Learn about the GreenComp
Topic outline
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GreenComp is a European framework for sustainability competences. This module briefly introduces this framework. In the TEACH4SD project, the framework forms the basis for the developed modules here at ESD Academy with the aim of contributing to empower the transition to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), and support educators to take on a leading role as change-makers. If you are familiar with the GreenComp framework we suggest you skip this introduction module and go directly to the specific GreenComp modules.
Click 'Enter' to start the module, you can always return to this page on the ‘Exit Activity’ button at the top right corner. (Note when you enter the module you may notice a slight delay, before the content appears please be patience, sorry for the inconvenience)
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This module helps teachers develop students’ sustainability values, emphasising the importance of prioritising the needs of all life forms and ensuring human activities do not cross the planet’s resource limits. The module provides ideas and tools for educators to create lessons that encourage students to think and act with empathy, responsibility, and respect for the environment.
This module equips you to:
- Have knowledge on the main views on sustainability: anthropocentrism (human-centric), technocentrism (technological solutions to ecological problems) and ecocentrism (nature-centered).
- Help students to articulate and negotiate sustainability values, principles and objectives while recognizing different viewpoints.
- Become prone to acting in line with values and principles for sustainability.
Time usage:
Estimated time to read through and explore the module approx. 45 min.
The module introduces to several class/course activities, if applied more time will be needed.Click 'Enter' to start the module, you can always return to this page on the ‘Exit Activity’ button at the top right corner. (Note when you enter the module you may notice a slight delay, before the content appears please be patience, sorry for the inconvenience)
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This module supports educators with strategies and tools to integrate sustainable justice and equity into sustainability education, focusing on creating awareness about environmental and social responsibilities. It also encourages critical thinking and ethical decision-making, respecting diverse viewpoints.
This module equips you to:
- Effectively communicate the key concepts of equity, justice and inclusion in the context of sustainability education.
- Facilitate activities that promote critical thinking and ethical decision-making to tackle sustainability challenges.
- Encourage a fairness in sustainability related discussions while recognizing diverse viewpoints and respecting inclusivity.
Time usage:
Estimated time to read through and explore the module approx. 90 min.
The module introduces to several class/course activities, if applied more time will be needed.Click 'Enter' to start the module, you can always return to this page on the ‘Exit Activity’ button at the top right corner. (Note when you enter the module you may notice a slight delay, before the content appears please be patience, sorry for the inconvenience)
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Educating students in the competence Promoting nature, will support them in recognizing that humans are part of nature and that we must respect the needs and rights of other species and nature itself to restore and regenerate healthy and resilient ecosystems. Throughout the module teachers will delve into resources that will explore how they can consider the interests and capabilities of other species and environmental ecosystems and explore the importance of preserving nature for future generations and for nature itself.
This module equips you to:
- Foster a healthy relationship with nature and develop feelings of connectedness that help understand that our wellbeing, health and security depend on the wellbeing of the ecosystems that surround us.
- Assess one owns impact on nature and evaluate how that impact can be made positive by changing our behaviours and choices.
- Develop a more-than-human perspective, through understanding biodiversity and biomimicry principles, while reconnecting with your local ecosystems.
Time usage:
Estimated time to read through and explore the module approx. 45 min.
The module introduces to several class/course activities if applied more time will be needed.Click 'Enter' to start the module, you can always return to this page on the ‘Exit Activity’ button at the top right corner. (Note when you enter the module you may notice a slight delay, before the content appears please be patience, sorry for the inconvenience)
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This course is designed to empower educators with tools and insights necessary to apply systems thinking in educational settings, enhancing both teaching practices and student learning experiences.
Systems thinking offers a powerful framework for understanding the complex interactions and dynamics that influence educational environments. By recognizing these interconnections, educators can better design curricula, manage classroom dynamics, and address the unique challenges that arise in vocational training.
Throughout this course, you will explore the fundamental concepts of systems thinking, including the identification of different system elements, understanding interconnections, and recognizing the functions or purposes of educational systems. Practical examples will be provided to illustrate how these concepts can be applied in real-world educational settings, focusing on improving decision-making processes and fostering a more holistic approach to education.
This module equips you to:
- Understand and apply core concepts of Systems Thinking
Learners will be able to define what a system is, identify its key components (elements, interconnections, and purpose), and explain how these components interact within educational and everyday contexts. - Analyze problems using a systems thinking lens
Learners will be able to distinguish between simple, complicated, and complex problems, and apply systems thinking tools and perspectives to analyze real-world challenges in vocational and educational settings. - Design and reflect on educational practices through Systems Thinking
Learners will be able to create and evaluate systems maps (e.g., through activities like “Draw How to Make Tea”), reflect on their own mental models, and use systems thinking to inform and improve teaching strategies and student engagement.
