Engaging with the SDGs in UK schools: models and ingredients for successful practice

By Dr. Harriet Marshall, #TeachSDGs Task Force, United Kingdom

​Over the last 18 months, I’ve been collecting examples of amazing teachers, young people, and school engagements with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (the Global Goals) in England. For many of these schools, the SDGs have been an effective framework for mapping and capturing the work they have already been doing in areas, such as human rights education, global citizenship education, environmental education, or education about social justice. What makes some of the current activities slightly different from what has gone before, is that the initial simplicity of message has allowed for a more accessible and all-inclusive approach to engagement with SDG topics – often helped by the brilliant videos produced by the World’s Largest Lesson. 

In this piece, I identify models and ingredients of successful practice that have emerged in schools. Most of the school practice I draw upon comes from schools in England that have been involved in the Global Learning Programme (although this is not written on behalf of the GLP and is very much my take on the #TeachSDGs movement using the UK as a case study) – there are many schools that have been actively engaged in #TeachSDGs work independently of this or through other programmes. This is a continuation of an earlier article: Teaching the SDGs – 17 Goals to Transform Our World and Our Classrooms which addresses the ‘why’ of #TeachSDGs. So, to the question of ‘how’…

Common Themes Emerging from #TeachSDG Activities in Schools
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There are a number of key elements to most SDG-related activities highlighted here:

First, the SDG framework is often used as the starting point to engage students, school leaders, and other staff. It is also used as a framework to map what sort of global learning activity is already going on in the school – locating other projects, curriculum subjects, teachers, students and community or business links that are already addressing some of the SDG goals. 

Second, the core values of the SDGs are often linked to schools’ pre-existing values and ethos statements. Schools that aim to achieve a broad and balanced school curriculum regularly make reference to human rights, wellbeing and/or responsible action (example here[i]), and the SDGs link easily to these.

Third, the idea of a global learning ‘journey’ is often at the heart of approaches to engagement with the SDGs in schools – especially those that build in models of behaviour or attitudinal change, and knowledge development. As mentioned elsewhere, a key opportunity of engaging with the SDGs is that students and teachers are on a fairly equal footing when it comes to prior knowledge of the SDGs[ii].

We are all on a SDG learning journey, whatever our age or nationality, some of us will be finding out about them for the first time whilst others will be already embedding them in practice and moving to action. It is therefore helpful to reflect upon where we are on the learning journey for different aspects of #TeachSDGs work – processes are rarely linear or hierarchical as the infographic here might imply.

Fourth, a number of schools have found that the SDGs provide a useful framework for bringing in more complex or controversial local or national issues into the classroom. Although this merits an entire book in itself, issues relating to racism, xenophobia, islamophobia, hate-crime, terrorism, gender inequality, and local poverty (topics often brought up by students themselves) can be addressed through the SDGs in that they can support helpful, distancing pedagogic strategies.

Finally, many methods of engagement with the SDGs in schools are aligned to critical thinking and the need to promote associated pedagogies like critical literacy and critical numeracy. For example, some schools involved in global learning in the UK have worked with Philosophy frameworks, such as SAPERE’s P4C.

What follows is one attempt to summarise six successful models of #TeachSDGs practice taking place in some UK Primary, Middle and Secondary schools. The list is not exhaustive and lacks nuances, but it might be of use to others. I look forward to developing it as I learn more about other practices around the world.

6 Models of #TeachSDG Practice

1. Whole school awareness-raising with class or year group SDG specialisation. The 17 SDGs are introduced to the whole school or entire year groups (through school assemblies e.g. resources from World’s Largest Lesson). Year groups or classes then focus in on one or two goals. Students engage in group research projects, activities and actions and report back to others at the end of the project term.
2. Whole school engagement with SDGs seeing all as interlinked, with focus on action & innovation. As (1),  but goals are introduced through underlying (often pre-existing) human rights, wellbeing or sustainability frameworks and all considered as interlinked. Small groups then choose to focus on an action that improves the lives of others, linked to goals/targets, and showcase ideas to others in the school and wider community. This sort of model provides lots of opportunities for student-led projects and innovations (see the wonderful SDG inspired student-led community projects in this Tower Hamlets Schools video).  
3. Linking to other global learning activities and outside organisations. The goals are introduced through other related global learning projects (e.g. Send My Friend to School, Eco-schools or Rights Respecting Schools) or pre-existing activities (e.g. international school links), and engagement is linked to these themes. Often this involves hooking into the human stories behind the SDGs.
4. Creation of SDG student ambassadors working inside and outside of school. A student ambassador model of engagement allows for interesting peer-to-peer and reverse-mentoring opportunities to raise awareness of the SDGs. Ambassadors appointed to engage new audiences, pioneer new ideas and support existing activities in school. 
5. National Curriculum and subject-focused SDG work. The 17 SDGs are used as a framework for deepening and developing subject engagement with global issues.  Including cross-curricular and interdisciplinary collaboration through SDG-themed projects (e.g. approaching Goal 13 from a mathematics, Design & Technology and arts perspective) supporting global competences. See here for a further discussion on the many resources and recommendations available to support this.
6. Focus on teacher global learning journey & CPD. This involves a deliberate allocation of time and resources to support teacher engagement with the SDGs. Sometimes beginning with an initial introduction to teaching staff, followed by opportunities to create individual or department plans for engagement and action. Teacher engagement and enthusiasm cascades into creative work in classrooms – this CPD model is at the heart of the Global Learning Programme, England. I have also seen successful ‘mash-ups’ of the above six models! Here are links to some great case studies illustrating some of these models:

