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This article describes our use of an online Future Creating Workshop (FCW) as a planning strategy to support our Global Climate Change Education Initiative (GCCEI). The GCCEI is an Educational Action Research project designed to provide the opportunity for students to discover how climate change acts to affect weather, health, economy, politics, and culture in their own communities and around the world by bringing young people aged eleven to fourteen into the conversation and into relationships with an international group of peers, In order to move this project forward despite the challenges created by the pandemic, we initiated an online FCW, grounded in Critical Utopian Action Research. We provide a detailed description of this research process highlighting both the challenges we face in trying to launch this project as well as our visions for the future. We consider the implications of this research process in relation to problem-based and multimodal forms of learning. This article describes the virtual FCW that we hope can serve as a model to others as well as a reflection on the implications of the outcomes of this research process for researchers and educators interested in fostering meaningful dialogue among students regarding the climate crisis.

The goal of the university professional development course BINE is to encourage participants to address education for sustainable development (ESD) in a reflective way. The main aims are for the participants to learn about action research and to reflect and implement ESD in their work and institutions. This paper briefly describes the concepts of action research in relation to ESD and gives an overview of the structure of the course. The central part reports on the programme evaluation and the main results. Findings indicate that the systematic collection and analysis of data and the writing of a study are regarded as strenuous but conducive to learning. It seems that a balance of provocation and support as elements of a dynamic didactical design offers space for more in-depth reflections on ESD.

Scaling up educational innovations is a complex endeavour. It often fails or is only successful to a limited extent. More knowledge is therefore needed about the factors that lead to successful scaling up and about the challenges in doing so. The factors fostering the scaling up of educational innovations depend on the level where innovations are expected-at the teachers', schools', regional or at the national level. There is a lack of knowledge about these factors and their interconnectedness, in particular regarding large initiatives aiming at innovations at some or even at all of these levels. This paper reports a meta-study building on several existing empirical studies, theoretical considerations and complementing new studies related to the multi-layered nationwide initiative IMST (Innovations Make Schools Top) in Austria. The meta-study synthesises findings and considerations regarding IMST and aims to analyse and identify relevant fostering factors and challenges. The diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory and the self-determination theory (SDT) are used as lenses on the complex topic of scaling up of educational innovations. The meta-study highlights the particular relevance of the factors need for competence (referring to SDT) as well as relative advantage and trialability (both referring to DOI) in scaling up the initiative. As major challenges, we highlight the interconnection between individual and organisational learning, the balance between a bottom-up and top-down strategy and the need to further build up resources in subject didactics in Austria. Finally, we sketch ideas how to further develop IMST.

This article describes and evaluates an activity within the process of socio-scientific inquiry-based learning (SSIBL). 'Mobility, Traffic and Renewable Energies' is a project drawing on an inquiry approach in schools in the province of Carinthia in Austria, involving a range of scientific and educational support agencies. This activity was carried out with older primary school children and was based on real-life aspects and environmental effects of heat transfer, together with an evaluation through teacher responses.

Competences are intensively discussed in the context of cross-curricular themes, such as Sustainable Development and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), especially in light of the United Nations Decade for ESD (2004-2015). Recent literature on ESD lists a number of competences for ESD in various fields with the exception of teacher education. A competence model for ESD for educators was generated in the Austrian research project KOM-BiNE (Competences for ESD in Teacher Education) as part of a large-scale EU project. The KOM-BiNE competence model consists of areas of competences within fields of action. The constituent elements of the competence model are described in detail and are illustrated with examples.

This case describes networking for education for sustainable development within the Austrian ECOLOG-schools network. The article presents theoretical concepts of networks in education in general, and the organization of the ECOLOG-network in particular. Based upon these foundations, the concept and results of a participatory evaluation study are described and reflected. The article closes with a summary of the evaluation process and with an outlook for the future development of the network. ECOLOG-schools have to deal with tensions between different interests and stakeholders within education for sustainable development and schooling. Spaces for exchange and reflection offered by the network support the ability to deal with these tensions constructively. The overall challenge of the network might be described as keeping momentum between structures and processes or, in other words, between stability and flow to enable the sustainable development of learning.

This paper deals with the topic of professional development programmes' impact. Concepts and ideas of action research, constructivism, and systems theory are used as a theoretical framework and are combined to describe and analyse an exemplary professional development programme in Austria. Empirical findings from both quantitative and qualitative studies regarding the programme's impact are provided and discussed. Moreover, implications for future programmes' planning and implementation are provided.

This case study presents the development of networks in education, using the Austrian IMST (Innovations Make Schools Top) project as illustration. The regional networks are coordinated in every Austrian federal province by groups made up of teachers, representatives of the educational authorities, and members of academia. In the framework of the IMST project, all networks are monitored by a team of the Institute of Instructional and School Development at the University of Klagenfurt. This article presents theoretical concepts, network structures and network activities, as well as evaluation data. The overall challenge in trying to enable sustainable development of learning of those involved might be described as keeping momentum between network structures and network processes or, in other words, between stability and flow.

An introduction is presented in which author discusses articles on topics including focuses on review of Action Research for Student Teachers by Colin Forster and Rachel Eperjesi based on experiences of using book to support novice teachers through their first teacher action research projects.

The years between 2005 and 2014 have been declared as a worldwide Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) by the United Nations. DESD's intended purpose is to promote and more thoroughly focus education as a crucial tool preparing young people to be responsible future citizens, so that our future generations can shape society in a sustainable manner. All educational levels and domains are to be involved in contributing to ESD, including chemistry. This paper reflects upon the meaning of the UN's challenge and on what ESD pedagogy will mean for chemistry education. Additionally, it provides an overview of different models suggesting how such integration of sustainability issues can be compatible with chemistry education. Various consequences and implications arising from this approach will also be discussed. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)

This article outlines the leading concepts which are being discussed in the current debate on education for sustainable development (ESD) in Austria, detailing their historic development and characteristic features, as well as the empirical experience gained in school development to date. These concepts are environmental education, development education/global learning and peace education. With the emergence of ESD and, notably, the launch of the United Nations Decade for ESD, these hitherto separate currents should start to converge. We will be seeing common endeavours to define ESD more concretely as a regulatory idea and to learn from one another and, in joint settings, to support cooperation, launch joint projects and also to enhance individual profiles. These endeavours should be promoted under an Austrian strategy for ESD. (Contains 1 note.)

Discusses whether the concept of education for sustainable development fosters reform in schools. Bases the discussion upon reflection on social challenges in education, a brief presentation of three concepts of environmental education (OECD Project 'Environment and School Initiatives' (ENSI), Action Competence Model, Socio-ecological Environmental Education), and a closer theoretical look at the term 'education for sustainable development'. (Author/MM)

The goal of the university professional development course BINE is to encourage participants to address education for sustainable development (ESD) in a reflective way. The main aims are for the participants to learn about action research and to reflect and implement ESD in their work and institutions. This paper briefly describes the concepts of action research in relation to ESD and gives an overview of the structure of the course. The central part reports on the programme evaluation and the main results. Findings indicate that the systematic collection and analysis of data and the writing of a study are regarded as strenuous but conducive to learning. It seems that a balance of provocation and support as elements of a dynamic didactical design offers space for more in-depth reflections on ESD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]