Community of Practice
Experience suggests that learning happens together, especially when we're tackling big questions about education & sustainability. That's why we're building a community of practice – a collaborative platform to tap into collective wisdom, gain fresh perspectives, and explore real approaches to integrate sustainability into your teaching practice.
A community of practice (COP) is a network of professionals who, through regular interaction and collaboration, aim to improve their collective expertise and advance the understanding of a subject or practice that they are passionate about. Whereas most professional development programmes in higher education focus on provision of content and information, a community of practice is promoted as an inclusive and collaborative platform for individual, collective, and organisational learning.
Our community at Lund University aims to engage and empower members to explore real approaches to integrate sustainability into their teaching practice, guided by the values of reflection, care, kindness, respect, and togetherness. At least once per month, we host an inspiration or social event, bringing together the community. Does this sound interesting? Anyone can become a member – here’s how to engage:
- Join our Microsoft Teams
- Interact with other educators
- Attend our inspiration and social events
The extent of your engagement is entirely up to you—no pressure, no expectations.
Join our Microsoft Teams –teams.microsoft.com
Foundations
Our work is informed by experience and literature, building on work by scholars Etienne and Beverly Wenger-Trayner as well as a similar initiative at the University of Tasmania. Important aspects of any CoP include a shared domain, sense of community, practice in focus, mutual engagement, and joint enterprise.
In this community, we unite around the integration of sustainability into educational practices and curriculum. Facing grand sustainability challenges, our members are committed to equipping students with the critical thinking and problem-solving skills necessary to work toward a sustainable future. This shared domain is our commitment to action, reflecting Lund University’s commitment to include sustainability in the curriculum of all degree programmes. We leverage pedagogical frameworks like Education for Sustainability (EFS) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).
We are a grassroots initiative consisting of a diverse group of educators, researchers, and practitioners from various disciplines at Lund University. Our strength lies in our diversity – embracing a multitude of perspectives and pedagogical approaches that transcend disciplinary boundaries.
Our community language is English, although some web resources are also available in Swedish.
Teaching for sustainability is our practice, where members share a responsibility to our students and our society as educators, mentors, administrators, and leaders. Our community thrives on the sharing of resources and methods. From teaching templates to literature reviews and best practices, we are working towards a cache of materials that can be adapted to your specific needs. These resources are continually updated and refined through collective input.
Active participation is the cornerstone of our community. We use Microsoft Teams as our primary platform for interaction, where we share updates, seek advice, and collaborate on projects. At least once per month, we encourage the community to organise an inspiration or social event, for example, workshops, seminars, lectures, mingles, afterworks, and discussion groups.
Our mission is aligned with the broader objectives of the 'Teaching for Sustainability' initiative – to make sustainability an educational perspective that enriches the experience for both educators and students across all disciplines. This mission guides our activities and provides our community with a shared goal. By working towards this goal, we aim to provide educators with the practical tools and theoretical frameworks they need to seamlessly integrate sustainability into their curricula, thereby preparing students to face the grand challenges of our time.
Read more about the ‘Teaching for Sustainability’ initiative – ahu.lu.se
Call to Action
We invite you to become an active member of our community. Join us on Microsoft Teams, where you'll find a welcoming group of like-minded individuals committed to advancing sustainability in education.
Click here to join – teams.microsoft.com
Or, use the code 01y1qyn to join.
View the guide for joining a Team by link or code – support.microsoft.com
Unlock the power of collective wisdom and mutual support, by joining our 'community of practice'!
