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Call for Papers: culturenature.learning (submissions: 31 January, 2025)
What key competences are needed to shape the future in the Anthropocene? How can we make the impact of humans on planet Earth the subject matter of school and university lessons without conveying the future as a catastrophe? What role do knowledge, values and perception play in creative, critical, solution-orientated thinking? What new narratives does the Anthropocene provide for imagining, discussing and shaping alternative futures? What consideration is given to diversity and inclusion in the field of environmental crisis and climate change? What kind of school culture do we need for a co-responsible culture of sustainability in the Anthropocene? How can Anthropocene competence be promoted as CultureNature Literacy?
- culturenature.learning: The thematic issue of the open-access-journals R&E-Source (12, 2025, Nr. 1) will be published on 15 April, 2025.
- Submissions of full papers: until 31 January, 2025
- via https://journal.ph-noe.ac.at/index.php/resource/about/submissions
- Please use this template for submission of an English paper.
Learning Scenario of the month
December 2024
This section is updated monthly by a member of the CNL project and presents one of the learning scenarios developed by the project partners.
Climate change is an issue that concerns us all - and should concern us all! In the learning scenario Davor und Danach: Überleben ist nicht genug by Isabelle Ahlborn, Lotte Pauline Müller, Emely Stratmann and Lara Vossen from the University of Siegen, the novel Davor und Danach: Überleben ist nicht genug (2020) by Nicky Singer will be analysed in order to address this topic. The teaching unit offers pupils from the 8th grade onwards the opportunity to deal intensively with the consequences of climate change - embedded in a gripping literary narrative.
The novel centres on fourteen-year-old Mahiri, who flees from Sudan to Scotland. She lives in a dystopian world in which water is becoming increasingly scarce. The novel vividly depicts how Mahiri is confronted with challenges under these extreme conditions that not only test her humanity, but also her inner strength. Despite all the adversity, she grows from these experiences.
The learning scenario invites us to examine and discuss the topics of climate change, migration and human resilience from different perspectives. It combines an examination of a possible future reality with an in-depth character study - and encourages pupils to reflect on their own values and global responsibility.
Ecological Children's and Young Adult Literature: Online Book Presentation on 5/6 Dec. 2024
What role can children's and young adult literature play in the context of sustainable, ecological education? Ecological children's and young adult literature has been closely intertwined with social debates since the 1970s. It can be used both as a time-diagnostic medium and as a creative medium in the context of environmental education for sustainable development. Children's literary texts convey not only childhood images, but also images of the future and imagined worlds of nature and the environment. Ecological aspects can be conveyed to the children's reading audience in literary texts by means of perspective-taking. Children's literary texts are also slowly moving away from a Eurocentric view and highlighting global complexity.
The authors of the edited volume ‘Ökologische Kinder- und Jugendliteratur: Grundlagen - Themen - Didaktik’ presented a children's literary work in short contributions at the online book presentation on 5/6 December 2024, which was organised as a teacher training course and symposium, and gave didactic impulses for its use in teaching ecological aspects in the classroom. The focus is on narrative literature from picture books to young adult novels, poetry and drama after 1970, with a workshop discussion and reading by the writer Melanie Laibl.
- PROGRAM
- To the report on "Bildung im Dialog"
- Mikota, Jana & Sippl, Carmen (Hrsg.) (2024): Ökologische Kinder- und Jugendliteratur. Grundlagen – Themen – Didaktik. Mit Texten von Melanie Laibl. Studienverlag. (Pädagogik für Niederösterreich, 15) – DOI: https://doi.org/10.53349/oa.2024.a1.120
Newsletter at the End of Workpackage 3
The focus of Work Package 3 was the CNL MOOC. The CNL MOOC can be used for self-study and/or integrated into teaching and learning processes. It connects the concepts established in the CNL Manual, covering both theory and practice, with the CNL Learning Scenarios, which serve as next-practice examples for classroom use. This approach aims to support the development of CultureNature Literacy as a key competence for shaping the future in the Anthropocene.
Image © Ioana Capatu
Learning Scenario of the Month
November 2024
This section is updated monthly by a member of the CNL project and presents one of the learning scenarios developed by the project partners.
