LUMA Centre Finland has reached 100 000 kids and youth – makers of the future face to face – and over one million participants online during the year of 2023; now, the number is only growing. STEM-fields and the learning in these are at heart of the operations.
The LUMA Centre Finland network – comprising of 11 universities – is developing new models of learning and innovations in pedagogy and science. Teachers and students are the main groups of interest, in this effort to establish a solid knowledge of STEM in Finland and even globally.
LUMA Centre Finland is committed to the continuous education of students and teachers in the STEM-fields.
Next year, our operations will increasingly expand, and international development will go hand in hand with our national operations.
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– Makers of the future are in our hearts globally. Kids and youth need inspiring evidence-based education for a good, sustainable future. We are open for collaboration nationally and globally. Together we are more! encourages Maija Aksela, leader of the national LUMA Centre Finland network.
Written by: Jemima Unger, Communications specialist, LUMA Centre Finland (University of Helsinki)
The annual Teachers’ Climate Change Forum – organized at the Hyytiälä Forest Station in Finland – provided teachers and avid learners with opportunities to interact, learn about climate change, project learning and open data in teaching. The Forum was organized September 1st to 3rd in the fall of 2024.
Teachers’ responses regarding the Forum were overwhelmingly positive. In summary, the event was packed with information, provided workshops, lectures, and keynote lectures in a multidisciplinary manner. Furthermore, cross border research and national cooperation shine at the heart of the Forum.
– This kind of climate education is one of the major missions in our country. We have business groups cooperating with scientists to develop materials and raise the public awareness and consensus regarding climate change, says Professor Ying-Shao Hsu from the National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) in Taiwan.
Teacher’s need support from climate change specialists and scientists to be able to understand the complexities of climate change, in order to develop materials for current and future learners.
– Climate change education is important because it addresses urgent issues and aids in developing materials, to implement better strategies in the future, she summarizes.
Collaboration and complex issues considering science
One of the highlights of the international Forum – gathering participants from 7 different countries – was a visit to the SMEAR II Research Station; a station concealed in the surrounding forest.
– Climate change is a topic of global concern, yet climate change education has not received adequate attention around the world. Furthermore, the lack of systematic research makes this “Teachers’ Climate Change Forum”, now in its seventh year, more necessary and forward-thinking, says participant and University of Helsinki PhD student, Ruonan Hu from China.
Unquestionably, some of the cornerstones of the Forum were forming friendships, establishing cross border collaborations, and coming up with creative ways to tackle climate changes. According to Hu, the Forum can be described in the following way: scientifically rigorous, packed with information, focused on innovation, thoroughly engaging, and globally influential.
– The forum had significant “global influence.” International research projects like the art and science school project and the core beliefs survey provided excellent examples of how cross border research is conducted, says Hu.
The Teachers’ Climate Change Forum will be organized at the Hyytiälä Forest Station in the Fall of 2025. Please feel free to join us teacher!
The Forum is organized by the University of Helsinki Science Education (a part of LUMA Centre Finland) and Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR). The director of the Forum is professor Maija Aksela (LUMA Centre Finland) and the deputy director is Senior University Lecturer Taina Ruuskanen (INAR).
The seventh international Teachers’ Climate Change Forum was held at Hyytiälä Forestry Field Station from 1 to 3 September 2024. Participants and teachers from seven countries enjoyed collaborative learning, interaction, workshops and daily lectures. This year’s topic was teacher–researcher collaboration. In traditional Finnish style, the participants had the opportunity to relax in a sauna, barbecue and hike in the forest together. The forum was organised collaboratively by the University of Helsinki’s Academic Outreach Network (part of LUMA Centre Finland) and the Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research (INAR).
The annual Teachers’ Climate Change Forum brings together teachers from all over the world to learn more about climate change and related research and teaching. First held in 2017, the forum is aimed at all teachers interested in climate education and develops their professional skills through versatile talks and workshops.
Co-design and climate education at Hyytiälä Forestry Field Station
The keynote speaker was Professor Ying-Shao Hsu of the National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU). She focused on co-design, an approach embracing all perspectives and engaging specialists in various fields.
“This type of climate education is fundamental to our country’s mission. Some of our multinational conglomerates collaborate with science educators,” she says.
It is important to communicate about climate change, related research and climate education to the general public as well. Ying-Shao Hsu explains that a broad consensus on climate issues is being sought in Taiwan too.
An enlightening and enjoyable experience for teachers and future generations
The feedback regarding the forum has been very positive. Topics of interest to the participants included the use of open data in teaching, collaborative discussion and design, and the enhancement of student motivation.
A group of general upper secondary school students and staff calling themselves Climate Warriors focus on engaging students as sustainability educators, establishing friendships, promoting a collaborative approach and using social media to resolve climate issues and increase climate awareness. Pictured, from left, teacher Jarmo Lehtinen, students Milla and Wilma, and teacher Merja Kuisma.
The forum organisers from the University of Helsinki are actively involved in climate education. From left, Specialist Topias Ikävalko, Online Moderator Juliana Friedrichsen, Doctoral Researcher Janina Taurinen and the forum’s deputy director, Senior University Lecturer Taina Ruuskanen. Missing from the photo is the forum’s director and founder, Professor Maija Aksela of the University of Helsinki, who is also Director of LUMA Centre Finland.
