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Dr. Lili-Ann Wolff
University of Helsinki

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0 Science Education
0 Sustainability Education
0 sustainable leadership
0 Teacher Education
0 Philosophy of Education

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sustainable leadership

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Original research article
Published: 20 April 2021 in Frontiers in Education
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Six experienced academic reviewers and editors explored the nature of quality in academic publication processes in the contexts of sustainability, education for sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This article documents their exploration as a collaborative autoethnography structured around the authors’ personal reflections on matters such as: how current quality indicators define the quality of academic publications; how effective current quality assurance processes may be; how congruent open access publication processes may be with the ideals of sustainability and of the SDGs; and about what new and different indicators of quality might look like. An inductive analysis of their reflections yielded three emergent and reoccurring themes: casting doubt on the fitness for purpose of current academic publication processes and means to assure their quality; seeking justice for all involved in academic publication; and creating opportunities for change. In writing this article, authors considered these themes and how academia might address them.

ACS Style

Kerry Shephard; Gladman Thondhlana; Lili-Ann Wolff; Dina Zoe Belluigi; Marco Rieckmann; Pedro Vega-Marcote. On the Nature of Quality in the Contexts of Academic Publication and Sustainability. Frontiers in Education 2021, 6, 1 .

AMA Style

Kerry Shephard, Gladman Thondhlana, Lili-Ann Wolff, Dina Zoe Belluigi, Marco Rieckmann, Pedro Vega-Marcote. On the Nature of Quality in the Contexts of Academic Publication and Sustainability. Frontiers in Education. 2021; 6 ():1.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kerry Shephard; Gladman Thondhlana; Lili-Ann Wolff; Dina Zoe Belluigi; Marco Rieckmann; Pedro Vega-Marcote. 2021. "On the Nature of Quality in the Contexts of Academic Publication and Sustainability." Frontiers in Education 6, no. : 1.

Journal article
Published: 22 December 2020 in Ainedidaktiikka
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Den här artikeln fokuserar på social hållbarhet som undervisningspraxis, inte som undervisningsinnehåll, närmare bestämt hur den naturvetenskapliga undervisningen kan förverkligas på ett socialt hållbart sätt. Forskningsfrågan är hur lärare som undervisar i naturvetenskaper kan erbjuda elever mer likvärdiga förutsättningar att utveckla scientific literacy. Vi sökte svaret med stöd av klassrumsobservationer i Finland och Sverige. I resultatet utkristalliserade sig särskilt fyra kategorier med relevans för social hållbarhet i undervisningen: språkanvändning, konkretisering, tidsanvändning och uppmuntran till elevinitiativ. Ett likvärdigt lärande i naturvetenskaper kräver en didaktik där målmedvetet språkbruk sammanflätas med konkreta lärandesituationer utan tidspress. Det är även ett lärande där elevinitiativ tillvaratas. Social sustainability and scientific literacy in multilingual science classrooms Abstract The focus of this article is social sustainability as a teaching practice, not as teaching content. Specifically, the concern is how to realize science teaching in a socially sustainable way. The research question is how science teachers could offer students equal opportunities to develop scientific literacy. We have searched for answers through classroom observations in Finland and Sweden. The analysis revealed four categories with relevance to social sustainability teaching practice: language use, tangibility, time use, and encouragement of student initiatives. Equal science learning requires teaching methods that include purposeful use of language in practical learning situations without time pressure. It is also the teaching that supports student initiatives. Keywords: social sustainability, sustainability education, subject language, scientific literacy, science education

ACS Style

Sari Vuorenpää; Lili-Ann Wolff; Pia Sjöblom. Social hållbarhet och scientific literacy i flerspråkiga naturvetenskapsklassrum. Ainedidaktiikka 2020, 4, 23–40 -23–40.

AMA Style

Sari Vuorenpää, Lili-Ann Wolff, Pia Sjöblom. Social hållbarhet och scientific literacy i flerspråkiga naturvetenskapsklassrum. Ainedidaktiikka. 2020; 4 (3):23–40-23–40.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sari Vuorenpää; Lili-Ann Wolff; Pia Sjöblom. 2020. "Social hållbarhet och scientific literacy i flerspråkiga naturvetenskapsklassrum." Ainedidaktiikka 4, no. 3: 23–40-23–40.