In autumn, the forests shine in a spectrum of colors, looking as if painted in their most beautiful foliage. Chestnuts lie scattered along the paths, and the first mists drape the landscape in a mysterious veil. The forest also plays a significant role in literature – this relationship between humans and the forest is exactly what the learning scenario „Die Wahrnehmung der Bindung zwischen Mensch und Wald. Ishita Jain & Rina Singh, Es werde Wald! Die wahre Geschichte von Jadav Payeng“ by Jana Mikota and Sophia Blüggel explores.
This scenario uses the picture book Es werde Wald!, which tells the inspiring story of Jadav Payeng and poses the question of what one individual can achieve in the face of global environmental destruction. The goal of the learning scenario is to foster an understanding that human intervention in nature can have both positive and negative impacts.
Multiplier Event at the University of Maribor
On October 17, 2024, the University of Maribor hosted the second CNL Multiplier Event. Over 250 participants – including teachers, students, and academics – gathered at the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Arts to immerse themselves in engaging lectures and inspiring workshops on CultureNature Literacy (CNL).
The event, organized by Prof. Dr. Jana Ambrožič Dolinšek and Prof. Dr. Alja Lipavic Oštir, offered a vibrant mix of knowledge-sharing and practical activities. Through seven lectures and two workshops, participants gained deeper insights into the project and its objectives while also exploring CNL teaching materials.
As a Green Event, the gathering delighted guests not only with interesting content but also with regional culinary treats, further enhancing the warm and welcoming atmosphere.
The positive energy throughout the day left a lasting impression on everyone involved, making the event a memorable success.
5. Transnational Project Meeting in Maribor
At the 5th Transnational Project Meeting at the University of Maribor (16-18 October 2024), a new milestone of the Erasmus+ project CultureNature Literacy (CNL) was presented: the CNL MOOC. The online course is aimed at teachers and students who want to deal with the topic of CultureNature Literacy (CNL) as an Anthropocene competence. A reflection sheet and a map help with orientation and thematic selection. There are two possible approaches: without prior knowledge or for in-depth study. The CNL MOOC can be used for self-study and/or integrated into teaching/learning processes. It combines the theoretical and practical concepts set out in the CNL manual with over 70 CNL learning scenarios in several languages, which provide examples of next practice for teaching. The CNL CustomGPT, designed by project partner Emanuele Bardone (University of Tartu) and integrated into the CNL MOOC, provides additional support for the learning process.
The project partners from Austria, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, and Slovenia discussed the topic of Anthropocene competence with over 150 participants at an advanced training event organised by project partner University of Maribor for dissemination on 17 October 2024 under the title ‘Shaping the Future in the Anthropocene’. In their presentations, Carmen Sippl (PH NÖ) and Berbeli Wanning (University of Siegen) presented approaches to CultureNature Literacy (CNL) based on the foundations created in the project. In the third year of the Erasmus+ project the focus will be on CNL narratives: stories in texts and images that stimulate imagination and aim to convey respect and appreciation for the diversity and beauty of all life on planet Earth.
Here you can find an article about the CNL MOOC for Anthropocene Competence.
Learning Scenario of the Month
October 2024
This section is updated monthly by a member of the CNL project and presents one of the learning scenarios developed by the project partners.
One of the primary objectives of institutional foreign language instruction is to promote the learners' communicative competence, with a particular focus on expanding and enhancing their lexical knowledge. Moreover, foreign language instruction aims to achieve other goals as well. These include, for instance, fostering intercultural competence, reflective skills, and raising awareness for perceiving and understanding the interconnections and interactions between humans and nature. Picture books and literary texts play a crucial role in achieving these goals. The learning scenario "Wortschatzarbeit für ökologische Bewusstseinsbildung" by Carmen Sippl, based on the narrative non-fiction picture book WErde wieder wunderbar by Melanie Laibl and Corinna Jegelka (2022), enables both active vocabulary work and reflection on the human-nature relationship in the Anthropocene. Engaging with this learning scenario can not only motivate learners and make learning enjoyable for them, but also contribute to the development of their skills.
Shaping the future in the Anthropocene: teacher training on October 17, 2024
More climate education in classrooms and lecture theatres: how can teachers convey the relevant specialist and factual knowledge in such a way that the complex relationships between humankind and nature, culture and technology become visible and understandable? The training course ‘Shaping the Future in the Anthropocene’ at the CNL project partner at the University of Maribor on October 17, 2024 shows in inspiring keynote speeches and workshops (in English) how knowledge can be conveyed in stories and images from multiple perspectives and how we humans, as cultural beings, are participants in networks and cycles of nature: CultureNature Literacy (https://cnl.ph-noe.ac.at/) for cultural sustainability.
