Human Strength-Spotting at School as the Future Foundation of “Us” in the Arctic

Five Basic Cornerstones of Sustainability Education in the Arctic

“…The strength-based, caring pedagogical approach of ASE helps to pay attention to individual and communal strengths in formal and informal and physical and virtual learning environments [45]. Students are being motivated and activated through pedagogical solutions that illustrate courage, individuality, and appreciation of differences in people, culture, and contexts ( [46], see also [47]).…”

“…However, we want to emphasize the role of teachers and teacher educators in showing an example, teaching optimism, and providing sustainability skills of the future [76,77]. New teaching methods should be actively tested and implemented, but an open-minded attitude is needed ( [47], see also [78,79]. The ASE necessitates methods that focus on the regional special features and seize the modern possibilities.…”

“…As the goal of ASE is to enhance social and environmental responsibility, it would be important to understand and remember that sustainable development arises from well-being: where there is well-being, there is an opportunity to do healthy choices and adopt sustainable attitudes and behaviors in a healthy manner. Leskisenoja and Uusiautti [47] call for this type of educational psychological understanding in the Arctic. Their analysis shows that becoming familiar with their strengths increases students' self-cognizance and helps them recognize and employ their resources in a new way.…”

“…The purpose of this article was to draw a picture of the ASE by leaning on (1) literature and research published in the field and (2) based on our own research and familiarity with the Arctic issues (e.g., [44][45][46][47][48][49]51,55,57,74,79]) and through this type of theoretical discussion, to show the critical elements of sustainability education that can be addressed with the ASE. Certainly, to be able to develop the model and prove its functionality, it needs to be tested in practice, real-life education situations and contexts (e.g., [94]).…”

‘For the whole grade’s common good and based on the student’s own current situation’: differentiated teaching and the choice of methods among Finnish teachers

“…However, it is not possible to make any straightforward interpretations because the reality of teaching and circumstances at schools vary as do teachers with their skills, attitudes, and opinions, too (see also Johnson & Semmelroth, 2014). Eventually, the most important goal of education can be seen to be to encourage students to recognize their own particular strengths and developmental potential by focusing on positive experiences that enhance development and learning (Leskisenoja & Uusiautti, 2019; see also Lappalainen, Hotulainen, Kuorelahti, & Thuneberg, 2008). Still, further research on the distribution of resources and innovative ways of enhancing differentiation are needed.…”