Implementing Sustainability
in the National Curriculum:
A Quality Values-based Pedagogy
for Education for Sustainability
Saturday 24 August, 10am to 4pm
Dr Joy de Leo
August 2013
OVERVIEW
1. Definitions & International EfS context
2. National EfS Policies & Melb Dec
3. EfS principles & quality pedagogy:
Values for EfS and quality learning
Integrating multiple EfS perspectives
Learning to think differently
Developing the whole child
Learning to Transform - Values the key
Modelling - Engaging the whole school in EfS
Integrating Global perspectives applied to local issues
National Curriculum Overview
Examine 5 learning areas in National Curriculum
Compare curriculum with EfS policy & best practice
Historical development of sustainability
Awareness of environmental issues from late 1960s
Environmental education in schools from 1970 onwards
Environmental degradation impacts on economic developm’t
Environmental and economic impacts affect society and
human well-being
Holistic and integrated understandings of sustainability
needed - social, environmental, economic
Responses to sustainability depend on the cultural context,
but also on the socio-geographic and political contexts.
Sustainability involves many interconnected systems
(economic, political, social, productive, ecological,
technological, administrative) in socio-cultural geog. contexts
Definitions of ‘sustainability’
Maintain essential ecological processes & life-support systems
preserve genetic diversity & use resources sustainably(IUCN 1980)
A process, state, or condition that can be maintained
indefinitely originally relating to the natural environment (IUCN, 91)
Maintain total natural capital at/above current level (Costanza, 1991)
Use of an organism, ecosystem, or other renewable resource
at a rate within its capacity for renewal. (IUCN, 1991)
Improving the quality of human life while living within the
carrying capacity of supporting ecosystems. (IUCN 1991)
Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Promote harmony among human beings and between
humanity and nature. (Brundtland, 1987)
What does sustainability mean to you?
There are many definitions of ‘sustainability’ all of which
have different emphases and priorities.
In groups of 3 or 4 develop your own definition of
sustainability using key words, concepts, principles.
Record your ideas
Report back to the whole group
Similarities, differences, emphases?
Choice of sustainability content is based on relevant
local issues within a shared global context
What would sustainability mean to ....
A small business owner
An environmentalist
An employer
A household
A Trade Union
An Indigenous person
An unemployed person
A Government/Local Government
A multinational company
A refugee, new arrival?
Context & values shape views of sustainability
Representing sustainability .....
Sustainability has three components:
Environment, Society and Economy
within the underpinning Cultural context.
(Draw 3 circles with human well-being at the centre)
As these 3 align, human well being increases
How else can we represent sustainability ?
The expansion of output & wealth is only a means.
The end of development must be
human well-being. (UNDP, 1990)
Sustainability
applies
to all
areas of life
SOCIAL
Flourishing
Well-being
ENVIRONMENT
Strong
ECONOMY
Intersecting
Circles
This model shows
three equal and
intersecting interests.
Where the three
intersect, we find
sustainability
solutions.
This model suffers
from a lack of
integration of the
concept which leads
to a tendency to
“trade off” or balance
one element against
another in decision
making.
(IUCN, 2006)
Nested Circles –
Environment as constraint to development
Sustainability as a set of
interconnected spheres, where
environment is constraining
factor.
ENVIRONMENT
Highlights the integration of
sustainability, but a relationship
that is not exactly equal.
Some argue that economics
should not be at the centre,
while others argue that the
environment should not be the
defining element.
The environment as the largest
element is intended to illustrate
“the environment” as the
limiting factor.
SOCIETY
ECONOMY
Nested Circles –
Economy as Constraint
This model displays
sustainability as a set of
interconnected spheres,
where the economy is the
constraining factor.
ECONOMY
SOCIAL
It reflects the sentiment:
“if we don’t’ have a strong
economy, we can’t afford to
save the environment”.
ENVIRONMENT
Social Sustainability
Society as the defining feature
This model suggests the
economy and the
environment are always
already entangled in the
social.
Difficulty:
Defined by human
perception – If a tree falls in
the forest ad there is no
one there to hear?
(Psarikidou & Szerszynski)
Different world views – does it matter?
Strong or weak sustainability?
Anthropocentrism – the paradigm in which humans
consider themselves to be the central concern above all
else, and that everything must be decided accordingly.
Biocentrism - the belief that all forms of life are equally
valuable advocating a focus on the well-being of all life in
considering ecological, political, and economic issues.
