Education for Sustainable Development

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Education for Sustainable Development

• Learning for sustainability
• Sustainability education
• EE in its broadest context

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ESD -Why

• A call to action
• A rationale for educational change
• UN Decade 2005-2014
• -to best prepare citizens for active
  participation in democratic governance

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ESD -What

• Knowledge and understanding
• Skills and capabilities
• Perspectives and values
• UN- to develop transdisciplinary understandings
  of social, economic and environmental
  sustainability

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ESD -How

• What is the methodology that is consistent with
  these goals?

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Traditional Transitional Spectrum

• Traditional
• learner passive recipient
• subject based
• information transfer
• classroom based
• textbook based
• Workforce preparation and post secondary
  preparation

• Transitional
• learner active participant
• integrated/ interdisciplinary
• learner centred concept construction
• linked to and in the world beyond
• real-world sources
• Citizenship preparation

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Informed by

• NAAEE
• Sustainability literature
• The Center for Ecoliteracy
• Outdoor Education, COEO
• Environment as an Integrating Context work
• Place-Based Learning
• Ontario Ministry of Education policy EE policy
  documents
• UN ESD

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The strategies converge with elements of

• Constructivism and brain-based learning
• Multiple intelligences
• Girls and science research
• Boys and reading research
• Authentic Instruction and Assessment
• Retention Studies
• The Whole Child initiative advanced by the ASCD

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Seven Key Learning Strategies
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Seven Key Learning Strategies
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How do we Connect Learning to the Real World ?

• 1. Hands-on learning (senses)
• 2. Communicate give and get
• -use real sources of information
• -audiences beyond the classroom
• 3. Learn in the context of Issues of Relevance
• -Address real tasks, challenges or
  problems
• -Case Studies
• 4. Form School-Community Partnerships

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Inquiry-based Learning

• No longer are we passive receptacles of facts
  but actively involved explorers, constantly
  interpreting our experiences. Awbrey
  and Awbrey, 1995

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Making Learning Inquiry-Based?

• Levels Closed/Controlled---Guided ---Open/Free
• Express curriculum in terms of student relevant
  key questions
• Apply Learning Cycle approaches
• Use Problem-based Learning methods
• Pose Critical Thinking Challenges
• Invite Open Inquiry

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Considering Alternative Perspectives in Learning

• Through different subject areas
• Multiple points of view activities
• Using literature and media sources
• Applying temporal perspectives past and future
• Juxtaposing cultural differences
• Designing assessment tasks

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Acting on Learning

• Consists of Learning -about action
• -through action
• -from action
• Achieved through
• -Student volunteering activities
• -Service learning
• -Schools walking the talk

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Sharing Responsibility for Learning with
Students

• When we trust our students to make wise
  decisions
• and to take control of their education,
• they can and do create change.
• Karen Dockstader-Anderson

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Sharing Responsibility for Learning with Students

• Requires
• Authentic, open ended learning tasks
• Teacher as facilitator, coach and master learner
• School facilities for collaborative and self
  directed learning
• Transparent assessment
• For the Individual Learner Citizen
• Self awareness skills
• Reflection skills
• Self assessment abilities
• For the Learner/Citizen Community
• Collaborative skills
• Group discussion and reflection
• Peer teaching, mentoring and assessment

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Using Local ExperiencesThe Community as
Classroom

• Never globalize a problem if it can possibly be
  dealt with locally. Gareth Hardin

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Using Local ExperiencesThe Community as
Classroom Places for Learning
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Using Local ExperiencesThe Community as
Classroom

• Field-based pedagogical skills
• Schoolyard naturalization
• Natures calendar of events
• Using appropriate info-tech tools

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Integrated/Interdisciplinary Learning

• Tug on anything at all and youll find it
  connected to everything else in the universe.
  John Muir

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Levels of Integration
Multidisciplinary -some
Interdisciplinary
Transdisciplinary -most
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Integrated/Interdisciplinary Learning

• Leading with literature
• Following a concept e.g. relationships
• Project-based learning
• Open inquiry

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Seven Key Learning Strategies
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Traditional Transitional Spectrum

• Traditional
• learner passive recipient
• subject based
• information transfer
• classroom based
• textbook based
• Workforce preparation and post secondary
  preparation

• Transitional
• learner active participant
• integrated/ interdisciplinary
• learner centred concept construction
• linked to and in the world beyond
• real-world sources
• Citizenship preparation

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Moving Forward with ESD

• Teachers
• Learning program designers
• Curriculum policy developers
• Pre-service providers
• Professional development agents

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• Questions and Discussion
• Stan Kozak
• Learning for a Sustainable Future
• skozak_at_sentex.ca