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Climate change in the classroom: UNESCO course for secondary teachers on climate change education for sustainable development Year of publication: 2013 Author: David Selby | Fumiyo Kagawa Corporate author: UNESCO This course has been created with the goal of bringing climate change education outside the science classroom into the many other subject areas upon which climate change now has an impact, or will impact in the future, such as ethics, social studies, economics, political science, among others. The course materials are organized into four parts: 1. Course Framework and Overview, 2. Teachers’ Education Course daily materials, 3. Regional Resource Packs, 4. Daily Classroom Materials for teachers. These materials are all described in more detail and can be accessed from the Start Menu found on the following pages. This course is designed to enable teachers at the secondary level from diverse subject areas to introduce climate change education for sustainable development (CCESD) across the curriculum. UNESCO has identified the professional development of teachers in education for sustainable development as the top priority in recognition of the transformative role that teachers and teacher educators need to play in re-orienting education to help realize a sustainable future (UNESCO, 2005, p. 19). But good intentions for the professional development of teachers have fallen short in practice. Although taken up by enthusiasts, teacher education for sustainable development has rarely been mainstreamed, and, where there are courses, is often approached within a disciplinary as opposed to an interdisciplinary frame (Wals, A., 2009). If professional development in education for sustainable development is at an adolescent stage, teacher education in climate change education for sustainable development is in its infancy. For instance, according to a 2009 international comparative study on climate change education and sustainable development in ten countries, climate change education has peripheral status in educational research and practice, and when it is addressed it is only within science education (Læssøe,J. Schnack, K., Breiting, S. & Rolls, S., 2009). There is a clear and present need to respond to climate change challenges through systematic teacher education programmes that are not restricted to a single subject area. This teacher education course is an attempt to fill the current gap and is in line with one of UNESCO’s key objectives for climate change education for sustainable development, that is, to support teacher training on climate change for sustainable development (UNESCO, 2010, p. 9). The programme has four distinctive features: 1. It helps teachers to understand the causes, dynamics and impacts of climate change through a holistic approach. 2. Teachers are exposed to, and experience, a range of pedagogical approaches and techniques, that they can use in their own school environment. This includes engagement of themselves and their students in whole school and school-in-community approaches. 3. Teachers will develop their capacities to facilitate students’ community based learning. 4. Teachers will develop future-oriented and transformative capacities in facilitating climate change mitigation, adaptation, and disaster risk reduction learning. 
Blended learning for quality higher education: selected case studies on implementation from Asia-Pacific Year of publication: 2016 Author: Lim, Cher Ping | Wang Libing Corporate author: UNESCO Bangkok Together with The Education University of Hong Kong, UNESCO Bangkok gathered experts from higher education institutions in the Asia-Pacific region to explore the potential of blended learning, including its impact on the role of teachers, the relationship between teachers and students, and the nature of educational institutions themselves. Issues about the quality of education are at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals, which were adopted during the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015. 
The promise of large-scale learning assessments Year of publication: 2019 Corporate author: UNESCO The benefits and advantages of Large-scale learning assessments(LSLAs) have been extensively reviewed in specialized literature, and there is growing recognition of the potential of assessment data to inform policy in a variety of ways. As a result, increasingly higher expectations have been placed on LSLAs as drivers of policy change over the past few decades. They are indeed expected to serve a range of uses, including monitoring, accountability, agenda-setting and analysis. The potential of such tools reaches far beyond reporting purposes. They can provide insight into areas in need of improvement and help pinpoint the most appropriate, promising and effective policy interventions. However, both national and cross-national learning assessments have raised some concerns. A growing volume of evidence calls attention to a range of unexpected and even negative effects resulting from such exercises. Drawing on a diverse body of evidence, including scholarly literature and the experience of a range of international organizations, development partners and assessment specialists, this publication reflects on the possible unintended consequences of LSLAs. Some concerns stem directly from the characteristics inherent to their design while others centre around the (mis)uses of data to inform agenda-setting and policy formulation. 
Improving quality and relevance of education through mobile learning in Rwanda: a promise to deliver: case study by the UNESCO-Fazheng project on best practices in mobile learning Year of publication: 2019 Author: Wallet, Peter | Kimenyi, Eric | Miao, Fengchun | Domiter, Anett Corporate author: UNESCO Rwanda’s education sector is evolving through the adoption of information and communication technology (ICT ). Whereas the focus was previously on the extensive deployment of laptop devices, it is shifting towards advancing adaptive child-centred learning and the use of ICT augmented environments to enrich teaching and learning. In developing countries, however, an orientation frequently remains to select strategies which have previously shown to be successful in developed contexts without taking into account the full range of elements required for effective implementation including a comprehensive assessment of the financial implications required to ensure longer term sustainability. This case study aims to showcase Rwanda’s customised approach to the integration of ICT in classrooms adapted to meet the particular needs of the Rwandan education system. The SMARTRwanda Master Plan lays out a vision to transform Rwanda’s economy by leveraging the use of ICT. Aligned to SMART Rwanda, the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) is implementing the SMARTClassroominitiative under its ICT in Education Master Plan to reach all schools by 2020. Although there have been several challenges encountered during the various phases of implementation, more than half of all schools across the country are now equipped with ICT devices and many teachers have undergone various capacity-building initiatives to make better use of ICT in teaching and learning. More work is required in order to develop a fully functioning ICT in education ecosystem in Rwanda; nevertheless, this case study demonstrates progress made thus far and describes the various system stakeholders, their roles, responsibilities and contributions to date to improve access, quality and relevance of education through ICT adoption. 