Ecocentrism – the recognition that the ecosphere rather
than any individual organism, is the source and support of
all life, necessitating a holistic and eco-centric approach to
problem solving and decision making.
Economic growth at all costs
Preserve our culture & way of life at all costs
More than Global warming & Climate Change
Over population
Over production, over consumption & waste
Over fishing the sea & ocean acidification
Polluted air & waterways affects health & wellbeing
Loss of biodiversity
Land degradation – over working the soil
Exhausting natural & non-renewable resources
Loss of language and culture
War, violence, conflict causing hardship, loss of life
Abuse of human rights
Poverty, inequity. unemployment, GFC, corruption
Food & water scarcity, famine, disease
Natural disasters
………etc
Scope of Sustainability by dimension
Sustainability underpinned by cultural context
Form 4 groups and
each discuss a
dimension of
sustainability:
Environmental
Social
Economic
Cultural
Then discuss each
dimension in relation
to all the others: i.e.
socio-economic
socio-environmental
socio-cultural
economic-environment
The Interconnectedness Beastie
© Cameron & Drioli, 1998
EfS - International Context
UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, 2005-14
Education that allows learners to acquire the skills,
capacities, values and knowledge required to ensure
sustainable behaviour and lifestyles, inspired by creative
and critical thinking, in order to bring about change and
encourage the resolution and management of problems
that stand in the way of sustainable development.
ESD is fundamentally about values, with respect at
the centre: respect for others, including those of
present & future generations, for difference & diversity,
for the environment & for the resources of the planet.
UN Decade for ESD – educational features
- integrate environment, society, economy in cultural context
- reorientate education systems towards sustainability
- interdisciplinary, holistic, integrated, embedded not add-ons
- values-driven, rights-based, democratic, inclusive
- higher order thinking - critical, creative, systems
- problem solving to address complex interlinked challenges
- multi-method participatory learning that model sustainability
- flexible, adapted to local needs & priorities
- locally relevant & culturally appropriate within global context
- quality education, equal access for all, lifelong learning
- empower learners to take positive, practical action for change
Australian Policy documents - EfS
Environmental Education for a Sustainable Future:
National Action Plan (Env. Aust, 2000)
Educating for a Sustainable Future. National Environmental
Education Statement for Australian Schools (DEH, 2005)
Caring for Our Future. Aust Govt Strategy for the UN
Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DEH, 2007)
Living Sustainably. Aust Government’s National Action
Plan for Education for Sustainability (DEWHA, 2009)
VET Sector Sustainability Policy Action Plan (2009-12)
Integrating EfS in VET training delivery & practice
COAG Green Skills Agreement (2009)
Living Sustainably (DEWHA, 2009)
Vision
Develop the awareness, knowledge, skills, values
and motivation to live sustainably.
By
Reorienting education systems to sustainability through
Whole-of-school and whole-of-system approaches to
education for sustainability, including campus management.
A transformative approach to education is needed, involving
whole-of-institution engagement, innovative teaching &
learning & changes to curricula.
A futures oriented national curriculum to address major
national & global sustainability challenges, through cross
curriculum perspectives such as cultural sensitivity,
engaged citizenship & sustainable living patterns.
Living Sustainably (DEWHA, 2009)
EfS has evolved from an awareness of the degradation of
natural ecosystems, to equipping people with knowledge,
skills, values and understandings to make decisions & to
take action for change based on full consideration of the
social, environmental & economic implications.
The National EfS Action plan seeks to ensure that
educational activities to promote sustainability use a
coordinated, holistic approach to address sustainability’s
social, economic and environmental dimensions.
This integrated approach will assist in bringing about the
systemic transformation needed to make Australia
sustainable.
(DEWHA, 2009)
Education for Sustainability (EfS or ESD)
is not
Education about Sustainability (EaS or EE)
Education ‘about’ sustainability – accommodating response
Emphasis on content, information, knowledge ‘about’ (env’t)
Easily added/inserted into existing curricula
But may not change, values, behaviours, practices
Education ‘for’ sustainability – adaptive response
Learning for change – includes knowledge, values & skills
Reform curricula but within existing paradigms
Values contradictions between taught & practised values
Education ‘as’ sustainability – transformative response
Learning as change – Context = Context
Whole institution change to walk the talk & model sustainability
Emphasises process, quality learning, whole person &
transformative learning experiences
Move towards systemic transformation of education system.