Book review
Published: 12 October 2020 in Society & Natural Resources
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ACS Style

Lili-Ann Wolff. Ecologies for Learning and Practice: Emerging Ideas, Sightings, and Possibilities and Political Paradoxes. Society & Natural Resources 2020, 34, 844 -846.

AMA Style

Lili-Ann Wolff. Ecologies for Learning and Practice: Emerging Ideas, Sightings, and Possibilities and Political Paradoxes. Society & Natural Resources. 2020; 34 (6):844-846.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lili-Ann Wolff. 2020. "Ecologies for Learning and Practice: Emerging Ideas, Sightings, and Possibilities and Political Paradoxes." Society & Natural Resources 34, no. 6: 844-846.

Editorial
Published: 26 June 2020 in Sustainability
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Humans have always lived in eras of more or less obvious crises and risks. When Ulrich Beck wrote about the risk society in 1986, he talked about risks as invisibility lacking spatial and temporal boundaries. The environmental risks of the modern society may often appear diffuse, even if, for example, the climate change dilemma has progressively become noticeable. However, this year, people on Earth have had to face a most obvious risk. The effects of Covid-19 have reached such proportions that the human world probably will never be the same again. However, the extent of jeopardies is not similar for all world inhabitants, neither are the tools to handle the risks. To face the threat and learn from it, humans need to change manners on many levels and in many social and physical areas. Some of the main questions to reflect on and discuss in this feature issue of Sustainability are: What will the most urgent role of sustainability education be now and in the future? What kind of teaching, learning and educational policies are most relevant? What issues are most crucial in sustainability education research?

ACS Style

Lili-Ann Wolff. Sustainability Education in Risks and Crises: Lessons from Covid-19. Sustainability 2020, 12, 5205 .

AMA Style

Lili-Ann Wolff. Sustainability Education in Risks and Crises: Lessons from Covid-19. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (12):5205.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lili-Ann Wolff. 2020. "Sustainability Education in Risks and Crises: Lessons from Covid-19." Sustainability 12, no. 12: 5205.

Journal article
Published: 20 May 2020 in Sustainability
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Social sustainability is a dimension of sustainability that has received little attention. Our aims in this article are to create a definition of social sustainability based on a comprehensive literature study, and to discuss the implementation of the concept in higher education settings at theoretical and practical levels. We also aim to answer the question of whether it is possible to achieve a socially sustainable and transformative practice in educational contexts. Our approach in the study is critical and reflective and, firstly, built on a literature review including policy documents, research articles and books on sustainability from the perspectives of education and social studies. Secondly, we provide examples of practice from four university sustainability courses. In these courses, social sustainability appears in an interdisciplinary and a sustainable leadership framework. The conclusion from this study is that it is possible to implement social sustainability in various ways at the course level. We identify elementary features at basic, personal and educational levels that facilitate the implementation. However, we see the inclusion of social sustainability as the only way to reshape education and rethink the role of educational institutions. In this reshaping, ethics is the core.

ACS Style

Lili-Ann Wolff; Peter Ehrström. Social Sustainability and Transformation in Higher Educational Settings: A Utopia or Possibility? Sustainability 2020, 12, 4176 .

AMA Style

Lili-Ann Wolff, Peter Ehrström. Social Sustainability and Transformation in Higher Educational Settings: A Utopia or Possibility? Sustainability. 2020; 12 (10):4176.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lili-Ann Wolff; Peter Ehrström. 2020. "Social Sustainability and Transformation in Higher Educational Settings: A Utopia or Possibility?" Sustainability 12, no. 10: 4176.

Journal article
Published: 03 May 2020 in Sustainability
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To understand biodiversity, it is crucial to have knowledge of different species and their life conditions. Biodiversity learning for children starts with observing plants and animals in the neighbourhood. Therefore, it is important that early childhood (EC) teachers know the local nature. There are few studies on species knowledge among EC student teachers but results from a Norwegian study show that although EC student teachers had poor species knowledge when entering university, their knowledge increased remarkably during their studies. Based on these results, the current study investigates the implementation of species learning in an EC teacher education course in Finland. Our aim was to study the student teachers’ species identification skills, their views on the importance of species knowledge, and their experiences of species learning. The study used a mixed-methods approach and included species identification tests, a questionnaire, learning diaries, and focus group interviews. The results show that the student teachers were eager to learn about species. They found species learning important both for EC teachers and for sustainability, and they appreciated learning about species in a broad sense, from personal, educational, and social perspectives. Our conclusion is that implementing species knowledge in EC teacher education promotes an interest in the natural world and may form a significant contribution to nature and sustainability education for EC teachers.

