by DCU The most recent SYNAPSES Teacher Academy partnership meeting took place at Sigtunaskolan Humanistiska Läroverket in Sweden, providing a beautiful setting for the visiting partners to interact with teachers and students involved in the upcoming project implementation phase. These transnational partnership meetings facilitate face-to-face exploration, sense-making, and planning for project implementation. As a three-year project with multiple interdependent work packages, a close working relationship is crucial to the success of the SYNAPSES Teacher Academy. After significant progress in the first 12 months, attention now shifts to the crucial upcoming implementation phase, with partners busy organising professional learning events with…

By ESHA We are live! Would you like to work on your professional development but do not have time to read? We present the SYNAPSES Academy Podcast, a twenty minute weekly podcast in which we talk you, teachers and school leaders, through different elements of Sustainability Citizenship in education. The podcast will move between the topics of managing the school with a whole school approach, building a community around the school and internationally, building so-called ‘climate playgrounds’ and more… Listen to them on your way into work, during your morning cup of coffee or in the staff room during your…

The 2024 SYNAPSES summer school started on Sunday 7th July, when teachers and school heads from across Europe joined us to learn about our initiatives and to exchange good practices. On the first day, participants heard from six keynote presenters on a range of topics from Sustainability Citizenship, Schools in the age of AI, Empowering communities of educators and Learning on the Go. On the second day, the focus was on the meaning of Sustainability Citizenship, and how teachers could transform their school into a living lab. This was developed through collaborative and interactive exercises. Later in the day, participants…

By EA Registration for SYNAPSES International Professional Development Course for 2024 has officially closed. We are excited to welcome 50 school heads and teachers from across Europe to this fantastic six-day event in the heart of July. Participants can expect a fantastic week filled with insightful lectures, engaging workshops, and excursions to signature points of Attica. The course will dive into vital topics such as teaching sustainability citizenship, creating a community, cooperating with external stakeholders, developing challenge-based learning scenarios, and green action plans. This course promises to equip the participants with valuable skills and knowledge, enriching their professional and school…

By ESHA   The SYNAPSES Community Portal for Teacher- and School Leadership supporting resources on Sustainability practices launched on 31 May 2024! Check it out here! The platform is an online portal that will support educators in teaching and leading for a sustainable future. But change starts with small actions. The platform contains resources, best practices and even whole learning journeys catered for just that. Teachers and school heads can connect to peers with similar goals. Join national and international groups to share inspiring practices and engage in conversations with colleagues. Browse our easy-to-search resource and good practice page to…

by ECBA   ESHA hosted the recent consortium meeting held in Utrecht to discuss the progress and future steps of the SYNAPSES project. These meetings are crucial as they allow the diverse and intense work from the partners, spanning several work packages, to be presented and reviewed in an organized manner. This facilitates joint learning and fine-tuning of future steps. The Dutch National Association for School Leaders (AVS) and ESHA welcomed participants at their headquarters in an historical part of Utrecht. To enhance understanding of processes related to societal transitions, Harry te Riele, an expert in the field, enlightened participants…

Thalia Tsaknia, The paper explores ways to rethink educational approaches in the context of climate change, focussing primarily on school education. It looks specifically at strategies to restructure foundational science education and cross-curricular learning, zooms in on the potential of place-based approaches in empowering learners for action, and concludes by identifying policy levers to increase education system resilience.

Written by Cathérine Conradty, Empowering Sustainable Citizens: The Pivotal Role of Educators In our journey towards a sustainable society, educators play a crucial role in shaping the future. They are not just teachers but architects of a world where sustainability is the cornerstone of every action. As we face unprecedented environmental challenges, the need for a sustainable society has never been more urgent. This transformation requires a paradigm shift in our attitudes and competencies, a change that begins in the classroom. Educators are uniquely positioned to instil the values of sustainability in young minds. They can cultivate an understanding of…

Written by Sofoklis Sotirou, A Week-Long Exploration of Teaching for Sustainability Citizenship SYNAPSES Summer Course is part of the International Erasmus+ School Heads and Teacher Training Academy on Teaching for Sustainability Citizenship. Sustainability Citizenship skills include the ability to recognize the environmental, social and economic dimensions of climate change, the ability to connect local actions and initiatives to global processes, and the capacity to move from analysis to systematic action on climate change. The main goal of the course is to expand teachers’ pre- and in-service training opportunities focusing on environmental education and climate change related activities, inquiry-based and challenge-based…

Written by Jan Cincera,  On November 16-17, the consortium convened in Parsberg, a quaint Bavarian town. The primary objective was to provide concise introductions to each work package and solicit feedback. The initial segment elucidated the theoretical framework, followed by project leaders articulating their visions for collaborative efforts. Subsequently, we presented an overview of shared qualitative features in training courses, emphasizing the necessity to integrate local nuances for contextual relevance. The inaugural SYNAPSES Academy, scheduled for July 2024, was unveiled, prompting discussions on effective strategies to engage teachers. Following a brief catering break, we delved into the project's dissemination strategy…