Representations of the relationship between
Education for Sustainability (EfS or ESD)
and
Education about Sustainability (EaS or EE)
(Eilam & Trop, 2011)
Living Sustainably:
Aust Govt National Action Plan for EfS (DEWHA, 2009)
Principles of EfS
Envisioning a sustainable future
Critical thinking and reflection
Participation
Partnerships for change
Systems thinking
Transformation and change
Lifelong and Transformational learning
Principles of EfS
(DEWHA, 2009)
Transformation and change
equipping people with the skills, capacity and motivation to
plan and manage change towards sustainability within an
institution, organisation, industry or community.
Education for all and lifelong learning
driven by a broad understanding of education and learning
that equitably includes people of all ages and backgrounds &
takes place within all possible learning spaces.
Systems thinking
aims to equip people to understand connections between
environmental, economic, social & political systems.
Envisioning a better future - futures thinking
engage people in developing a shared vision for a
sustainable future and backcasting from the future vision.
Principles of EfS
(DEWHA, 2009)
Critical thinking and reflection
values the capacity of individuals and groups to reflect on
personal experiences and worldviews and to challenge
accepted ways of interpreting and engaging with the world.
Participation
recognises participation as critical for engaging groups and
individuals in sustainability.
Partnerships for change
genuine partnerships to build networks &
relationships & improve communication between
different sectors of society.
Living Sustainably: National Action Plan for Education for Sustainability
(DEWHA, 2009)
Envisioning - Why is vision important?
A sustainable world can never come into being
if it cannot be envisioned
(Meadows, D. et al. (1992). Beyond the Limits, p. 225)
The inability to envision dynamic images of
the future will lead to the death of society
Elise Boulding
Where there is no vision the people will perish.
King James Bible
We move from vision to understanding and then to action
A powerful vision with aspirational values
can draw us towards a preferred future
Out of comfort zones
Toward expanded
awareness & capability
Futures Thinking applied to Change
Envisioning a preferred future to meet the needs of the
current context & to address current/future challenges
Forecasting
Backcasting
What is needed to make this future happen?
Learning for change – Vision to Action
• Share and
apply
knowledge,
take action,
evaluate, learn
& improve
• Appreciate &
value what we
have. Examine
priorities.
• Foster an
inspiring &
achievable
vision of the
future
Action
Vision
Valuing
Understanding
• Raise
awareness &
deepen
knowledge &
understanding
A fundamental shift It’s all interconnected!
Until recently, human activities and their effects were neatly
compartmentalised within nations, within sectors (energy,
agriculture, trade) and within broad areas of concern:
environmental, economic, political, social, cultural.
These compartments have begun to dissolve.
This applies particularly to the various global crises …
These are no longer separate: an environmental crisis,
development crisis, economic crisis, energy crisis, climate
change, conflict. They are all one.
Our Common Future, World Commission on Environment and Development 1987
Integrating Multiple EfS Perspectives
How to teach the:
social, cultural, economic, environmental
aspects of sustainability to enable:
systems thinking, holistic problem
solving & decision making
taking account of all impacts.
This requires cross-disciplinary approaches to education
across learning areas
Whole systems thinking
When we limit ourselves to fragmented approaches to
dealing with systemic problems, it is not surprising that
our solutions prove inadequate. If our species is to
survive the predicaments we have created for ourselves,
we must develop a capacity for whole-systems thought
and action. (David Korten, 1995, p. 11)
We need to understand the complex, interdependent
systems & environments of which we are a part, to solve
the interconnected problems we face. (Banathy, 1991)
Implications for curriculum, teaching & learning:
Need cross-disciplinary, multi-disciplinary and
interdisciplinary, holistic & integrated approaches.
Transdisciplinary Learning
IMPLICATIONS FOR CURRICULA & PEDAGOGY
Cross-curriculum themes/perspectives
Integrated systems thinking
Problem or solution-based learning
Real and hypothetical case studies
Dialogical approaches
Holistic systems thinking
Compulsory unit/module:
Integrative studies?
Opening Pandora’s Box!
Learning to think differently
Problems can no longer be solved by old
ways of thinking so our view of
reality must change and the ways we
perceive, think about & value the
world.
We must create a new paradigm to solve
the insolvable problems of the old
paradigm … with new assumptions
and expectations to transform our
theories, traditions, rules & standards
No problem can be solved
from the same system of
thinking that created it.
We need to learn to see
the world anew.
