In this reflection I will look at three issues within Education for Sustainable Development (EfSD) that I find very interesting. The first issue is the idea that there should not be Education for anything, the second issue is the divide that appears to be between EfSD and Environmental Education (EE) and lastly I want to look at the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD).
Should we have education for anything?
The United Nations Agenda 21 (2002), a document that sets out objectives that need to be achieved from a local to a global scale for Sustainable Development to occur, in Section Four a whole chapter is dedicated to the importance of education in achieving Sustainable Development. However, should education be used as a tool to push this agenda? While I agree that, yes, education should be used as a tool to help create a sustainable world, I believe people, like Jickling (1994) have a right to question the notion of Education for.
According to Hopkins and McKeown (2002) there is a distinction between Education about and Education for Sustainable Development. The distinctions lies is the use of education to foster thinking and actions that are focused on sustainability( Hoopkins and McKeown 2002). To Jickling (1994) this is more of indoctrination rather than education, or education having a hidden agenda. This is revealed in the statement, ‘Sustainable Development is in the common interest and the public must be persuaded, or made, to pursue this end’ (p.5). He then goes on to question whether or not it is the role of education to make people behave in a particular way. I would argue, Yes. As we saw in one of my previous reflections, Preston (2010) alludes to the fact that education is always pushing particular values. This can be further supported by the fact the all schools have behaviour standards. However, what I think Jickling (1994) is trying to say here is that education is about achieving free thought and autonomous thinking and the Education for anything does not achieve this goal. I wonder if Jickling (1994) would now change his mind in light of the principles like Critical Thinking and Systemic Thinking that govern EfSD. Surely these principles do not result in indoctrination. One must also question Jickling (1994), is an education system that seeks to help learners achieve a better world for their future a bad thing?
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| Taken form:http://adaptationresourcekit.squarespace.com/2-learn-about-climate-change/ |
What is the difference between EfSD and EE?
Through my many readings I either come across the notion of EfSD or EE, they are not one or the same. Tilbury and Fein (2002) state that EfSD is different to EE as it looks at developing the links between environment, society, economy and politics. They state that EfSD ‘must differ significantly from much of the nature study work carried out under the EE banner’ (p.9). However, I would argue that this is an important element and should be apart of EfSD, particularly if we are to understand how systems in the environment work. Perhaps, what Tilbury and Fein (2002) are saying that in EE there is too much focus on environment. If this is the case then I believe this is a great downfall on the part of EE as how can we understand environmental issues and impacts without understanding the social, economic and political aspects that affect the environment?
In my opinion, it should not be either/or with EfSD and EE, it should be combined. Although it is suggested that knowledge does not lead to direct action (DeChano 2006), therefore in regards to EfSD does not lead to sustainability. I would suggest knowledge is still needed if one is to first understand the issues on which to act upon.
DESD- What does it mean?
The Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability (ARIES 2009) state that the DESD aims to ‘integrate the principles, values, and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning.’ (p.2) This means that learning in all education sectors should not only be to learn about Sustainable Development but it should be embedded in the system. That is, it should be integrated into all actions in education sectors. According to ARIES (2009) it reorients traditional forms of education, focusing on – interdisciplinary and holistic learning, values-based learning, critical and reflective thinking, integration of all subject areas, participatory decision making and locally relevant information. It is interesting to note here, as already mentioned in one of my first blogs, this re-orientation of traditional education can be seen to be happening through frameworks like the NSW Quality Teaching (DET 2003) and from learning in pre-service teacher training some of these elements are taught to be used. However, EfSD was never mentioned in my teacher training, yet the decade started in 2005 (Australian Government, Department of the Environment and Heritage 2007), I started my teacher training in 2004 and finished in 2007. Why was there no mention? And why is there no mention in schools? Even the Australian Government have a document dedicated to taking action under the banner of the DESD. Entitled Caring for Our Future: The Australian Government Strategy for the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, 2005-2014 (2007) yet this is the first I have heard of this decade. I have only just seen the document put out by ARIES in 2006 entitled Whole-School approaches to sustainability: A review of models for professional development in pre-service teacher education. Shouldn’t I have seen this before now? And what were the previous models?
Mula and Tilbury (2009) look at the issue of the difference the DESD is making. They state that the challenge of the DESD is going to be engaging those who are less aware of Sustainable Development yet have the greatest role in achieving it. I would suggest if Agenda 21 (UN 2002) is correct about education being critical to Sustainable Development then there needs to be a greater push in reaching the teachers. Within a lot of the literature I have read thus far there appears to be a forgetfulness for the formal sector. Should we not be focusing on those who are teaching the children as well as the community? For if the Brundtland Commission’s (1987) definition is correct, and Sustainable Development is about safekeeping today for tomorrow’s generation, why is there not a focus on the younger generations?
According to Mula and Tilbury (2009) it is too soon to report on the success of the DESD, yet they suggest that looking at the achievements through the halfway mark of the decade it seems to be lacking in engaging and implementing changes. They suggest that with an apparent lack of indicators it will be difficult to assess the impact of the decade. They conclude with the belief that the goals of the decade are too ambitious for a ten year period.
I would suggest from my own experience as a pre-service teacher and a teacher, the decade goals are not being achieved in the formal sector and I believe this to be a great shortsightedness on the formal sectors part as well as those documents pushing the DESD.
Tilbury D and Fein J 2002 The Global Challenge of Sustainability in D Tilbury R B Stevenson J Fein and D Schreuder Education and Sustainability, Responding to the Global Challenge, Commission on Education and Communication, IUCN.
Hopkins C and McKeown R 2002 Education for Sustainable Development in D Tilbury R B Stevenson J Fein and D Schreuder Education and Sustainability, Responding to the Global Challenge, Commission on Education and Communication, IUCN.
Jickling B 1994 Why I Don’t Want My Children To Be Educated For Sustainable Development: Sustainable Belief Trumpeter 11(3):2-8.
ARIES 2009 Education for Sustainability: The Role of Education in Engaging and Equipping People for Change Commonwealth of Australia.
Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage 2007 Caring for Our Future: The Australian Government Strategy for the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, 2005-2014 Commonwealth of Australia, ACT.
Ferreira J Ryan L and Tilbury D 2006 Whole-School approaches to sustainability: A review of models for professional development in pre-service teacher education. ARIES and Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage, ACT.
DeChano L M 2006 A Multi-Country Examination of the Relationship Between Environmental Knowledge and Attitudes International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education 15(1): 15-28
Mula I and Tilbury D 2009 A United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-14): What Difference will it Make? Journal of Education for Sustainable Development 3(1):87-97.
Brundtland G 1987 Our Common Future: Chairman’s Foreword Our Common Future: Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development http://www.un-documents.net/ocf-cf.htm 25 Sept 2011.
UN 2002 Agenda 21, Section IV Chapter 32 Promoting Education, Public Awareness and Traininghttp://www.un.org/esa/dsd/agenda21/res_agenda21_36.shtml 20 Sept 2011 UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Sustainable Development
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