In Hyytiälä, the forum participants explored the wonders of the forest, forestry research and the effects of climate change.
Both teachers and younger participants appreciated the sense of community and the chance to learn in nature and exchange ideas.
Teachers and researchers enjoyed a visit to the SMEAR II research station and came away with a wealth of knowledge about forests and climate change.
In the photo, participants are getting ready for a nature walk led by Senior University Lecturer Taina Ruuskanen. Hyytiälä Forestry Field Station operates under the auspices of the University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry. The new international, multidisciplinary building visible in the photo was completed last year and nominated for the Finlandia Prize for Architecture 2024.
Workshops were held outside in a hybrid format, both on site and remotely. The programme in Hyytiälä included the creative generation of a vision for a sustainable future.
Event materials and lectures are available here. By creating a profile, you can easily log in and explore the latest climate education resources.
LUMA Centre Finland and the Royal University of Bhutan signed a Memorandum of Understanding on August 13, 2023. Photograph: Dr Som Gurung (left), professor Maija Aksela (centre) and chair of the board of LUMA Centre Finland, professor Jan Lundell (right).
Collaboration started when director, professor Maija Aksela, was invited to Bhutan in the year of 2023.
Dr Som Gurung from the Royal University of Bhutan says that he is excited about the collaboration. During his visit to Finland he familiarized himself with the Kumpula Campus at the University of Helsinki, Aalto University and the STEM-activities at the University of Turku, according to his wishes. In addition, he participated in the 20th LUMA-days (STEM-days) and the international Science on Stage event in Turku. The event gathered participants from over 50 different countries.
– The new agreement that we have signed between LUMA Centre Finland, and the Royal University of Bhutan, will give novel horizons of learning and teaching and taking STEM-education a step ahead, from the experience that Finland has shared with so many other countries. We are very proud that STEM and its benefits that people and countries around Europe have built, which I can see very much at the Science on Stage festival in Turku.
In Finland, Dr Gurung has learned about the extraordinary initiative from teachers to teachers. It is a remarkable effort for educating young children for the future. Soon, Dr Gurung is looking forward to the exchange of knowledge and strengthening communication, between Finland and Bhutan.
– In the near future, we would like to have a lot of exchange of knowledge between our people, our students and our faculty and we wish that we have several mobility programs between Bhutan and Finland, where our students and faculty can come and go to Finland and learn from Finland. And maybe some faculties, and students from Finland, and get immersed in our values and STEM-education as well as enjoy the beauty of the Himalayas.
Dr Gurung challenges teachers to continuously ask themselves to teach better and to have a heart for the student. To be constantly prepared for the pursuit of sharing knowledge and to be ready for tomorrows citizen.
– How can I prepare my students for tomorrows world? This is in the heart of the teacher. The student is the center point for the teacher.
Professor Maija Aksela from the University of Helsinki highlights the importance of collaboration and learning from each other.
– Together we are more! The teaching in Bhutan involves a lot of things that we can learn from. For example, spiritual happiness, valuing nature and traditions, Aksela mentions.
Teachers as keys to success
The teachers are the keys to success in bringing the STEM-education forward. Dr Gurung mentions the admirable efforts of Finnish teachers and the Science on Stage festival in Turku, Finland.
– Teachers in Finland think their students are a real achievement. But to let your students shine in the future you must have it in your heart.
– Teachers to teachers and the forum that LUMA has organized, what is happening in Europe and outside. It is a great idea. It is not just the students who are coming to learn. But it is the teachers who are creating the learning environment. The students don’t have the fear of going to school but have an excitement to go to school.
Another key thing that Dr. Gurung mentions is trust. Trust and collaboration go hand in hand. Growing in the STEM-field and strengthening cooperation and communication is also on the agenda.
– The most important part of collaboration in is trust. We need to trust each other. And when we have the trust in each party we are already there – counting on our success.
The latest study published in the LUMAT journaldemonstrates the key role of teachers in education related to sustainability and climate change. Teachers’ knowledge and skills related to the content and pedagogy of climate change are linked to their self-efficacy beliefs. The refereed scholarly article is part of the sustainability and climate change research programme of the LUMA Science Helsinki group. The programme collaborates closely with the LUMA Centre Finland network, which comprises 11 universities and 13 centres.
The study is a multimethod case study carried out at the Teachers’ Climate Change Forum continuing education event. A total of 22 teachers from different backgrounds responded to a survey, while 18 teachers from different countries took part in the continuing education session. Of the respondents, 19 participated in semi-structured interviews to supplement quantitative data. The results demonstrate that, on the basis of the interviews, the teachers are willing to engage in continuous learning and develop the teaching of sustainable development.
Sustainability and self-efficacy
Teachers have beliefs about not only sustainability education, but also themselves as sustainability educators. This should be considered in any future use of tools that measure teachers’ perceptions. However, the results of the survey demonstrated that teachers had the lowest self-efficacy beliefs in supporting students’ actions for sustainable development. The above should be taken into consideration in the development of new teaching methods and materials.
If you wish to learn more about research in the field, you can find publications by Professor Maija Aksela and the above-mentioned publications in the field via the following links:
