GCED and ESD in the core curricula of Early Childhood Education Basic Education Upper Secondary General Education

1. Global Citizenship Education
in the National Core
Curricula in Finland
TIINA SARISALMI, PROJECT COORDINATOR
”TOWARDS 2030”
DIGITAL ÅRÖ, MAY 5TH 2021

2. The Finnish approach to GCED and ESD
Finnish core curricula form a path from early childhood ducation and care up to
upper secondary general education
• 2014 Core Curriculum for Basic Education
• 2016 Core Curriculum for Early Childhood Education and Care
• 2019 Core Curriculum for Upper Secondary General Education
Early Childhood Education
and Care
Basic Education
Upper Secondary General
Education

3. Value base in Finnish core curricula:
Finnish education is built on respect for life and human rights. It directs the
learners to defend these values and to appreciate the inviolability of human
dignity. Education promotes well-being, democracy and active agency in civil
society.
• Uniqueness of each learner and right to a good education
• Equality and democracy
• Cultural and linguistic diversity as richness
• Necessity of a sustainable way of living
• Education lays the foundation for global citizenship that respects human
rights and encourages the pupils to act for positive change
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4. In the Finnish core curricula, global education is
written into the chapters regarding:
• Mission (especially basic education)
• Value basis
• School culture
• Tranversal competences
• Cross-curricular and multi-
/interdisciplinary learning (modules /
themes / study units)
• Subjects
May 5th 2021
TIINA SARISALMI
4

5. 2016 Core curriculum for Early Chilhood
Education and Care
At the basis of this core curriculum (among many others):
the Act on Equality between Women and Men
the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
the UN's Sustainable Development Goals
Early childhood education and care lays a foundation for ecosocial
knowledge and ability, allowing people to understand ecological
sustainability as the precondition for social sustainability and the
realisation of human rights.
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6. 2016 Core curriculum for Early Chilhood
Education and Care
Transversal competences:
Cultural competence, interaction and self-expression: The
children are growing up in a culturally, linguistically and
ideologically diverse world. This puts emphasis on the
significance of social and interaction skills as well as cultural
competence… The children are guided in putting themselves in
the place of others and seeing things from different perspectives
as well as in solving conflicts constructively. (pp. 20-21)
Participation and involvement: Active and responsible
participation and involvement create a foundation for a
democratic and sustainable future. This requires skills and a
desire in the individual to participate in the activities of the
community and trust in their own possibilities of making a
difference. (p. 22)
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thinking and
learning
cultural
competence,
interaction
and self-
expression
taking care of
oneself and
managing
daily life
multiliteracy
and
competence
in ICT
participation
and
involvement

7. The basic education transversal competences
cover some key elements of global citizenship
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8. 2014 Core Curriculum for Basic
Education
[Teaching] also reinforces creativity and respect for cultural
diversity and promotes interaction within and between
cultures, thus laying a foundation for culturally sustainable
development. (p. 15)
Learning together across the boundaries of languages,
cultures, religions and beliefs creates a setting for genuine
interaction and communality. Basic education lays the
foundation for global citizenship that respects human rights
and encourages the pupils to act for positive change. (p. 15)
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9. 2014 Core Curriculum for Basic
Education
Basic education acknowledges the necessity of sustainable
development and ecosocial knowledge and ability, follows their
principles and guides the pupils in adopting a sustainable way of living.
Sustainable development and ways of living comprise an ecological
and economic dimension as well as a social and cultural dimension. (p.
15)
The leading idea of ecosocial knowledge and ability is creating ways of
living and a culture that foster the inviolability of human dignity and
the diversity and ability for renewal of ecosystems while building a
competence base for a circular economy underpinned by sustainable
use of natural resources. Ecosocial knowledge and ability means that
the pupils understand the seriousness of climate change, in particular,
and strive for sustainability. (pp. 15-16)
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10. 2014 Core Curriculum for Basic
Education
Global education as part of basic education
contributes to creating preconditions for fair and
sustainable development in line with UN
development goals. As far as possible, schools work
together with schools and education actors in other
countries. Basic education exerts influence as a
driver for positive change that contributes to
society, both at the national and the international
level. (p. 18)
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11. 2019 Core Curriculum for Upper
Secondary General Education
USGE guides the students towards drawing up plans for the future, growing
into global citizens, and continuous learning. (p. 17)
USGE encourages responsible agency as well as engagement in international
cooperation and global citizenship in keeping with the UN’s 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development. (p. 18)
The task of the module is to prepare the students for becoming global citizens
who have the knowledge, skills, and will needed to participate in discussions on
global environmental issues... (pp. 144, 168, 174, 180, 195…)
The objective is that the students: gain the ability to operate as active global
citizens who speak out and promote a sustainable future. (p. 257)
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12. 2019 Core Curriculum for Upper
Secondary General Education
International competence
Internationality in general upper secondary education diversifies the students’ experiences, broadens
their perception of the world, and builds their capabilities for acting ethically in a globalised world
full of challenges and opportunities. The UN’s Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, and
especially its Goal 4.7 describing the characteristics of global citizenship, are taken into account in
competence development. (p. 29)
The students’ international competence is built through the various subjects, interdisciplinary
cooperation, and the transversal competences. Focal areas include a diverse language programme
offered by the general upper secondary school and the education provider, its implementations, and
advancing cultural knowledge and awareness. (p. 29)
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13. 2019 Core Curriculum for Upper
Secondary General Education
Transversal competences
The students are offered versatile opportunities
for investigating, practising, and improving their
global citizenship and ethical skills in line with the
UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
They also learn to analyse internationalisation and
globalisation as phenomena. The students build
their knowledge of human rights and their agency
in promoting human rights, equity, justice, and
ethically responsible ways of living. They identify
and learn to use opportunities for multilateral,
creative cooperation aiming to build a good
future.
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14. 2019 Core Curriculum for Upper
Secondary General Education
Languages:
The task of the module is to prepare the students for
becoming global citizens who have the knowledge, skills,
and will needed to participate in discussions on global
environmental issues... (pp. 144, 168, 174, 180, 195…)
The objective is that the students: gain the ability to
operate as active global citizens who speak out and
promote a sustainable future. (p. 257)
May 5th 2021 TIINA SARISALMI 14

15. 2019 Core Curriculum for Upper
Secondary General Education
Social studies
The subject advances the students’ diverse civic skills by improving their democracy
competences. It encourages their civic engagement and involvement in order to
promote a safe, fair, and sustainable future as Finnish, European, and global citizens.
(p. 306)
Social studies support the students’ global and cultural competence by developing
their capabilities for internationalisation and attitudes as global citizens as well as
their understanding of the diversity of cultures and worldviews. The subject educates
the students in ethical agency in the global media and technology environment. (p.
306)
Objectives: understand their possibilities for involvement and are able to act as
European and global citizens (p. 310)
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16.  Curriculum can be considered a process (not a
product)
 Curriculum is showing the way and the how
(not what)
 Curriculum is flexible and developing (not
stagnant)
Implementation of the CC
OCTOBER 10, 2018 - TIINA SARISALMI

17. EDUFI develops global education in cooperation with
• Ministry of Education and Culture: Agenda2030; Finnish National Commision for UNESCO
(ASPnet schools)
• The Ministry for Foreign Affairs
• GENE (Global Education Network Europe)
• RAN (Radicalisation Awareness Network)
• Baltic Sea Project
Global education is education that opens people´s eyes and minds to
the realities of the world, and awakens them to bring about a world
of greater justice, equity and human rights for all. GENE, Maastricht 2002
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