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Food For Thought What is Education for Sustainability

There is no more urgent agenda for educational leadership?. . We now accept the science of climate change and the catastrophic impact on our ecosystems and biodiversity. The majority of our ecosystems are endangered and the burning of fossil fuels since the industrial revolution has resulted in

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Food For Thought What is Education for Sustainability

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    1. Food For Thought What is Education for Sustainability?

    2. There is no more urgent agenda for educational leadership…. We now accept the science of climate change and the catastrophic impact on our ecosystems and biodiversity. The majority of our ecosystems are endangered and the burning of fossil fuels since the industrial revolution has resulted in global warming that further threatens our already threatened environment. The Stern Report concluded that the greatest failure of the market economy has been the failure to factor in the environment. Australia is making (albeit too slowly) the transition to a low carbon sustainable economy with reductions of net GHG emissions of 5% and maybe 20% by 2020 (CPRS). There are implications for every part of our society.

    4. Acting for a Safe Climate Walk Against Warming Dec 12 ‘09 Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne Australia 4

    5. Food For Thought: EfS What is education for sustainability and why is it important for our society and our all our colleges and universities? What is the difference between education for sustainability (EfS) and mainstream educational pedagogy? Why do we need education for sustainability when we have sustainability education qualifications and programs? What is happening internationally, nationally and in Victoria to support education for sustainability best practice? What are the policy and program level implications of EfS programs in tertiary education both VET and university?

    6. Education is the tool for achieving sustainability… To paraphrase David Orr, all our sustainability challenges have been produced by graduates from all our tertiary institutions.. Our planet in crisis is reinforced by an education system that reinforces the ‘dominant paradigm’ The most educated nations have the highest ecological footprint The most educated nations have the highest per capita rate of consumption ….The most educated parents have fewer children.…

    10. EfS differs from traditional approaches to education EfS aims to develop skills and competencies that will enable learners to critically and systematically think about problems, explore complexity, and examine and reflect on their own ways of knowing and the implications these have for developing a more sustainable way of being (Sterling 2001)

    11. Principles of education for sustainability Transformation and change EfS is not simply about providing information but involves equipping people with the skills, capacity and motivation to plan and manage change towards sustainability within an organisation, industry or community. Education for all and lifelong learning EfS is driven by a broad understanding of education and learning that includes people of all ages and backgrounds …. and takes place within all possible learning spaces. Systems thinking EfS aims to equip people to understand connections between environmental, economic, social and political systems. Envisioning a better future EfS engages people in developing a shared vision for a sustainable future. From DEWHA Living Sustainably: National Action Plan for Education for Sustainability (2009)

    12. Principles of education for sustainability Critical thinking and reflection EfS values the capacity of individuals and groups to reflect on personal experiences and world views and to challenge accepted ways of interpreting and engaging with the world. Participation EfS recognises participation as critical for engaging groups and individuals in sustainability. Partnerships for change EfS focuses on the use of genuine partnerships to build networks and relationships, and improve communication between different sectors of society. From DEWHA Living Sustainably: National Action Plan for Education for Sustainability (2009)

    13. Transmissive vs transformation Transmissive pedagogy: Reductionist approaches to knowledge Certainty and facts Discipline based courses/ knowledge Lecturer centred Information flow Educating students Transformative pedagogy: Systems thinking, interrelatedness of knowledge Uncertainty and ambiguity Interdisciplinary based courses and approaches Learner centred Experiential Empowering students as learners and knowers

    15. International and national EfS action: United Nations Decade for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) challenges all countries to integrate sustainability into education plans at all levels and sectors (http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=27234&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html ) The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) has a resource STARS -Sustainability Tracking and Assessment and Rating System - http://www.aashe.org/files/documents/STARS/STARS_1.0_Early_Release_Technical_Manual_0.pdf The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has a sustainable development section, which in turn contains a sustainable development resource guide (http://www.hefce.ac.uk/susdevresources/curric/) It is important to also have a look at Living Sustainably, the Australian Government’s (DEWHA) National Action Plan for Education for Sustainability (http://www.environment.gov.au/education/publications/pubs/national-action-plan.pdf ) The excellent Australian resource for EfS is the Australian Research Institute for Education for Sustainability (ARIES at Macquarie) http://www.aries.mq.edu.au/portal/ is a comprehensive resource.

