The Norwegian core curriculum outlines the values and principles for primary and secondary education, and describes the “fundamental approach that shall direct the pedagogical practice”. The curriculum was most recently revised in 2020 and includes a new emphasis on interdisciplinary topics as well as a clearer emphasis on sustainable development:

 

“Sustainable development as an interdisciplinary topic in school shall help the pupils to

understand basic dilemmas and developments in society, and how they can be dealt with.

Sustainable development refers to protecting life on earth and providing for the needs of

people who live here now without destroying the possibilities for future generations to fill

their needs. Sustainable development is based on the understanding that social, economic

and environmental conditions are interconnected. Our lifestyles and resource consumption

have local, regional and global consequences.”

 

The Norwegian core curriculum explicitly recognizes that the knowledge required to address interdisciplinary topics such as sustainable development spans many subjects. The curriculum highlights the importance of being able to see the connections across these subjects, and notes that such connections are stated within the competence goals outlined for each individual subject.

 

Regarding environmental education, “Respect for nature and environmental awareness” is a core value within the Norwegian curriculum. It states the need for students to experience nature and understand the responsibility they have to take care of it. Taken together with another core value of the curriculum, “The joy of creating, engagement, and urge to explore”, the emphasis on experiential hands-on learning is clear.

 

It is evident that environmental education in Norway occurs at the intersection of many core values, including, but not limited to, concepts such as collaborative and experiential learning, metacognition, and creativity. Ultimately, the Norwegian curriculum views environmental education part of the greater objective that is Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). ESD is a multifaceted endeavour that requires an understanding of social, economic, and environmental influences. Interwoven into both environmental education and ESD is the fundamental importance of human dignity, responsibility, and identity.

 

References

 

The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training. Core curriculum – values and principles for

primary and secondary education. (2020). https://www.udir.no/lk20/overordnet-del/?lang=eng