The course is structured to accommodate your schedule, allowing you to engage with content at your own pace and apply learning in a way that fits your professional context. Engaging multimedia content, interactive assignments, and reflective exercises are designed to ensure a comprehensive learning experience.
Time usage:
Estimated time to read through and explore the module approx. 120 min.
The module introduces to several class/course activities if applied more time will be needed.Click 'Enter' to start the module, you can always return to this page on the ‘Exit Activity’ button at the top right corner. (Note when you enter the module you may notice a slight delay, before the content appears please be patience, sorry for the inconvenience)
- Understand and apply core concepts of Systems Thinking
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This module aims at presenting both theoretical insights and practical strategies that educators can use in order to integrate critical thinking into sustainability education. By taking into consideration the EU Green Competences framework, the module provides information that educators can use in order to teach and provide them with the tools that they need for a better and more clear understanding of key critical thinking elements, including analysis, evaluation, inference, reflection, open-mindedness, critical assessment, environmental evaluation and problem-solving skills.
This module equips you to:
- understand how critical thinking empowers learners to analyze, evaluate and challenge environmental issues, forming the basis for more informed sustainability practices.
- apply specific strategies, such as analysis, evaluation, and reflective questioning to dissect and address complex environmental challenges effectively in classroom discussions.
- explore and design engaging, inquiry-based activities that stimulate critical inquiry, enabling leaners to develop problem-solving skills and evidence-based solutions for sustainability challenges.
Time usage:
Estimated duration to read through this module: approximately 45-60 minutes.
The module introduces to several class/course activities if applied more time will be needed.Click 'Enter' to start the module, you can always return to this page on the ‘Exit Activity’ button at the top right corner. (Note when you enter the module you may notice a slight delay, before the content appears please be patience, sorry for the inconvenience)
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This module helps educators understand the process of identifying actual or potential sustainability problems and how to categorize these problems. Furthermore, this module adresses how to apply this process to lessons in the form of learning activities.
This module equips you to:
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Identify, analyze, and categorize sustainability challenges within complex systems by applying systems-thinking principles and classifying problems into one of the four problem types: (I) Straightforward, (II) Formidable, (III) Manageable, and (IV) Wicked.
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Frame sustainability problems from a systems and design perspective, using concepts such as difficulty, stakeholders (human and non-human), time horizon, geographical scope, and interdependencies between social, ecological, technological, and institutional elements.
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Deconstruct complex sustainability problems to identify leverage points and appropriate intervention strategies, drawing on design- and systems-thinking approaches to anticipate and prevent future problems, as well as to mitigate and adapt to existing challenges.
Time usage:
Estimated time to read through and explore this module: 1,5-2 hours.Click 'Enter' to start the module, you can always return to this page on the ‘Exit Activity’ button at the top right corner. (Note when you enter the module you may notice a slight delay, before the content appears please be patience, sorry for the inconvenience)
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Future literacy is the ability to understand the impact that current choices, actions, and trends have on our future. This module will equip educators to empower learners to use their imagination, and awareness to envision, adapt to, and actively create new possibilities for the future. Future literacy is a unique approach to solving the complex challenges associated to climate change and society’s transition towards a circular economy. It enables students to understand foresight as a tool for innovation and resilience and critically assess the assumptions we all carry.
When you have completed this Digital Learning Resource you will be able to:
- Use foresight as a methodology to helps explore potential futures, identifying signals that reveal alternative ways of doing things, and creating scenarios or stories to illustrate various possible outcomes.
- Navigate anxiety and uncertainty, understanding how what we do today shapes tomorrow, while opening our minds about what we could do today to achieve a better future.
- Thrive amid change and be resilient and optimistic about the future enabling you to build agency and strategic thinking so that young people can work toward their vision.
Time usage:
Estimated time to read through and explore the module approx. 60 min.
The module introduces to several class/course activities if applied more time will be needed.Click 'Enter' to start the module, you can always return to this page on the ‘Exit Activity’ button at the top right corner. (Note when you enter the module you may notice a slight delay, before the content appears please be patience, sorry for the inconvenience)
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This course on adaptability supports educators in learning how to teach adaptability as a core GreenComp competence. It guides educators to understand the meaning of adaptability in the context of sustainability, explore how to foster adaptability among students, and apply teaching strategies that strengthen resilience, flexible thinking, and decision-making under uncertainty.
