Workshop "New Media, New Learning: Teaching and Learning about Sustainable Development based on Science, mathematics, language and Digital Study Material".

The workshop will include about 10 -15 presentations, two panel discussions and practical exercises. The idea of the workshop is based on Södertörn University's experience of educational courses about Teaching and Learning of elementary science, mathematics and terminology of these subjects to prospective and practicing teachers of kindergarten and early elementary school.

There appeared to be a need for educators to exchange some thoughts, ideas and experience about sustainable development which can help to stimulate children’s interest in the subject, its understanding by them and their activ participation in their own educational process. The questions are: a) what should be taught, b) why just that should be taught and c) how it should be taught?

The workshop is an effort to establish a Baltic Region collaboration between Sweden, Latvia and Russia about sustainable development educational issues including Roma education, pollution, dairy sector and children's landscape maps and photographs of nature as developing activities in elementary mathematics, science and language. During the first day of the workshop, the invited speakers will present and exchange their experiences about new approaches of sustainable teaching, including digital media, photomicrographic approach, web-cameras Rainbow Easi-Scopes which can be operated by children, educational robots Bee-Bot, Blue-Bot, Pro-Bot, Kubo and Cubetto as well as flipped classroom methodology and esthetical learning processes.

It will be discussed how these New Learning approaches for children’s Teaching and Learning stimulate their motivation, stimulate their creativity and develop their communicative skills in learning new mathematical and science terminology. This terminology may include symmetry, numbers, sequence, problem solving, pistil, stamen, petal, insects, etc., which agrees with sustainable development focus, mathematics, science and language curriculums for early childhood education in participating countries.

The second day will be devoted to practical exercises concerning these issues. The workshop will provide an opportunity to spread the accumulated knowledge and experiences, to attract new researchers and educators to these issues and to reflect together from different points of view about the results and further plans concerning sustainable development education in Sweden and other Baltic Region countries.