Albert Einstein
Language to generate systems thinking
What are the:
links?
connections?
patterns?
sequences?
relationships?
trends?
between this and that?
Bolt-on vs Systemic approaches
Bolt-on
Inefficient, curative approaches with undesirable or
polluting impacts
Systemic approaches
Efficient, curative, preventative with no harmful
effects elsewhere in the system
Using the Effects Wheel
Issues & effects in production & use of bottled water
In groups brainstorm the:
environmental, social &
economic issues & impacts in
the production, use & recycling
of water bottles?
The Story of Bottled Water
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se12y9hSOM0
Consider:
What it’s made of.-;
Where materials come from;
Energy to manufacture and
transport;
What happens when it’s no
longer needed?
Record and Share.
Systems thinking applied to issues in
the production, use & recycling of a water bottle
-
Implications? Effects of those implications?
What did you notice completing the Wheel?
What issues surprised you?
Where is the cost to the environment factored in?
Are water bottles a sustainable product?
Should water bottles be sold in educational
institutions?
‘Everything is connected to everything else’
Everything used & not recycled costs
the next generation.
Critical thinking and sustainability
Critical thinking involves logic and moral
reasoning against an agreed set of ethics
or values” (Habermas, 1990, p. 63).
What values were present during your water
bottle discussion?
Were you consciously aware of those values?
Where did those values come from?
Habermas, J. 1990. Moral Consciousness and Communicative
Action. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.
Critical thinking & problem solving
Critical thinking involves logic and moral reasoning against
an agreed set of ethics or values. (Habermas, 1990, p. 63)
• Explore the issues
• Search for information
• Clearly identify the problem and key causes
• Identify the major forces influencing the problem
• Search for solutions
• Evaluate solutions - using values-based criteria
• Implement a solution
• Take action
(Barrett & Brown, 2011)
Systems thinking and sustainability
Effects Wheel Activity
In groups of 3 or 4, brainstorm the impacts of different aspects
of the following question/s in terms of social, cultural,
economic, environmental, technological, political, other
consequences?
What are some positive and negative
effects/impacts/consequences of …
mining in Australia?
opening our doors to refugees?
nuclear energy?
forest clearing?
Draw an effects wheel/diagram to explore
the issue as an interconnected system
View through social, economic, environmental, political lenses
The Carbon Cycle – Systemic understanding
Wicked Problems
Symptoms of other problems due to interdependencies & interconnections in a system
Reveal/create other even more complex &
contradictory problems that need solving
Overestimate the abilities of economics, politics or
technologies to ‘tame and master’ the situation
Defy rational & optimal solutions beyond the reach
of technical knowledge & traditional government
actions - there’s no one simple solution.
Objectives of Education for Sustainability
Awareness raising
- ‘Does it matter to me?’ - What is my worldview? (italics added)
Shaping of values
- ‘Should I do something about it?’
Developing knowledge and skills
- ‘How can I do something about it?'
Making decisions and taking action
-‘What will I do?’
EfS engages the whole learner
Balanced development of whole child
physical, cognitive, affective, spiritual
UNESCO’s Report on Education for the 21st Century
4 pillars of learning:
Learning to Know – cognitive, thinking, acquiring knowledge
Learning to Do – practical application, skill development
Learning to Be – values, resilience, self-management, identity
Learning to Live Together – social cohesion, respect diversity
EfS requires a 5th pillar: Learning to Transform
Quality EfS
EfS is about engaging the whole person:
Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic (VAK)
Head - Reflection, critical thinking, innovation
Heart - Engage emotions, values, attitudes
Hand - Learn by doing, action, skill development
Learning Cycle – critically reflect on experience, draw
on values/priorities to motivate action & create change
Whole person Values-based learning
• Share and
apply
knowledge,
take action,
evaluate, learn
& improve
• Appreciate &
value what we
have. Examine
priorities.
• Foster an
inspiring &
achievable
vision of the
future
Action
Vision
Valuing
Understanding
• Raise
awareness &
deepen
knowledge &
understanding
LEARNING TO TRANSFORM
EfS requires a 5th pillar:
Learning how to bring about change and to transform
personal and work environments (Shaeffer 2006)
EfS involves four levels of change:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Individual for both educators and learners
Systemic in educational institutions & systems
Collective community and societal
National and eventually global
What is Transformation? (Mezirow)
An irreversible, profound, emancipatory change in
worldview and/or frameworks for imagining, thinking,
designing, planning & acting, and for building healthy
relationships with others & with the natural world.