This module equips you to:
- Explain to learners how human actions may have unpredictable, uncertain and complex consequences for sustainability
- Facilitate decision-making related to the future in the face of uncertainty, ambiguity and risk.
- Promote resilience and positive attitudes toward uncertainty and complexity
Time usage:
Estimated duration to complete this module: 3-5 hours, including reading, preparation, and activities.
The module introduces to several class/course activities if applied more time will be needed.Click 'Enter' to start the module, you can always return to this page on the ‘Exit Activity’ button at the top right corner. (Note when you enter the module you may notice a slight delay, before the content appears please be patience, sorry for the inconvenience)
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This module helps educators guide learners to think creatively and connect ideas from different disciplines when addressing sustainability challenges. It supports teaching practices that promote exploration, creativity, and new ways of thinking in line with the GreenComp competence envisioning sustainable futures.
This module equips you to:
- Explore and connect ideas from different disciplines to understand sustainability issues and identify opportunities for systemic change.
- Apply creativity and experimentation to develop and test novel ideas or methods that contribute to circular and sustainable futures.
- Reflect on and integrate diverse perspectives and knowledge cultures to envision alternative futures for society and the environment.
Time usage:
Estimated time to read through and explore this module: 1,5-2 hours.
Click 'Enter' to start the module, you can always return to this page on the ‘Exit Activity’ button at the top right corner. (Note when you enter the module you may notice a slight delay, before the content appears please be patience, sorry for the inconvenience) -
Working with political agency in ESD involves more than teaching about politics; it requires designing learning experiences that support participation, criticality, relationality, and collective action. By integrating GreenComp with contemporary ESD scholarship, educators can help learners become agents capable of shaping just and sustainable futures. This module provides tools to help learners become acquainted with political agency as a competence to promote sustainable development.
This module allows you to:
- Practice how to influence decisionmakers to promote action for sustainability
- Identify policies and stakeholders which can be influence to exercise political agency
- Practice negotiation while taking into account different stakeholder perspectives
Time usage:
Estimated time to read through this module is 1.5 hours.Click 'Enter' to start the module, you can always return to this page on the ‘Exit Activity’ button at the top right corner. (Note when you enter the module you may notice a slight delay, before the content appears please be patience, sorry for the inconvenience)
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This module supports educators by equipping them with strategies to strengthen collaboration, inclusivity, and democratic participation in sustainability initiatives. It provides tools and examples that help learners practice collective problem-solving, stakeholder engagement, and co-creation of sustainable futures.
When you have completed this module you will be able to:
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Identify and collaborate with diverse stakeholders in your/their community to address sustainability challenges.
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Design and participate in transparent, inclusive, and community-driven processes to create shared solutions for sustainable futures.
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Demonstrate willingness and commitment to engage with others to challenge the status quo and take collective action for a fairer, more sustainable world.
Time usage:
Estimated time to read through and explore the module: Approximately 90 minutes.Click 'Enter' to start the module, you can always return to this page on the ‘Exit Activity’ button at the top right corner. (Note when you enter the module you may notice a slight delay, before the content appears please be patience, sorry for the inconvenience)
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The individual initiative competence provides challenges and creative directions to be used in innovative solutions for environmental challenges. By promoting leadership and self-direction, educators will prepare participants to act as change-makers in green-focused initiatives. This competence is essential for making a difference in the future, enabling us to act and contribute to the creation of a more sustainable environment and future. This is done through small challenges that participants are encouraged to take in order to make a difference.
This module equips you to:
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Build confidence in taking initiative for sustainable action: Participants will gain the confidence to take proactive steps in sustainability-oriented activities, in both academic and professional settings, taking ownership of their projects, education and responsibilities that contribute to environmental, social and economic well-being.
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Strengthen communication and collaboration skills for sustainable leadership: Participants will enhance their ability to articulate sustainable ideas, ask for help when needed, and collaborate with others, while maintaining a strong sense of individual initiative and leadership in promoting the sustainable development goals.
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Develop strategic problem-solving abilities for sustainable challenges: Participants will build critical and creative thinkings skills to identify sustainability-related problems, evaluate solutions, and take purposeful action to address local and global challenges through individual initiative.
Time usage:
Estimated time to read through and explore this module: 1,5-2 hours.Click 'Enter' to start the module, you can always return to this page on the ‘Exit Activity’ button at the top right corner. (Note when you enter the module you may notice a slight delay, before the content appears please be patience, sorry for the inconvenience)
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