Economics students at Blindern Upper Secondary School have investigated how the business community tackles sustainability and climate risk. We need more projects like these, say educational researchers.
Published: 14. mai 2024
In a packed auditorium at Blindern Upper Secondary School, all the school’s second-year economics students are gathered. They are having a kick-off for a practical project where they investigate how businesses address issues related to sustainability and climate risk. As an academic foundation for the project, students gain insights and perspectives from economics professor Karine Nyborg, innovator Tonje Sofie Eriksson from Startuplab, and sustainability manager Camilla Skjelsbæk Gramstad from Elkjøp.
Afterward, they are divided into groups that will interview business leaders from companies such as Telenor, Yara, and GE Healthcare about how these companies work with sustainability and climate risk. Each group will summarize their findings in a report. The project is a collaboration between Blindern Upper Secondary School, Oslo Science City, the University of Oslo, and the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO).
"We see this as an opportunity to teach in line with the new curriculum, which states that students should be able to explore and delve deeper into the subject. Here, they can do so by examining the connection between academic theory and real-world practices in business," says economics teacher Maren Sandbu.
Discovering Consumer Power
Anine Aanonsen is one of the students participating in the project at Blindern Upper Secondary School. Her group interviewed sustainability manager Camilla Skjelsbæk Gramstad at the conumer electronics retailer Elkjøp. The students concluded that the company's work on the green shift and circular economy was driven by a combination of consumer influence, competition with similar businesses, and government regulations.
"It was educational to see how the theories we learn about function in practice. Additionally, I liked how we could see a connection between socio-economic theories and a relevant topic like sustainability," says Aanonsen.
Skjelsbæk Gramstad also found value in participating in the project and speaking with the students:
"For us at Elkjøp, it's important to help cultivate interest in sustainability and the circular economy among those who will be leaders and employees in the future business world. It was very interesting to hear the questions and perspectives the students brought, and I'm impressed by the school's initiative to create a teaching program where students have the opportunity to apply their knowledge in meetings with major Norwegian companies," she says.
Teacher Maren Sandbu believes the project has made classroom teaching more relevant and that the students have been genuinely curious and interested in the work.
"Several of them say they found it exciting to see that what we learn in the classroom is the same as what is being practiced in companies," she says.
The Green Shift: Both a Cost and an Opportunity
The sustainability project at Blindern Upper Secondary was first carried out in 2021. The students' findings were then presented at a public event at the local public library. Among the participants was Idar Kreutzer, who was then the CEO of Finance Norway.
"The green shift is both a cost and an opportunity for businesses, just as your findings indicate," Kreutzer told the ninety high school students, adding that fortunately, we are seeing capital swiftly moving in a green direction.
Christine Wergeland Sørbye, CEO of Oslo Science City, highlights the societal relevance and practical experience gained from working on concrete and relevant issues as a key reason why the sustainability project has been successful:
"Active learning environments where students are invited to work on important societal challenges and collaborate with the business community make education both exciting and relevant," emphasizes Wergeland Sørbye.
Exploratory Learning and Subject Mastery
Trond Lien is the Division Director for Upper Secondary School, Adult Education, and Vocational Training in Oslo Schools. He emphasizes that this type of project work, which combines theory and practice, helps prepare students for life after school, whether they go straight into the workforce or pursue higher education.
"Students who graduate in Oslo should have both the theoretical knowledge and practical experience to help them succeed in their post-school endeavors. This type of project provides them with knowledge and skills that are useful regardless of the path they choose," says Lien.
Researchers Erik Knain and Alfredo Jornet also believe that Norwegian schools should perform more collaborations with external actors, like the project at Blindern Upper Secondary. The two have worked for three years on the research project ASK (Action towards Sustainability through Knowledge co-creation), which is part of the University of Oslo's commitment to societal innovation (SPARK), and the EU project Science Education for Action and Engagement towards Sustainability (SEAS). Among the main conclusions from the projects is that interdisciplinary collaboration in schools remains a significant challenge and that teachers need support in their professional development, particularly concerning sustainability.
In the final report from the ASK project, Jornet and Knain share four pieces of advice to policymakers on how they can provide the necessary support for similar projects to achieve real societal innovation for sustainability. One of the recommendations is to establish a national facilitator to help schools and external actors find each other and establish collaborations.
"This coordination role cannot primarily fall to the schools, although school leaders will have a key role. We need an overarching entity for this work, an environment that takes responsibility for keeping track of relevant partners in academia, local communities, the business sector, and the school system, making it easy for them to discover each other," says Erik Knain.
Requires committed involvement.
Here are researchers Jornet's and Knain's four recommendations for improving schools' collaboration with external actors:
By Monica Bjermeland, Faculty of Educational Sciences, UiO, and Hallvard Kvale, Oslo Science City