ACS Style

Lili-Ann Wolff; Tuula H. Skarstein. Species Learning and Biodiversity in Early Childhood Teacher Education. Sustainability 2020, 12, 3698 .

AMA Style

Lili-Ann Wolff, Tuula H. Skarstein. Species Learning and Biodiversity in Early Childhood Teacher Education. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (9):3698.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lili-Ann Wolff; Tuula H. Skarstein. 2020. "Species Learning and Biodiversity in Early Childhood Teacher Education." Sustainability 12, no. 9: 3698.

Perspective
Published: 23 January 2020 in Education Sciences
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The field of geography is important for any sustainability education. The aim of geography education is to enable students to understand the environment, its influence on human activity, and how humans influence the environment. In this article we present a study on how the interplay between the three pillars of sustainability thinking (environment, society and economy) play out on smaller and larger scales of time, space and multitude in geography education. In this paper, we argue that central issues in high quality sustainability education in geography relates to students’ deeper grasp of how to shift between magnitudes of time, space and multitude patterns. We show how an appreciation of many core issues in sustainability education require students to understand and traverse different magnitudes of the scalable concepts of time, space and multitude. Furthermore, we argue and exemplify how common sustainability misconceptions arise due to an inability to make the cognitive shift between relevant magnitudes on these scalable concepts. Finally, we briefly discuss useful educational approaches to mediating this problem, including the use of digital tools in order to allow geography teachers to facilitate the students’ better understanding of different magnitudes of slow, fast, small and large scale entities and processes.

ACS Style

Frode Skarstein; Lili-Ann Wolff. An Issue of Scale: The Challenge of Time, Space and Multitude in Sustainability and Geography Education. Education Sciences 2020, 10, 28 .

AMA Style

Frode Skarstein, Lili-Ann Wolff. An Issue of Scale: The Challenge of Time, Space and Multitude in Sustainability and Geography Education. Education Sciences. 2020; 10 (2):28.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Frode Skarstein; Lili-Ann Wolff. 2020. "An Issue of Scale: The Challenge of Time, Space and Multitude in Sustainability and Geography Education." Education Sciences 10, no. 2: 28.

Journal article
Published: 23 January 2020 in Education Sciences
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During the last century, the human way of life has begun to transgress many of the Earth’s biophysical boundaries in an alarming way. The consequences of this are more dramatic and long lasting than ever before. Many researchers even argue that humanity has created a new geological epoch, which they call Anthropocene. Education, even in early childhood (EC), is often presented as a remedy for these complex problems. Yet, how can anyone prepare young children to deal with such tremendous changes? The primary aim of our study is to define and outline what the mission of early childhood education (ECE) might be in the epoch of the Anthropocene. Through a comprehensive review of the literature, we have tried to find answers about how the Anthropocene could be addressed in ECE. We have searched for answers in the natural science literature, policy documents, educational research articles and philosophy, and discuss the various standpoints we have identified. We argue that the Anthropocene demands a new, more authentic education; a change towards a more holistic, transformative, sustainability-oriented approach. At the same time, children, as always, have a right to a safe, positive and encouraging childhood.

ACS Style

Lili-Ann Wolff; Tuula H. Skarstein; Frode Skarstein. The Mission of Early Childhood Education in the Anthropocene. Education Sciences 2020, 10, 27 .

AMA Style

Lili-Ann Wolff, Tuula H. Skarstein, Frode Skarstein. The Mission of Early Childhood Education in the Anthropocene. Education Sciences. 2020; 10 (2):27.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lili-Ann Wolff; Tuula H. Skarstein; Frode Skarstein. 2020. "The Mission of Early Childhood Education in the Anthropocene." Education Sciences 10, no. 2: 27.