- Interested teachers from Austria can participate virtually and register for the online training event in PH Online via this link or via e-mail to babette.lughammer(at)ph-noe.ac(dot)at.
- All those interested in the online event: please register at https://forms.office.com/e/QEMmTxg3Ly (Zoom link will be sent after registration).
- Detailed programme in the programme folder.
Learning Scenario of the Month
September 2024
This section is updated monthly by a member of the CNL project and presents one of the learning scenarios developed by the project partners.
Etymologically, culture and cultivation (of land) are closely related - they both stem from the Latin verb colere, which means to cultivate, farm, tend. In the learning scenario "Spuren lesen in Landschaftsbildern: Mit Spurbildern den Einfluss des Menschen auf die Natur verstehen lernen" by Christina Schweiger, the connection between the two is developed by following the traces of humans in the landscape and compared and contrasted with learners' ideas of nature and culture. In the process, images of various depictions of (cultivated) landscapes are analyzed. It is emphasized that people cultivate and manage their environment and that this is often in contrast to the natural landscape.
Learning Scenario of the Month
August 2024
This section is updated monthly by a member of the CNL project and presents one of the learning scenarios developed by the project partners.
The goal: "Let's make things better"!
How can climate change be addressed in the classroom through play? This question is tackled by the CNL project, which offers an innovative solution with the learning scenario "Gletscherfloh als Botschafter: Der Klimawandel in den Alpen" by Magdalena Karan. Students take on the role of a glacier flea and experience firsthand the noticeable changes in the Alps due to climate change. The learning scenario demonstrates that observing nature can be fascinating, as students step into the shoes of the glacier flea.
The CNL project will soon be available on a MOOC platform, promising exciting and interactive approaches for the classroom—both within and beyond it.
Image © Ioana Capatu
Learning Scenario of the Month
July 2024
This section is updated monthly by a member of the CNL project and presents one of the learning scenarios developed by the project partners.
Water is life: real and symbolic, nourishing and destructive, it shapes our physical being, influences our thinking, and our language. To raise awareness of the planet Earth's most valuable resource, the United Nations declared the "Water Action Decade" in 2018. "How can a poem about water contribute to responsible water usage?" This question is explored by Anke Kramer in the CNL learning scenario "Wasser wahrnehmen mit Lyrik" using the poem "By Lake Constance" by Annette von Droste-Hülshoff. The scenario takes learners to the poem's place of origin and the poet’s inspiring writing location, Meersburg Castle by Lake Constance. The shared reading of the poem with students delves into the perception of water and its influence on emotions, thoughts, and moods. The Droste-Portal can be used in various ways, offering access to biographical background information, word explanations for the text, or an audio version of the poem.
CNL at the 7th Forum Anthropocene
"Water. Source of life in the climate crisis": This was the topic discussed by national and international experts at the 7th Forum Anthropocene from 13 to 15 June 2024 in Heiligenblut. The topic demands interdisciplinarity: knowledge about the state of drinking water supply and wastewater treatment; knowledge about the global water cycle and its threats; knowledge about innovative ways of knowledge sharing. The location at the foot of the Grossglockner in the Hohe Tauern National Park offers the ideal opportunity to contrast the visible consequences of climate change, such as glacier melt and forest destruction by the bark beetle, with the myths of the purity of mountain water and Austria as a country rich in water. The impressively presented figures, data and facts emphasise the urgency of the global community working together in solidarity – as well as the need to translate them into stories and images that enable everyone to understand the complex interdependencies. Carmen Sippl(PH NÖ), together with Barbara Pucker (NPHT), presented the CultureNature Literacy (CNL) project at the Climate Workshop Climate & Education and recommended the Lehr-/Lernmaterialien for climate education developed in the project.
Image © Ioana Capatu
Learning Scenario of the Month
June 2024
This section is updated monthly by a member of the CNL project and presents one of the learning scenarios developed by the project partners.
