Teacher: Berenice Pereira Catalàn, Luis Gabriel Turizo Martínez
Meet the teacher
Berenice Pereira Catalàn
Berenice is a language teacher with a Master’s in cognition development. She loves to be in contact with the natural environment and she feels a profound feeling of responsibility for future generations and our planet which is why she includes the 21st century skills and SDGs in her classes, she also enjoys learning with her coworkers (especially science teachers) in all topics related to environmental issues and how to include those topics in her lessons. She has been working in the public education system since 2008. She was invited to participate in a multicultural teaching exchange in 2022 called AFS Organizations and now belongs to its volunteer force in the city of Barranquilla. Through this program, she was trained in global citizenship skills which she now includes in her classroom sessions. She also now leads the local bilingual project in her school.
Luis Gabriel Turizo Martínez
Luis is a Mathematics and Physics teacher with 29 years of experience. He is a specialist in Pedagogy and Classroom Research and has a Master’s in Education. He is a lover of Science and is an avid defender of the Environment. He currently works at the Nuestra Señora el Rosario District Educational Institution, but previously worked in Higher Education. He is a researcher and combines all his classes with elements of Environmental education and the Sustainable Development Goals. He also coordinates the activities of the Department of Natural Sciences and Environment, as well as the School’s Environmental Project. He also belongs to the Dulce Sal Barranquilla Network which is working to preserve the Mallorquín swamp.
Usefull links related to the Solution
Prêmio Escolas Sustentaveis
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Overview
This solution takes the form of in-school environmental forums and classroom sessions. Luis has been involved in the planning and implementation of the strategy using the knowledge he has gained from many years of teaching mathematics and physics, and incorporating his interest in protecting the environment. Berenice brings expertise in teaching global citizenship skills and a love of nature to the project. The focus of the solution is to develop competencies which are useful for engaging with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Theory of Change
The project aims to get students and the wider school community to interact with the 17 SDGs, to look for links between them, and to relate them to the context of the school. The school already has a profile associated with environmental conservation so this project contributes to the school’s wider outlook contributing to the strengthening of culture and pedagogy associated with; instilling leadership, values, knowledge and skills that will allow students to live sustainably, to develop their community and to protect the environment.
Approach and Actions
Since 2018, forum sessions have been held annually, in the middle of the year. Each forum is held during a morning session. All students from the 10th and 11th grades attend the forums and ten students from the other grades also attend – this is important for familiarizing the younger students with the process and for disseminating learning to students in the younger grades. All students who participate directly in the forums must have already demonstrated outstanding environmental commitment.
Impact
The students are also joined by external participants and speakers who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience related to the SDGs. A wide selection of SDGs are discussed during the forums with delegates drawing on their experience. So far, SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) has generated the most discussion, this is partly because the school has relationships with nine allied organizations – through the organization Prêmio Escolas Sustentaveis – that contribute knowledge in this area.