Journal article
Published: 25 October 2018 in Sustainability
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Social change requires new educational planning and sustainable teaching methods. Shaping an environment of care with animals as a part of the daily school life may produce such a change. In this article, we present a transdisciplinary study with the aim of exploring whether raising chickens in a classroom could promote learning, especially sustainability learning, and how. The study employs an ethnographic approach and we have analyzed the data according to interaction analysis. We collected the data in a culturally-diverse Finnish primary school class during May 2018. The data comprise field notes, videos and photographs from indoor and outdoor school activities; interviews and discussions with teachers and students; and, texts and artifacts that were made by students. The results show that having chickens in the classroom not only improved the students’ learning of biology, but also enhanced many other activities. The chicken project became part of a complex learning culture that met several of the aims of the curriculum and in many ways reached beyond the aim of merely learning science. The project became a natural part of sustainability education and promoted the acquisition of knowledge and skills in relation to the ecological and social dimensions of sustainability.

ACS Style

Lili-Ann Wolff; Sari Vuorenpää; Pia Sjöblom. Chicken Raising in a Diverse Finnish Classroom: Multidimensional Sustainability Learning. Sustainability 2018, 10, 3886 .

AMA Style

Lili-Ann Wolff, Sari Vuorenpää, Pia Sjöblom. Chicken Raising in a Diverse Finnish Classroom: Multidimensional Sustainability Learning. Sustainability. 2018; 10 (11):3886.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lili-Ann Wolff; Sari Vuorenpää; Pia Sjöblom. 2018. "Chicken Raising in a Diverse Finnish Classroom: Multidimensional Sustainability Learning." Sustainability 10, no. 11: 3886.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2018 in Utbildning & Demokrati – tidskrift för didaktik och utbildningspolitk
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ACS Style

Ann-Christin Furu; Lili-Ann Wolff; Liisa Suomela. Premisser för hållbarhet i den finländska utbildningen av lärare inom småbarnspedagogik - En kritisk granskning av visioner och verklighet. Utbildning & Demokrati – tidskrift för didaktik och utbildningspolitk 2018, 27, 59 -80.

AMA Style

Ann-Christin Furu, Lili-Ann Wolff, Liisa Suomela. Premisser för hållbarhet i den finländska utbildningen av lärare inom småbarnspedagogik - En kritisk granskning av visioner och verklighet. Utbildning & Demokrati – tidskrift för didaktik och utbildningspolitk. 2018; 27 (2):59-80.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ann-Christin Furu; Lili-Ann Wolff; Liisa Suomela. 2018. "Premisser för hållbarhet i den finländska utbildningen av lärare inom småbarnspedagogik - En kritisk granskning av visioner och verklighet." Utbildning & Demokrati – tidskrift för didaktik och utbildningspolitk 27, no. 2: 59-80.

Journal article
Published: 13 December 2017 in Studier i Pædagogisk Filosofi
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This article discusses the way humans value nature, with a focus on the way they value nature aesthetically. Of particular interest are the values of children and adolescents and the role of aesthetics in scientific studies. The discussion is based on philosophical writings, especially aesthetic sources, and current environmental education empirical research. Our aim is to show the necessity the science lessons have of an unambiguous aesthetic dimension. With flexible teaching methods that partly take place outdoor, the students' own values and aesthetic experiences become a prompting starting point for understanding humankind’s role in nature.

ACS Style

Lili-Ann Wolff; Pia Sjöblom. Det är inte enbart frågan om nomenklatur: Naturvetenskap och estetik. Studier i Pædagogisk Filosofi 2017, 5, 38 -61.

AMA Style

Lili-Ann Wolff, Pia Sjöblom. Det är inte enbart frågan om nomenklatur: Naturvetenskap och estetik. Studier i Pædagogisk Filosofi. 2017; 5 (2):38-61.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lili-Ann Wolff; Pia Sjöblom. 2017. "Det är inte enbart frågan om nomenklatur: Naturvetenskap och estetik." Studier i Pædagogisk Filosofi 5, no. 2: 38-61.