    16. Australian Context 2009 Living Sustainably, National Action Plan for Education for Sustainability (DEWHA, April 2009) Environmental Sustainability Report Industry Skills Councils (June 2009) NQC Skills for Sustainability Action Group (June 2009) National VET Sector Sustainability Policy & Action Plan (July 09) National Green Skills Agreement (Nov 2009) Green Economy /Jobs Action Plan (Vic Premier’s Annual Statement Govt Intentions for 2009) and pending in 2010. Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne Australia 16

    17. Green Jobs Senator the Hon Mark Arbib addressed the Committee for Economic Development of Australia on 8 April 2010 [Minister for Employment Participation] “The transition (to a low carbon economy) will involve changes for all of us – encompassing the way we live, work and do business, and the mix of what we do in our economy. But it creates great opportunities. If business tackles the challenges with innovative and fresh approaches there is much to be gained. If we do this in the right way we will create new economic opportunities for Australia. ..”

    18. Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Australia 18 National Green Skills Agreement “Skills for sustainability, also known as green skills, are the technical skills, knowledge, values and attitudes needed in the workforce to develop and support sustainable social, economic and environmental outcomes in business, industry and the community.” 20 November 2009 the Ministerial Council for Tertiary Education and Employment (MCTEE) endorsed the National Green Skills Agreement.

    19. National Green Skills Agreement We need Australian trades and professions trained and educated in sustainability to support this, which is being addressed by the National Green Skills Agreement which is currently moving to an implementation plan and actions. Primary objectives: 1.   develop national standards for skills for sustainability instruction; 2.   revise Training Packages to incorporate skills for sustainability; 3.    upskill Vocational Education and Training (VET) teachers and instructors to deliver skills for sustainability; and 4.    support vulnerable workers through the transition to a low carbon economy.

    20. What has happened in Victoria? Our Environment Our Future – Environmental Sustainability Action Statement (2006) and The Way Forward: An Environmental Sustainability Strategy for the Department of Education (2005) Sustainability Victoria ResourceSmart Tertiary Education project currently being conducted by Monash Sustainability Institute with a number of participatory TAFE institutions (2009-2010) Sustainability Consultations on behalf of Sustainability Victoria (SV) and Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE). These consultations form Stage 1 of the development of a Strategic Action Plan for embedding sustainability in teaching and learning in the Victorian tertiary education sector.(2009-2010) Climate Change Green and nearly White papers

    21. Vocational Graduate Certificate in Education and Training for Sustainability Education for Sustainability (EfS) is the theory and praxis of learning based strategies to stimulate change towards sustainability Primarily a qualification for teachers (VET, HE, secondary and primary) seeking to embed sustainability in their curriculum, teaching and assessment Local, national and international market opportunities Provides for the export of units to meet professional development needs across the education sector. Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne Australia 21

    22. The Voc Grad Cert ETS Framework Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne Australia 22

    23. Professional Development

    24. Policy and program level implications Sustainability Consultations are reinforcing a number of international findings re EfS: System level policy support needed from Victorian Govt re industry and education drivers Aligning policy and EfS outcomes urgent e.g. Skills Reform where now few government funded options for green reskilling or cross skilling at crucial EfS time System level funding is required to implement such a change agenda - ‘turning around the Titanic’ will not be done in non-existent spare time of educators. Demand in two key areas: - curriculum renewal and development - professional development Aligning EfS curriculum and sustainable school/institution/campus infrastructure will require system level funding

    25. Thank You

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