• Netley Primary, London; St Mary’s Primary, Folkestone; Bishop’s Hatfield Girls’ School, Hatfield; and the Admiral Lord Nelson School, Portsmouth: http://glp.globaldimension.org.uk/pages/11317
• Tower Hamlets Schools, East London: https://www.facebook.com/HECGlobalLearning/videos/1710314502342993/
• Torriano School, London: https://vimeo.com/165404595
• See here for other case studies: http://glp.globaldimension.org.uk/pages/10567

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It’s not always easy!
Not wishing to dampen enthusiasm, it is important to recognise that #TeachSDGs activity never happens overnight and regularly meets challenges. Acknowledging that UK state-funded schools are in a fairly stable situation when compared to some other countries, many are under strain as a result of funding cuts in real terms, teachers leaving the profession and associated time constraints. Some educators also feel inundated by external agendas for schools and struggle to find the time for new initiatives – even if these initiatives might strengthen existing priorities, enhance learning, and support a broad and balanced school curriculum.

Other tensions and challenges associated with engaging with the SDGs in school relate to challenges within global learning more generally. For example, the tension between a focus on individual development and action, versus collaborative action; the potentially intimidating and overwhelming nature of the facts, figures and stories of the SDGs; and the dilemmas of engaging with stereotypes and perceptions, to name but a few!

One way in which UK teachers have been fortunate is through the additional support that they can receive from outside global education organisations, NGOs and programmes like the GLP. This support manifests itself as materials and websites, but often teachers and schools most appreciate the support they receive in person through global learning advisors, CPD providers and outside speakers. Another successful strategy has been when schools have linked up through global learning school networks to support each other, share practice and engage in SDG related partnership projects.

​Finally, it has become increasingly important to show impact in global learning and engagement with the SDGs so that we can both support reporting on Goal 4.7 and individual school aims to show progress and impact.

Some of the Key Ingredients for Successful #TeachSDGs Practice
I end with a quick summary of a few of the key ingredients of effective #TeachSDGs practice in schools – in no particular order:

1. Use SDG framework to map and link whole school/curricular activities - consult UNESCO Education for SDGs documents. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002474/247444e.pdf and UNESCO MGIEP’s guidelines.
2. Connect SDGs with core school business, curriculum, values, and ethos (not a bolt on).
3. Envisage SDG engagement as a learning journey.
4. Encourage students to lead SDG projects and for these projects to be both local and global.
5. Secure the support of senior leaders (including the Head Teacher).
6. Incorporate the human stories behind the SDGs to support empathy and awareness of perspective.
7. Engage outside school support (e.g. NGOs).
8. Collaborate with other schools and teachers locally and globally (e.g. www.teachsdgs.org).
9. Use SDG framework to identify and support areas of teacher interest and motivation.
10. Create space for SDG-related professional development – this great Microsoft #TeachSDGs course is a good place to start.
11. Create and support student ambassador programmes with internal and external reach.
12. Share work and projects with parents and the community to raise awareness.
13. Build in impact measurement frameworks to help support the monitoring of Goal 4.7.
14. Use the SDG framework as a stimulus for creativity, innovation and out-of-the-box thinking.

Add some of these to a bowl, give the mixture a bit of a stir, bake for a few weeks and see what happens!
 
Further questions to think about…
I always begin and end my presentations, lectures and teaching with questions:

1. What are the most effective models of engaging with the SDGs in special schools?
2. What models of #TeachSDGS exist for the non-formal education sector and home-schooling?
3. What challenges to teaching and engaging with the SDGs do schools and teachers face?
4. How can schools and the #TeachSDG movement better evidence the impact of engaging with the SDGs in relation to regional education and SDG targets?
5. What examples are there of global learning and #TeachSDG work enhancing teacher motivation?

​[1] In fact a recent @MYWorld2030 survey found that youth around the world are more familiar with the SDGs than older generations

Dr Harriet Marshall is on the #TeachSDGs Task Force and is a National Leader (SW) on the Global Learning Programme (www.glp-e.org.uk). She has been a global education advocate for 20 years, as a teacher, researcher, lecturer, consultant and project leader. Harriet is passionate about education, the SDGs, human rights, gender equality and social justice in education and has researched, written and presented on all of these.
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T: @ham1 W:  www.harrietmarshall.com/globallearning
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