THINKIDS

The key competences for lifelong learning and its development have been an important policy imperative for EU Member States. The European Reference Framework of key competences (2006) built on previous developments by the OECD, UNESCO and Member States themselves. More recently the 2018 Council of the European Union Recommendation of 22 May 2018 on key competences for lifelong learning (2018/C 189/01) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs from now on) of the 2030 Agenda have placed the focus on EU members to update and adapt their education provision.

Now, most Member States have incorporated key competences, or similarly broad learning outcomes, into their school curriculum frameworks but there is no single model followed in European member states for integrating the key competences and SDGs into national curricula.

THINKIDS is proposing to design and test a practical “authentic learning approach” based on the EU key competences for lifelong learning and the UN Sustainable Development Goals to support educators and children (ages from 3 to 11) find coherence between what they think, what they want or feel, and what they do. But we need your cooperation.

1. the primary target groups are 3-11 teachers and pedagogical coordinators involved in working with children. An indirect target audience are therefore children aged 3-11.

2. schools and other educational institutions (e.g. museums, libraries, etc.) that are also well positioned and important for competencies-based and environmental education.

3. experts in the field of competencies-based and environmental education, organizations and associations of experts, etc. 

4. Policy makers and decision-makers from the educational field

5. general public.

1. to implement a Transnational curriculum for Early childhood and primary education teachers 

2. to design and test innovative materials and open educational resources (OER) for 3-11 school education teachers and educators focusing on the 8 key competences for lifelong learning and the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals;

3. to support 3-11 teachers integrating the key competences for lifelong learning and the Sustainable Development Goals in their daily work, from an authentic learning approach, with an aim to enhance their professional development and increasing the quality and range of initial and continuing training. 

4. to create an Innovative Knowledge Hub for informing, uploading, and downloading OER materials aimed at increasing theacher's awareness to strengthen the educational foundations in a system of competences and sustainability supported by all relevant stakeholders. 

A consortium of six European partner organizations are working together on the implementation of the project for a period of 26 months.