When educational institutions and teachers are obliged to approach a sustainable future and transversal competence, the task given understandably feels enormous and time-consuming. How do you even begin to approach such diverse and constantly changing entities?

When time and other resources do not seem to be enough for “doing anything extra”, the work carried out for a sustainable future should be properly tied to what must be done anyway. This is where the transversal competence pursued by school subjects together becomes an asset.
Laaja-alainen osaaminen ja kestävä tulevaisuus
Photo: Hanna Ruusulampi, Opetushallitus

Authors: Anjuli Korhonen, MA, and Paula Mattila, Counsellor of Education, Finnish National Agency for Education

Transversal competence is an objective common to all subjects in general upper secondary education (and basic education). Achieving it can be compared to the task of general upper secondary education – providing general knowledge and ability (Bildung) – and many may find it equally vague or unpractical. They are not so wrong. In fact, transversal competence is not even meant to be clearly defined because its ultimate purpose requires:

  • reconciliation of different points of view and learning structures                                          
  • tying together the know-how of different subjects
  • merging of values and attitudes into a mindset.
Vihreäsävyinen lentävä kirja, jonka nokkana ja runkona on lyijykynä

Transversal competence consists of elements, which in themselves are limited: these are the knowledge and skills of the subjects. The subjects are like yarns of different colours in the multicoloured skein of transversal competence. Many try to separate the yarns familiar to them from the skein, teach in a transversal manner and still with clear boundaries and, above all, teach their subject. When doing this, they may face an invisible obstacle: transversal competence does not have clear boundaries because it is defined by future (which does not exist yet), cooperation (the success of which depends on the partners) and the changing phenomena in life. These in turn are mostly multidisciplinary and interdependent.

Transversal competence may understandably have seemed unclear and unpractical to teachers when they have participated in the curriculum work or have planned their own future teaching. When a matter or a concept is renamed or redefined, it always takes time to internalise the change. However, transversal competence is about strengthening existing activities and phenomena. Raise your hand if you knew that the National core curriculum for general upper secondary education 1985 already required instruction to be integrated by teaching cross-curricular themes? The core curriculum also aimed at combining the instruction of several subjects and applying a problem-centred approach (National Board of General Education 1985). Since then, all National core curricula for general upper secondary education have pursued the same goal of integration, but it was not until 2019 that the matter was named transversal competence and made a task of all subjects.

Similarly, forming an understanding of sustainable development is an eternal task (quite right, the National core curriculum for general upper secondary education required striving for abilities needed in protecting the living environment and nature and, for example, promoting peace). Putting it into practice in teaching certainly still feels laborious: where should we even begin to approach such a large, diverse and constantly reshaping entity? When the teachers and the other personnel of the school are obliged to implement two large entities, neither of which can be defined clearly or explained in simple terms, many may become exhausted or at least give up quietly.

Becoming sustainable and creating sustainable – transversally

Sinisävyinen saamelainen kansallispuvussa

To support learning and thus teachers, transversal competence has been recorded in the new National core curriculum for general upper secondary education in such a manner that it has several links to the objectives of the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Better knowledge of the texts related to transversal competence in the core curriculum may therefore ease the pressure caused by activities in line with sustainable development in everyday teaching. Namely, if it feels that there is simply not enough time and other resources for “doing anything extra”, the work carried out for a sustainable future should be properly tied to what must be done anyway. This means opening up and concretising the objectives of transversal competence. Concretising requires that, in addition to knowledge and skills, the general upper secondary community has an understanding of values, attitudes and mindset required for sustainability.

In response to the concerns raised by the title: to initiate a value change in accordance with sustainable development in general upper secondary education without it consuming resources from other areas, sustainable development should be implemented in connection with, alongside and, above all, with the help of transversal competence. The two flies with one stone theory is closer to fulfilment when we go through persistently and with an open mind how sustainable development as transversal competence is manifested and realised in the different subjects and in cooperation between subjects.

Admittedly, it is not easy to integrate transversal competence into the school culture of an entire general upper secondary school. Neither is promoting sustainable development in the whole school. After all, it is a question of conceptually and functionally complex matters, to which each party also brings its own interpretations. However, pursuing two mutually supportive issues – sustainable development and transversal competence – simultaneously can still be a start for achieving both.

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The challenge in itself is therefore considerable: how can general upper secondary education really solve any significant future-related challenges? In addition to transversal competence, there are two different but intertwining cycles of empowerment:

  • competences and partnerships
  • values, attitudes and will.

Competence and partnership

Sininen maapallo, jonka ympärille on piirretty lyijykynällä sydän

The student’s functional capacity (competence, qualification) strengthens with increasing life management. In the National core curriculum for general upper secondary education, especially the first three areas of transversal competence guide to this. Functional capacity gains additional strength from responsible participation, to which the latter three areas of transversal competence guide. 

The cycle of empowerment describes the targets and partnerships of cooperation: each area of transversal competence is described in such a way that the sphere of influence of competence always begins with students themselves and then progresses through their close circles to increasingly extensive operating environments, including the global world.

These two spheres have been described below. Each general upper secondary community could aim to visualise or in some other way make a roadmap of its own, which would already be given to the students to see and work on at the beginning of the general upper secondary studies.

The Influence Perimeters of the Areas of Transversal Competence begin with the student at the centre, surrounded by community and/or society, and finally the world.

