Strategies for Integrating Sustainability in University Curricula Nelly Kostoulas-Makrakis Assistant Professor Department of Primary Teacher Education University of Crete 23-25 October 2011 Beirut
Main Question We will address one main question in this presentation: Which commonly accepted strategies are aligned with Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and should be promoted through ESD activities?
A Question for All Societies What should our students: know, be able to do, and value, when they graduate? And what kind of citizens do we want to produce?
What is Sustainable Development? Development that meets the need of the present without compromising the ability of the future generation to meet their own needs (Brundtland, 1987).
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: "sustainable development is built on three interdependent and mutually reinforcing pillars - economic development, social development and environmental protection - which must be established at local, national, regional and global levels. (The World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, in 2002)
So what is ESD? Education for sustainable development enables people to develop the knowledge, values and skills to participate in decisions about the way we do things, individually and collectively, both locally and globally, that will improve the quality of life now without damaging the planet for the future (SDEP, 1998).
Understanding ESD No universal definition UNESCO s vision of education for sustainable development is a world where everyone has the opportunity to benefit from quality education and learn the values, behaviour and lifestyles required for a sustainable future and for positive societal transformation. ESD is a process of learning how to make decisions that consider the long-term futures of the economy, ecology, and the equitable development of all communities. The founding value of ESD is respect: respect for others, respect in the present and for future generations, respect for the planet and what it provides to us (resources, fauna and flora).
Understanding ESD There is not one single correct interpretation and use of ESD. Perhaps ESD can be seen as the total sum of diverse ways to arrive at a learning society in which people learn from and with one another and collectively become more capable of withstanding setbacks and dealing with sustainability-induced insecurity, complexity and risks. From this vantage point, ESD is about - through education and learning - engaging people in sustainable development issues, developing their capacities to give meaning to SD and to contribute to its development and utilizing the diversity represented by all people - including those who have been or feel marginalized - in generating innovative solutions to SD challenges and crises. -Review of Contexts and Structures for ESD 2009
The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) reorients traditional educational approaches towards: Interdisciplinary and holistic learning values-based learning Critically reflective thinking Multimethod approaches such as art, drama and debate Participatory decision-making Locally relevant information
Tools and methods We must reconsider our tools, methods and approaches, our politics and economics, our relationships and partnerships, and the very foundations and purpose of education and how it relates to the lives we lead.
Defining learning for SD Learning for sustainable development could be described as learning to deal with dilemmas in a complex societal context in which ecological, economic and sociocultural aspects are at stake and in which links between the local and global level are made (van Dam-Mieras, 2007).
Cont. [ESD] encourages a shift from viewing education as a delivery mechanism to a lifelong, holistic and inclusive process. The Ahmedabad Declaration 2007
Components of Education for Sustainable Development Envisioning a better future establishes a link between long term goals and immediate actions, and motivates people to action by harnessing their deep aspirations. Identifies relevance and meaning for different people. Explores how to achieve change. Offers direction and energy to take action. Results in ownership of visions, processes and outcomes.
Components of Education for Sustainability Critical thinking and reflection challenges us to examine and question the underlying assumptions that shape our world, knowledge and opinions by looking beneath the symptoms of unsustainable practice. Develops the ability to participate in change. Provides a new perspective. Promotes alternative ways of thinking.
Components of Education for Sustainability Participation goes beyond consultation, involving people in joint analysis, planning, and control of local decisions. Puts decision-making and responsibility for outcomes in the hands of the participants. Creates a greater sense of ownership and commitment to action. Builds capacity for self-reliance and selforganisation. Empowers individuals to take action.
Components of Education for Sustainability Partnerships for change strengthens ownership and commitment to sustainability actions through formal and informal opportunities for learning. Builds a shared vision amongst a diverse range of stakeholders. Motivates and adds value to initiatives.
Components of Education for Sustainability Systemic thinking recognises that the whole is more than the sum of its parts, and is a better way to understand and manage complex situations. Identifies connections and relationships. Shifts thinking from things to processes. Integrates decision-making and adaptive management techniques.
Cont. A learning-for-sustainability approach moves away from being constrained by doom and gloom scenarios towards futures-oriented thinking that motivates for action. It advocates questioning and reflection on our actions and decisions, in order to rethink and re-design our activities.
Education for Sustainable Development promotes: Understanding by going beyond awareness raising to address the underlying issues causing the unsustainable practices.
Education for Sustainable Development promotes: Values clarification by creating a sense of personal relevance in, and connection to, change for sustainability.
Education for Sustainable development promotes: People as the key to change by promoting capacity-building opportunities that harness the ability of individuals to act as agents of change.
Education for Sustainable Development promotes: Systemic change by helping learners develop skills that influence change within a system organisation or wider society.
Education for Sustainable development promotes: Integration and innovation ESD considers that integration, transformation and innovation are needed to change organisational and individual behaviour.
Education for Sustainable Development promotes: Alternative futures by using positive methods such as futures thinking to create alternatives to the current situation that lead to action plans for change.
Education for Sustainable Development promotes: Reflection, negotiation and participation by challenging the role of the educator as the conveyor of information. By encouraging a collaborative learning process using critical reflection, negotiating ideas and building trust, ESD builds the capacity of the learner with life skills for sustainability.
Effectively incorporating ESD into the curricula: Questions to be asked: Is it locally relevant and culturally appropriate? Is it based on local needs, perceptions, and conditions, but recognizes fulfilling local needs often has global effects and consequences? Does it engage formal, non-formal, and informal education? Is it a life-long endeavor? Does it accommodate the evolving nature of the concept of sustainability? Does it address content, taking into account context, pedagogy, global issues, and local priorities? Does it deal with the well being of all three realms of sustainability environment, society, and economy? - Is it interdisciplinary? all disciplines can contribute to ESD; - Does it use a variety of pedagogical techniques that promote participatory learning and higher order thinking skills?
Educational shifts proposed by ESD From Passing on knowledge Teaching attitudes and values Seeing people as the problem Sending messages To Understanding and getting to the root of issues Encouraging values clarification Seeing people as facilitators of change Dialogue, negotiation and action
Educational shifts proposed by ESD From Behaving as an expert formal and authoritarian Raising awareness and Changing behaviour To Acting as a partner informal and egalitarian Changing the mental models which influence decisions and actions More focus on structural and institutional change
Learning Continuums comprising ESD pedagogy (source: Eilam & Trop, 2010)
Principles and Process for Integrating ESD in University Curricula (Wals, 2007)
Cont.
Reflective Questions on these Princples What do you currently do that supports the teaching of real world problems? Are there instances in your teaching where you could incorporate more or do a better job of focusing on real world problems? What specific changes would you make to support learning through real world phenomena?
Reflective Questions on these Princples How can you help your students make connections with the real world? What are you doing at this time that supports students active learning and active participation? What ideas and activities could increase your use of active learning and participation?
Reflective Questions on these Princples How could you help your students identify and clarify their own values of sustainability? What are you doing now that supports the connection to both local and global issues? Do you have any concrete examples of how could you enhance your teaching of local and global issues?
Thank you for your attention