June – the beginning of summer, the end of the semester, the summer solstice, Pride Month ... June, as the middle month of the year, encompasses many beautiful and significant moments. For me, as a cherry enthusiast, this month is primarily dedicated to this wonderful, versatile fruit. Although cherries are native to and grow in Austria, 35% of the cherries offered in supermarkets are still imported (source: Greenpeace).
To learn more about how to explore this important topic with learners, I recommend the learning scenario “Where Do Our Foods Come From? (Woher kommen unsere Lebensmittel?)” by Stefan Jarau. This scenario offers valuable insights and suggestions on how to discuss and experience the origin and sustainability of our foods in the classroom.
Newsletter at the End of WP2
At the heart of Work Package 2 were the CNL learning scenarios and the CNL learning platform. The learning scenarios and the platform were developed collaboratively. The CNL platform, under the heading CNL for Teaching, collects all the learning scenarios that have been created and makes them available to teachers at schools and universities free of charge in digital and printable PDF format to support the development of CultureNature Literacy as a key competence for shaping the future in the Anthropocene. The teaching and learning materials are based on the CNL handbook and refer to the conceptual and methodological-didactic foundations presented there. The platform and learning scenarios were also tested by teachers and used in school lessons before they were put online.
CultureNature Literacy for Growing Futures
By addressing ethical, philosophical, pedagogical and aesthetic questions regarding the relevance of plants in children’s and young adult ecofiction, the conference “Growing Futures: Vegetal Encounters in Contemporary Children’s and Young Adult Ecofiction” at the Multidisciplinary Environmental Studies in the Humanities (MESH) at the University of Cologne explored April 25-27, 2024, how vegetal encounters are re-imagined for a younger readership against the backdrop of a deepening environmental crisis. Since the conference intended to forge a dialogue between ecocritical research and literature pedagogy, Carmen Sippl presented the concept of CultureNature Literacy and the CNL narratives as examples how primary and secondary school teachers can address the troubled relationship between human beings and the vegetal world in language learning contexts.
CNL on the Hiking Trail - A Report by Berbeli Wanning
On April 27, 2024, a special hiking event took place in Siegen as part of the city's 800th anniversary celebrations (first mentioned in 1224): The official inauguration of a model of a La Tène period bloomery furnace on the Historical Trail Achenbach by the Mayor of Siegen, Steffen Mues, accompanied by a small ceremony before the actual hike began. This unique event provided Berbeli Wanning with the opportunity to present the fundamentals of the CNL project and its application in the design of outdoor learning sites to a broader audience through a brief lecture, and to discuss with interested participants during the hike. Please find the report here.
User Manual for the CNL platform
You will now find a user guide for the CNL platform in both German and English, which serves as an orientation for users of the learning scenarios in schools and universities.
TNP4 meeting at the University of Tartu, April 2024
The TNP4 meeting took place online under the lead of the University of Tartu from April 10 to April 12, 2024. During the project meeting, we devoted time to the discussion of the work in the project, chiefly, concerning Learning Scenarios in WP2, the CNL MOOC in WP3 and CNL Narratives as part of WP4. Report by Emanuele Bardone.
CNL Learning Scenarios: Successful Testing in Vorarlberg Schools
On March 12, 2024, CNL learning scenarios were tested and implemented at a total of 3 school locations in Vorarlberg. The teaching and learning sessions were well executed by the teachers, and the topics were highly engaging for the students. Overall, the application of CNL teaching materials can be described as extremely successful. You can download the full report here.
The CNL learning scenarios are well received!
On March 6th and 7th, 2024, two learning scenarios were tested as part of the CNL trial phase with the 4th grade students of Mittelschule Obervellach and Volksschule Pogöriach. We received many positive feedbacks from both students and teachers. During the testing, not only were the learning scenarios evaluated but also the CNL platform, where these scenarios are available as open-source for all interested parties. You can read the report here.
Training for German Teachers at secondary schools
The training session on the topic of school readings related to ESD (Education for Sustainable Development): Promoting ESD key competencies in German language classes took place on March 1, 2024, at Heinrich-von-Gaggern Gymnasium in Frankfurt/M., commissioned by the Hessian Ministry of Education (Wiesbaden). The event was structured in two parts: the first part began with an introductory lecture followed by a Q&A session on CNL, while the second part involved group work on various readings. The CNL approach sparked particular interest among practicing colleagues. Please read the report by Berbeli Wanning and find the program brochure for upcoming events here.