Evaluation of UNESCO's work in information and communication technologies (ICT) in education Year of publication: 2019 Author: Seán Ó Siochru and Graham Attwell Corporate author: UNESCO ICT in Education is a fast-growing area globally that offers many strategic opportunities. As the leader and coordinator of the SDG 4 – Education 2030 with the aim to “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”, UNESCO has the mandate and expertise needed to strategically position itself as a world leader in this field. UNESCO’s work in ICT in Education aims at enhancing the quality and relevance of learning and at strengthening inclusion. While technology can facilitate wider access to education and bridge learning divides, can advance gender equality and inclusion as well as digital skills development, the rapidly changing technologies and work processes require the development of new pedagogies, both for the use of ICT for teaching and learning in the classroom and through open access and distance learning. Compared to other players, UNESCO leverages its comparative strengths in its ICT in Education interventions - especially its impartiality, convening power, and policy expertise - through an inclusive and humanistic approach to achieving quality education in coherence with Sustainable Development Agenda 2030. Its expertise across all levels of Education and its multidisciplinary potential of working across its Programme Sectors are also considered among UNESCO’s specific strengths. The evaluation revealed that UNESCO achieved important results, at the level of the learning environment, at the policy level and in institutional capacity building, but it also showed that UNESCO still needs to strengthen its positioning and visibility within the wider landscape of ICT in Education. For example, UNESCO has to continue positioning itself for producing forward-looking knowledge on ICT in Education and as a laboratory of ideas for future-oriented thinking. While the evaluation came across various specific interventions successfully addressing the needs of disadvantaged groups, the evaluation found that considerations of inclusion and gender equality were not consistently mainstreamed into policy-related and capacity building interventions. Other challenges are mainly linked to the current dispersion of resources and fragmentation of expertise across different entities within the Organization, which also leads to reduced visibility. While the key entities active in this area recognize that they are working within a common theme, collaboration and coordination still needs to be improved. The strategic measures proposed by the evaluation towards an overall organizational framework for ICT in Education aim at establishing an enabling environment for inter- and multidisciplinary approaches and greater coherence and collaboration. 
UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ver.3) Year of publication: 2018 Corporate author: UNESCO UNESCO has developed the ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT CFT) as a tool to guide pre- and in-service teacher training on the use of ICTs across the education system. The ICT CFT is intended to be adapted to support national and institutional goals by providing an up-to-date framework for policy development and capacity building in this dynamic area.The ICT Competency Framework for Teachers (ICT CFT) Version 3 is a response to recent technological and pedagogical developments in the field of ICT and Education, and incorporates in its structure inclusive principles of non-discrimination, open and equitable information accessibility and gender equality in the delivery of education supported by technology. It addresses the impacts of recent technological advances on education and learning, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Mobile Technologies, the Internet of Things and Open Educational Resources, to support the creation of inclusive Knowledge Societies. The ICT CFT provides a comprehensive set of competencies teachers need to integrate ICT into their professional practice in order to facilitate students’ achievement of curricular objectives. Strong political commitments and sustained investment in teacher education, and concerted actions between pre- and in-service teacher trainings form the foundation of the successful implementation of this Framework as it is contextualized to national and institutional goals. For this reason, this document underlines the importance of steadfast commitment to supporting teachers’ continuous professional development including through ICT, and includes examples to illustrate how ICT CFT could be used to facilitate teachers’ development in diverse contexts. We look forward to strengthening our collaboration with all stakeholders everywhere to leverage ICT to develop the skills required to thrive within the fast-changing inclusive Knowledge Societies. 
The ABCs of Global Citizenship Education Year of publication: 2016 Corporate author: UNESCO UNESCO's FAQ flyers on GCED 
Education for People and Planet: Creating Sustainable Futures for All, Global Education Monitoring Report, 2016 Year of publication: 2016 Corporate author: UNESCO | Global Education Monitoring Report Team Education for People and Planet: Creating Sustainable Futures for All explores the complex relationship between education and the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, covering six fundamental pillars – Planet, Prosperity, People, Peace, Place and Partnerships. This report shows that education will not deliver its full potential unless participation rates increase dramatically and sustainable development guides education system reform. It also warns of the destructive impact that climate change, conflict, unsustainable consumption and the increasing gap between rich and poor have on education. A huge transformation is needed if we are to create sustainable futures for all. 
Envision 4.7: Bridge 47 Global Event; Helsinki, Finland 5–7 November 2019: Report Year of publication: 2019 Corporate author: Bridge 47 | Frinland. Ministry of Education and Culture | Finland. Ministry for Foreign Affairs Global event Envision 4.7 was held in Helsinki in November 2019. The event brought around 200 people together to discuss ways to take the SDG Target 4.7 forward. In this report you can find summaries of all the speeches, panel discussions, workshops and working groups that were held at the event, together with a summary of discussions around all the different topics. You can also find pictures and drawings from the event at the report. 
Programming with Adolescent Boys to Promote Gender-Equitable Masculinities: A Rigorous Review Year of publication: 2018 Author: Rachel Marcus | Maria Stavropoulou | Nandini Archer-Gupta Corporate author: Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) | UK aid This review brings evidence from 36 studies of 34 programmes working with adolescent boys and young men to promote more gender-equitable masculinities. It draws on studies with a range of evaluation designs; the key requirements were adequate description of methodology and a valid comparison between participants and non-participants, or of attitudes and behaviour before and after participation.