Course code

KAT7045.HR

old course code

Course title in Estonian

Jätkusuutliku mõtlemise toetamine

Course title in English

Thinking Skills for Sustainable Development

ECTS credits

6.0

Assessment form

Examination

lecturer of 2023/2024 Spring semester

Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.

lecturer of 2024/2025 Autumn semester

Not opened for teaching. Click the study programme link below to see the nominal division schedule.

Course aims

Create opportunities:
- to support the acquisition of systemic knowledge about the fundamentals of ecology, its basic concepts, principles and processes and the role of humans in the environment and the interrelationships and feedback mechanisms of ecosystems and social systems;
- to support the ability to acquire, process and interpret adequate information about global and local environmental crises and exceeding the tolerance limits of the Earth, the analysis and enforcement of appropriate solutions at different levels (individual and society; technological, ecological, educational) and the formation/support of permanent behavioral patterns based on them, thus providing inputs to the National to furnish the overarching theme "Environment and sustainable development";
- to support the understanding of nature's self-worth as a way of thinking about the future when understanding the topic of nature's benefits;
- to support the development of thinking and conceptual structure and metacognitive skills related to thinking, and to integrate ecological knowledge and knowledge about the development of thinking in everyday studies supporting environmental awareness as a general competence;
- interpret self-regulation and motivation knowledge (including self-determination theory) in the context of environmentally conscious behaviors.

Brief description of the course

The subject covers key ecological concepts and approaches, such as ecological levels and organizations, ecological factors, population regulations, positive and negative feedback mechanisms in population dynamics, complex systems and cycles, adaptation and evolution, evolution, species relationships, matter and energy cycles. All the topics covered are linked to social processes and human activities through practical examples. It also addresses the role of man in ecosystems, man as part of the ecosystem, and opens the background to conflict situations that have led to global environmental problems and the need for a concept of sustainable development in society. For all ecological concepts, the common / misconception of why they have developed and how to support conceptual development in these concepts is purposefully analyzed. The nature of the language-mediated environment, the development of thinking and the role of spoken mediation in the creation of a unique environment for people are discussed; the meaning of language as a way of perceiving the environment, including the importance of the development of concepts and linguistic mediation in the context and example of the emergence, understanding and solution of environmental problems. Behaviors related to the human environment are understood in relation to self-regulatory knowledge and self-determination theory.

Learning outcomes in the course

Upon completing the course the student:
- recognizes living and non-living nature as a self-organizing integrated system;
- recognizes man as a biological being as part of a complete ecosystem;
- is able to explain the feedback mechanisms existing in the environment and the interactions between the ecosystem and human activities;
- understands the peculiarities of the language mediated environment;
- recognizes the role of thinking and the development of thinking operations in the development of a unique environment (and its problems) for people;
- analyzes the concepts of ecology from different levels of development of thinking and is able to design learning situations that support conceptual development, including the ability to teach a topic running through the National Curriculum “Environment and Sustainable Development”;
- makes sense of environmental problems in the context of knowledge in the field of self-regulation and motivation.

Teacher

Mihkel Kangur, Grete Arro

Study programmes containing that course

Teacher of Russian Language and Literature (SKVOM/24.HT)
Educational Leadership (KAHJM/24.HR)
Teacher of Mathematics (MLMOM/24.DT)
Educational Sciences (KAKTM/24.HR)
Early Childhood Education (KAALM/24.HR)
Teacher of History and Civic (AIAOM/24.HT)
Science Teacher (MLGLM/24.LT)
Teacher of Technology Education (KUIKM/24-o.LT)
Teacher of Physical Education (TSKOM/24.LT)
Adult Education (KAANM/24.HR)
Teacher of Computer Science (IFIOM/24.DT)
Teacher of Foreign Languages (GRVOM/24.HT)
Teacher of Several Subjects (KAMOM/24.HR)
Teacher of Estonian Language and Literature (EKEOM/24.HT)
Teacher of Foreign Languages (GRVOM/23.HT)
Teacher of Russian Language and Literature (SKVOM/23.HT)
Early Childhood Education (KAALM/23.HR)
Science Teacher (MLGLM/23.LT)
Teacher of Estonian Language and Literature (EKEOM/23.HT)
Teacher of Several Subjects (KAMOM/23.HR)
Adult Education (KAANM/23.HR)
Educational Leadership (KAHJM/23.HR)
Teacher of History and Civic (AIAOM/23.HT)
Teacher of Technology Education (KUIKM/23.LT)
Teacher of Computer Science (IFIOM/23.DT)
Teacher of Physical Education (TSKOM/23.LT)
Teacher of Mathematics (MLMOM/23.DT)
Teacher of Computer Science (IFIOM/22.DT)
Teacher of History and Civic (AIAOM/22.HT)
Science Teacher (MLGLM/22.LT)
Teacher of Physical Education (TSKOM/22.LT)
Teacher of Several Subjects (KAMOM/22.HR)
Teacher of Mathematics (MLMOM/22.DT)
Teacher of Estonian Language and Literature (EKEOM/22.HT)
Teacher of Russian Language and Literature (SKVOM/22.HT)
Teacher of Foreign Languages (GRVOM/22.HT)
Teacher of Technology Education (KUIKM/22.LT)
Teacher of Physical Education (TSKOM/21.LT)
Teacher of Technology Education (KUIKM/21.LT)
Teacher of Foreign Languages (GRVOM/21.HT)
Teacher of Russian Language and Literature (SKVOM/21.HT)
Teacher of Estonian Language and Literature (EKEOM/21.HT)
Teacher of History and Civic (AIAOM/21.HT)
Science Teacher (MLGLM/21.LT)
Teacher of Mathematics (MLMOM/21.DT)
Teacher of Computer Science (IFIOM/21.DT)
Teacher of Several Subjects (KAMOM/21.HR)
Teacher of Foreign Languages (GRVOM/20.HT)
Teacher of Computer Science (IFIOM/20.DT)
Teacher of Several Subjects (KAMOM/20.HR)
Teacher of Estonian Language and Literature (EKEOM/20.HT)
Teacher of History and Civic (AIAOM/20.HT)
Teacher of Russian Language and Literature (SKVOM/20.HT)
Science Teacher (MLGLM/20.LT)
Teacher of Physical Education (TSKOM/20.LT)
Teacher of Mathematics (MLMOM/20.DT)
Teacher of Russian Language and Literature (SKVOM/19.HT)
Teacher of Foreign Languages (GRVOM/19.HT)
Vocational Teacher (KAKPM/19.HR)
Teacher of Mathematics (MLMOM/19.DT)
Teacher of Estonian Language and Literature (EKEOM/19.HT)
Teacher of Technology Education (KUIKM/19.LT)
Teacher of History and Civic (AIAOM/19.HT)
Teacher of Physical Education (TSKOM/19.LT)
Teacher of Computer Science (IFIOM/19.DT)
Teacher of Several Subjects (KAMOM/19.HR)
Science Teacher (MLGLM/19.LT)