Seminar "Can Literature Save the Climate?" at the University of Siegen
In the winter semester of 2023/24, the seminar "Can Literature Save the Climate? The Contribution of German Literature Education to Climate Education" was held at the University of Siegen. The focus initially was on the CNL manual and GreenComp. This was followed by a practical phase aimed at BA students (majoring in German for secondary schools and high schools) developing and preparing learning scenarios independently for publication on the platform. For further information, please refer to the full report and the appendix on working with learning scenarios in university seminars.
Daily Networking and Animal Support Group
In the course "Perfoming," students of primary education at the University College of Teacher Education Lower Austria have created videos exploring the human-nature relationship from an animal perspective. These CNL narratives are thematically rooted in selected narratives of the Anthropocene. The stories were inspired by ideas from author Melanie Laibl. The CNL project partners reviewed the videos as critical friends and commented on their use in teaching/learning contexts to promote CultureNature Literacy. You can find the videos here.
CultureNature Literacy: Exploring the Aesthetic Perspective
Students of primary education at the University College of Teacher Education Lower Austria have engaged in aesthetic research to craft CNL narratives and design learning activities aimed at fostering an appreciative perception of the environment as our world. They presented their projects to the CNL research team as critical friends on January 23rd and 30th, 2024.
Multiplier Event on October 19, 2023, at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich
The Green Multiplier Event on October 19, 2023, in Munich aimed at fostering networking and active participation. The program points were not only informative but also emphasized collaborative and co-creative exchanges. You can download the report here.
Training "Cultural Sustainability as a Transformative Educational Concept: Best Practice Examples for Teaching and Education"
On October 19, 2023, LMU Munich invites you to the Multiplier/Green Event of the ERASMUS+ Project CultureNature Literacy (CNL), offered in a hybrid format as a training for educators.
For registration from Austria via PH-Online, please follow the link. Additionally, you must register through this link with the host, LMU Munich.
The program is available for online viewing [here] and for download [here] (including registration links). It also contains the Zoom link for the event.
Newsletter at the End of WP 1
At the center of work package 1 was the CNL manual. It was written collaboratively as a handbook for the conceptual grounding of the new research term CultureNature Literacy and contains
- the definition of Anthropocene Literacy in a variety of forms,
- the outline of framework conditions for its realization
- and recommendations for its curricular implementation.
#ErasmusDays 2023: Photo-Challenge #CultureNature at Campus Baden
From October 9 to October 14, 2023, PH-NÖ-Campus in Baden will showcase its European commitment during the Erasmus Days and invites students and staff to participate in an Instagram photo challenge. The contest is inspired by the Erasmus+ project "CultureNature Literacy". In this project, the University of Education Lower Austria promotes Anthropocene competence and cultural sustainability, together with nine European partners. The university community is warmly invited to participate! Details and information about the prizes can be found [here].
Sustainability for All Educational Paths
From September 18th to 20th, 2023, 13 Swiss school principals and education researchers met their colleagues at the University of Education Lower Austria (PH NÖ). Sustainability as a cross-cutting theme for all educational paths was a program focus. The PH NÖ presented the ÖKOLOG network and the CultureNature Literacy (CNL) project: [Read the report here]
Childhood and Ecology
At the international IRSCL Congress "Ecologies of Childhood" from August 12th to 17th, 2023, at the University of California in Santa Barbara, Carmen Sippl (PH NÖ) and Berbeli Wanning (Uni Siegen) presented initial results of the Erasmus+ project CultureNature Literacy for discussion: [Read the blog post here]
Environmental Humanities meet Education
CultureNature Literacy: During the transnational project meeting, organized from April 12th to 14th, 2023, by the University of Siegen, the first milestone of the Erasmus+ project was presented: [Read the blog post here]
Teach and learn NatureCulture (NaturKultur lernen und lehren)
“Nature is, who we are. Culture is, what we do” with these words, Erwin Rauscher , Rector of the PH NÖ, opened the kick-off meeting for the Erasmus+ project 'CultureNature Literacy' (CNL). It took place on November 14th and 15th, 2022, at the Visitor Center of the Hohe Tauern National Park in Mallnitz - a location deliberately chosen by the host, Sabine Seidler (EKUZ/Forum Anthropozän), for this international educational project: [Read the blog post here.]