Research article
Published: 14 September 2017 in The Journal of Environmental Education
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This article describes an interview study on Finnish upper secondary school students' values of nature. Even if the Finnish adolescents' interest in nature has decreased, most of the interviewees in this study regarded nature as worthy of maintenance. They valued nature for its material, aesthetic, and recreational values, as well as its diversity and future value, and because of their holistic view of nature. The nature values of the students were complex. Therefore, we suggest education that supports their value development through deliberation, authentic involvement, and outdoor activities.

ACS Style

Pia Sjöblom; Lili-Ann Wolff. “It wouldn't be the same without nature”—The value of nature according to Finnish upper secondary school students. The Journal of Environmental Education 2017, 48, 322 -333.

AMA Style

Pia Sjöblom, Lili-Ann Wolff. “It wouldn't be the same without nature”—The value of nature according to Finnish upper secondary school students. The Journal of Environmental Education. 2017; 48 (5):322-333.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Pia Sjöblom; Lili-Ann Wolff. 2017. "“It wouldn't be the same without nature”—The value of nature according to Finnish upper secondary school students." The Journal of Environmental Education 48, no. 5: 322-333.

Journal article
Published: 01 March 2017 in Education Sciences
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Sustainability is internationally often emphasized as an essential aim of higher education, but more as a principle than on the practical level. This is also obvious in the academic education of primary teachers in Finland. Therefore, it is a great challenge for Finnish teachers to include sustainability in their teaching and everyday life in schools. The aim of this article is to critically analyze why the implementation of sustainability in teacher education is so intricate and to discuss possible solutions with Finland—a country highly valued for its education—as an example. The article reports outcomes from educational policy documents and research on educational, philosophical, scientific and social aspects of sustainability, including evaluation of how sustainability has been implemented in schools and at universities, especially among teacher educators. In addition, the article builds on analyses of comprehensive university strategies and primary school teacher education programs. We found these reasons for the ignoring of sustainability in the Finnish teacher education: sustainability is in conflict with overall trends in society and politics, teacher education takes place at universities and is based on separate academic disciplines. Sustainability is also intricate because it is strongly connected to ecological literacy and it is value dependent. Universities need to overcome these obstacles and become forerunners in the sustainability process.

ACS Style

Lili-Ann Wolff; Pia Sjöblom; Maria Hofman-Bergholm; Irmeli Palmberg. High Performance Education Fails in Sustainability? —A Reflection on Finnish Primary Teacher Education. Education Sciences 2017, 7, 32 .

AMA Style

Lili-Ann Wolff, Pia Sjöblom, Maria Hofman-Bergholm, Irmeli Palmberg. High Performance Education Fails in Sustainability? —A Reflection on Finnish Primary Teacher Education. Education Sciences. 2017; 7 (1):32.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lili-Ann Wolff; Pia Sjöblom; Maria Hofman-Bergholm; Irmeli Palmberg. 2017. "High Performance Education Fails in Sustainability? —A Reflection on Finnish Primary Teacher Education." Education Sciences 7, no. 1: 32.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2016 in Utbildning & Demokrati – tidskrift för didaktik och utbildningspolitk
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ACS Style

Lili-Ann Wolff. Hannu Simola: Hemligheten bakom den finländska utbildningsframgången. Utbildning & Demokrati – tidskrift för didaktik och utbildningspolitk 2016, 25, 119 -123.

AMA Style

Lili-Ann Wolff. Hannu Simola: Hemligheten bakom den finländska utbildningsframgången. Utbildning & Demokrati – tidskrift för didaktik och utbildningspolitk. 2016; 25 (2):119-123.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lili-Ann Wolff. 2016. "Hannu Simola: Hemligheten bakom den finländska utbildningsframgången." Utbildning & Demokrati – tidskrift för didaktik och utbildningspolitk 25, no. 2: 119-123.

Thesis summary
Published: 04 May 2013 in Environmental Education Research
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ACS Style

Lili-Ann Wolff. Nature and sustainability: an educational study with Rousseau and Foucault. Environmental Education Research 2013, 20, 430 -431.

AMA Style

Lili-Ann Wolff. Nature and sustainability: an educational study with Rousseau and Foucault. Environmental Education Research. 2013; 20 (3):430-431.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Lili-Ann Wolff. 2013. "Nature and sustainability: an educational study with Rousseau and Foucault." Environmental Education Research 20, no. 3: 430-431.