The research group INUBU is focusing on new and innovative tools and teaching methods to handle Education for Sustainable development (ESD). We want to put effort into research and development in natural science which could give new knowledge on teaching and learning processes in situated contexts. A general framework for this could be «Socio scientific issues (SSI), as well as other theoretical perspectives.

Examples of research already running are:

• Use of alternative teaching methods in natural science as: drawing or roleplay/Storyline
• Digital apps as supplement to traditional science field courses («blended learning»)
• Teacher students and pupils acquirement of biodiversity knowledge
• Virtual reality (VR) as supplement to traditional visualization or to virtual access to  dangerous or hard-to-realise real world experiences.

Arenas for such research could be: teachers and students form compulsory school, students and teachers in higher education, teacher students and teacher educators as well as students in up-grading courses.

We want to implement several research approaches, qualitative as well as quantitative, and the research could be action research, design-based research, mixed methods research or case studies. We want to have a broad approach to our development and research work.

The research group was established in autumn 2018, with Professor Jardar Cyvin as head of the group.

Projects

Members of the group are at present involved in the following projects (examples, not full list):

• Strengthening teaching competence regarding plastic pollution among preservice teacher students, through inquiry based teaching and role plays in the field
• Virtual reality (VR) as supplement to traditional visualization or to virtual access to  dangerous or hard-to-realise real world experiences. Project in copperation with the DIKU project VR-Learn at Department of Geography at NTNU
• Circular plastic at ILU - Department of Teacher Education (ILU) at NTNU is doing follow-up research connected to the project Circular Economy.
  We want to make a survey with students from different study programs at NTNU, looking at their learning outcome from having a summer job in a company that are a “real life” problem-owner, and at the same time has society serviceable mission, great visibility and clear direction.  
  • Project group: Hilde Ervik, Bernt Rønning and Maren Skjelstad Fredagsvik
• Shape2Gether - Erasmus+ project managed by Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic (project coordinator). Project partners from: Malta, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Finland. Project no. KA220-HED-CEB0520D
• Drawing as a method to learn natural science in teacher education
• Teaching animal and plant diversity in teacher education

Ended projects:

• Most - Meaningful Open Schooling Connects Schools To Communities. This is a project about climate and environment, granted by EU’s (Horizon2020 program), project no 871155
• ENSITE - Environmental Socio-Scientific Issues in Initial Teacher Education. This is an EU Erasmus+ project, project no 2019-1-DE01-KA203-005046, and the main theme of the project is  SSI (Socio scientific issues) and plastic waste
• DigiGeo – “Transferring contact, technology- and field-based education to digital: methods and tools for geosciences training”. This is an EU granted Erasmus+ project  - project no KA2 no. 2020-1-CZ01-KA226-HE-094425
• Yard4all – Using School’s yard for ALL child’s wellbeing and development. Grant Agreement no. KA201-8A5F302D, implemented with financial support of the European Commission by the Erasmus + program
• Educhange 2.0 – Promoting active citizenship through innovative geoparticipatory methods to tackle wicked environmental problems. The project is granted by EU through the  Erasmus+ program – project no: 2020-1-CZ01-KA203-078349
• GeoGo ILU – Apps for use before, during and after natural science field courses. Link to the main projects net site at Department of Geography, NTNU
• EduChange – Education for Climate Change – „Making knowledge together - addressing climate change through innovative place based education and blended learning". The project has been funded by European Commission and the Erasmus+ Programme (project no. 2017-1-CZ01-KA203-035519)
• Storyline as a method to learn natural science in teacher education

Cooperation partners

• Partners in Erasmus+ project EduChange
  • Palacký University Olomouc; Czech Repbulic (Project coordinator)
  • Utrecht University; Netherlands
  • University of Malta; Malta

• Partners in Erasmus+ project Yard4all
  • AEDCI - Agrupamento Escolas D. Carlos I; Portugal (Project coordinator)
  • Scoala Gimnaziala nr. 28; Romania
  • Asociația European Association for Social Innovation – EaSI; Romania
  • Agrupamento de Escolas de Alfornelos; Portugal
  • Aproximar Cooperativa Desolidariedade Social, CRL; Portugal
  • Instituto Universitario de Lisboa, Portugal
  • Kezenfogva Osszefogas a Fogyatekosokert Alapitvany - Hand in Hand Foundation; Hungary
  • Formacion Para El Desarollo e Insercion, Sociedad Limitada – DEFOIN; Spain
  • AFEJI; France