for us. But we prepared two applications to EU, one for in-service training and one for universities. In particular I remember the detailed budget with nights of work with excel sheets to get the numbers correct. We failed, but were encouraged by pleasant comments from EU experts. At the meeting, autumn 2004 in Helsinki we decided to make a new application with two components and try again. In February 2005in was time for new hard nights to set up the next application, now a consultant helped to finalise the budget. Late summer Valdy called, this time the fax from Brussels was positive.

The money was delayed and less than requested. We made a work plan and spread the work to different partners, very nicely - on paper. The meeting in Haapsalu 2005 was the real kick off. In Sigulda all nice reports from pilot circles gave energy for the next period. After our nice “extra” meeting in Gdansk I realized that time runs too fast. And now it’s all done!

Except experiences we all have three documents, still only in the computer; two “SC” and one “TM”. We also have very positive experiences from the pilot circles as a very good tool for in service training. Everything is well documented by Katri Cronlund, our “hidden” external evaluator. From the frame I hope all university partners have made course plans and EduC courses, or with EduC influence, are a part of the studies for many prospective teachers. Do you have possibilities to inspire and disseminate EduC course plan to others, too?

Now Baltic University will host the frame for the EduC course plan and material. The project is over and now we have to continue and implement our “products”. Baltic University has experiences but they need our support and our contacts among educators. Alona Rauckiene from Klaipeda University will be mentor for EduC and important for dissemination and development.

It has been so nice to work with something I really believe in and to meet and work with all nice and skilled educators. But it has also been many hours alone, with worries and work. I have learnt a lot and can clearly say that for me the EduC project has been a good example of “life long learning”. I have learnt a lot! What are your experiences?

Merry Christmas and let 2009 be the year of Change!

Gitte

PRINTING: A huge hug and a bunch of flowers to Inese and Ilse! The work with lay out in foreign languages was very time consuming and no short cuts were possible. Are you all prepared to care for boxes with EduC hand books when Inese contacts you?

WEB SITE: Christian Andersson will go on to care for EduC material, as apart of BUP web site. In the beginning of the project you sent Peter and me articles to be published in the hand book. Many of them are cut, changed or not published at all. Now they are wanted in full length in English and national languages to be available on the web site. Send these articles, and also new ones to Christian christian.andersson@balticuniv.uu.se and he will structure them in a EduC. Please help to disseminate the web address!

APPRECIATED: Valdy got positive response when she used a copied version in seminars for teacher students. Nice to hear!

PUSH for EduC! EduC is a very good help for ESD. Have you found the target group and know how to market courses and material? Here examples on dissemination: - Inese and CES invited key persons, about 100 educators to a one day conference in Riga. It was very well organised and clearly a step forward for understanding of ESD and for EduC material and courses.

- The next example is from Uppsala and the one week course for educators from Greece and Baltic Sea Countries. Out door we conducted one of the exercises from chapter 4 in EduC hand book. Thanks to Christine Jakobsson at Baltic University I could give all participants a pre-printed version of the booklet to everyone.

SWEDESD: A new international centre for ESD is now set up on Gotland. You can follow the work and definitely contribute to the work..

This is my favourite illustration. Which one is yours? Thank you Ilse for converting text into attractive and happy illustrations!