When transferred to conscious everyday practices in teaching and learning, transversal competence helps to concretise the ethos of sustainable development in general upper secondary education. With the help of transversal competence, in other words, by learning multidisciplinary cooperation and problem solving, the student prepares to

  • mitigate climate change and extinction of species
  • tolerate and defeat pandemics 
  • protect human dignity and all life.

All these goals aimed at a sustainable future are achieved by learning to be confident in one's own coping through constructive cooperation, increasing multiliteracy and joint problem-solving in the everyday work in general upper secondary education.  Activities in line with sustainable development are primarily much more than the theme days or projects dedicated to them, even though they are also necessary.

Values, attitudes and will

Students do not begin to work for a sustainable future solely because they have the knowledge and skills. For example, an individual may be well informed about recycling or have an exceptionally deep understanding of ecological interdependencies, but that alone does not lead to sustainable agency. Agency requires actions and there is always a motivating force consisting of three factors underlying each action: the influence of values, attitudes and will.

Lentoon pyrähtänyt sininen kyyhky

For example, although assessment in general upper secondary education must not focus on students’ values, it does not mean that students would not need to internalise a certain set of values. A certain kind of value base relying on sustainable development is the foundation of the entire general upper secondary education, and every teacher has committed themselves to it through their work. Similarly, attitudes and will are part of the motor that must be started on the way to sustainable development. Evoking, developing and pushing them forward should not be avoided during the study units.

If the values, attitudes and will are not reflected on, deepened and developed, upper secondary education will year after year educate more and more people who would know and could carry out significant actions to save human rights, cultures, nature, climate and all life, but do not do them. Instead of a generation of bystanders, the world and the future are calling for help from doers: people who pull together and commit themselves to protection and do not collapse in front of uncertainty.

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The challenges of sustainable development affect us all. The interdependency of phenomena makes them complex. In addition, the goal keeps on changing all the time: today's sustainability challenge will no longer be similar in two years' time. It is therefore important to find solutions to promoting a sustainable future through cooperation between a wide range of people, preferably everyone. Cooperation in turn requires people’s different knowledge and experiences, working methods and reasons to be inspired. And of course, research information from different fields of knowledge and science is needed. In general upper secondary education, this means that the boundaries of subjects and assignments of study units are opened in the ways required by the phenomenon studied and the transversal competence to be acquired. After all, some or most of the knowledge that is important for the competence is available in the data resources of subjects other than the (teacher's) own subject.

Even if the great challenges of sustainability are not solved in one general upper secondary school, the students in that school still practise solving multidisciplinary (sustainability) issues during all study units. They develop some competence in multidisciplinary or perhaps even multiprofessional cooperation starting from the other students in the school and the teachers in charge of the study units. They also meet students and teachers from other educational institutions, companies and, through international cooperation, also from across the world.

Purppurainen pyramidi neljästä lippuja pitelevästä ihmishahmosta

Students practise solving extensive challenges and interdependencies piece by piece: they verbalise problems, reflect on what fields of knowledge and information are required for the solution, brainstorm and cut down the optional solutions, try things out – and if they fail, they examine what they should do otherwise next time.

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Vihreä savuttava tehdas

Climate anxiety is a burden many young people and even children carry in addition to their own everyday problems and sorrows and global ones. Perhaps experiencing guilt and anxiety in itself has become the obligation of the young generation. However, caring youth should not have to prove their values or set an example for adults. The anxiety is a sign that something is wrong. Still, anxiety should not be an obligation in sustainable activities, as an anxious individual can seldom act at their full capacity, let alone for the benefit of others.

Although the foundation of transversal competence is in sustainable development and global wellbeing, transversal competence should not be adopted only for the sake of others. On the contrary: from the point of view of sustainable activities, it is essential that one’s own wellbeing and situation allow it. Taking care of one's own wellbeing and acting on its terms is not selfishness, but a basis for also being able to act for the benefit of others without giving up. Trying to leave climate anxiety behind does not mean giving up the will to fight for climate, nature and the global human race. When students adopt knowledge, skills, values, attitudes and a mindset primarily for themselves and for their own coping, they will go all the way when striving for sustainability.

Sinisävyinen norppa

Starting from the wellbeing of the individual does not free anyone from the obligations of sustainable activities. Instead, it ensures that the will to take action will not falter in a world of uncertainties. Transversal competence is an opportunity for general upper secondary education to create a motivating, strong and far-reaching bridge from the individual’s own wellbeing to a sustainable future. During and thanks to it, the student is empowered to become a defender of nature and life, who will not be crushed by the world of adversity and anxiety.

We should remind students in general upper secondary education – and teachers themselves too – that they will not be able to help the world before helping themselves first. A sustainable future means above all a world that is well and respects all life, and consists of individual, living beings and the ties and interdependencies between them. Students in general upper secondary education cannot help the world before helping themselves, either. And at the same time, they help the world when helping themselves.

Children and young people’s thoughts about year 2050

Adults should remember that although it is good to let go of climate anxiety, anxiety may come back for as long as the reason for it exists. We should stop to listen to children and young people's thoughts, concerns and feelings about nature and the future, and learn from them. As a teacher and a grown-up member of society, what visible can you do so that children and young people would not feel they are fighting against the obstacles on the road to a sustainable future on their own?
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