A liberating change for the better, in the values,
worldviews, beliefs, perspectives, understandings that
make up the paradigm or Frame of Reference by which
we live – the filter through which we perceive, experience
and make meaning of life.
Deep transformative learning needs time to digest, reflect,
question, struggle, wrestle with ideas while being
supported non-judgmentally.
Contexts of Transformation
Personal – A change in how we see ourselves and the world.
A whole different perception of what’s possible. Expanding
one’s awareness & worldview to understand, appreciate & hold
multiple perspectives simultaneously – not just changing point
of view but encompassing more possibilities.
Collective - Paradigm shift, leap/expansion in human
consciousness, to enable understanding of multiple perspectives
& possibilities, & the ability to find solutions to complex
problems together.
Organisational - a process of profound, radical change that
takes an organisation in a new direction, to a different level
of effectiveness. NOT incremental progress/reform but a basic
change of character & structure
LEARNING TO TRANSFORM
How we THINK
What we DO and HOW we do it
What we VALUE and our ATTITUDES towards
others & the environment
Educators help learners to learn:
how to transform,
how to think and act differently
and how to appreciate.
The Transformation process involves:
1 Becoming aware of the underpinning assumptions &
expectations that inform our thinking
2 Reviewing them for relevance to a sustainable society
3 Changing our values paradigm/worldview accordingly
4 Becoming passionate enough to overcome complacency
& take positive proactive action
5 Committing to changing lifestyle & work practices
How does Transformation occur?
Transformations in Worldviews (Frames of Reference) occur
through critical reflection of one’s assumptions and exposure to
diverse perspectives leading to a changed habit of mind or through a
combination of multiple changes in points of view.
Communication - dialogue, debate
Critical self-reflection
Exposure to diverse viewpoints
Indisputable facts that challenge points of view
Experiences that challenge frame of reference
Without addressing values, change is hard to make!
Transformative Education - Change for a better world
SFrom: Dominant Paradigm To:
New Paradigm
Purpose:
Education as preparation for
vocation and for economic life
Purpose:
Education for sustainable
society, economy and ecology
Policy:
Education as product
(courses & qualifications)
Policy:
Education as process of
individual and social capacity
building
Practice:
Practice:
Education as participative
learning
Education as instruction
Stephen Sterling
VALUES – Key to Transformation
Knowledge informs
Skills empower to apply knowledge
Values motivate action & behavioural change
Implications for pedagogy & modelling values
Extensive research shows beyond doubt that a
values-rich learning environment leads to
higher quality learning outcomes and more
positive attitudes to learning (Lovatt & Toomey, 2007)
What are VALUES?
Values are the ideals that give meaning to our lives
that are reflected through the priorities we choose
& that we act upon consistently & repeatedly
(B. Hall, 1994, Values Shift)
Values reflect what we care about most
& are harmonious with our sense of purpose
Values are powerful mental images of
what we want to create in the future (Vision)
Generally unaware of the values that inform our actions
CLARIFYING DEFINITIONS
Our beliefs about the world
(Contained in our world view, frame of reference,
paradigm, cosmology)
Determine our values
Which underlie our attitudes
Which are in turn reflected in our
actions & behaviours
CLARIFYING DEFINITIONS
WORLDVIEW - A shared framework/paradigm – a lens/filter
through which we perceive the world and act accordingly
PRINCIPLE – Fundamental statement of truth or commitment
guiding action, reflects worldview, informs values
BELIEF – What we believe to be true, informs values and attitudes
ETHICS – Applied values, moral use of skills, knowledge, status
ATTITUDES – Positions held based on likes/dislikes and beliefs
influenced by our environment, peers, values, interests
VIRTUES – Admirable qualities, traits, dispositions, attributes
MORALS – Standards of conduct considered morally right and good
VALUE LEVELS & DEVELOPMENT
Foundation Values - Past
Acquired from the past, these represent our basic needs as the
foundation to act upon daily. These need to be strong as we fall back
on them during crisis, threat or stress.
Focus Values - Present
Values priorities in daily lives that describe current world view,
criteria for decision making, attitude towards relationships and issues,
and the focus of most energy and attention
Aspirational Values – Future Vision
A vision of future possibility motivating us and drawing us forward
towards an ideal, giving meaning to the present
(B. Hall, 1994, Values Shift)
VALUES DOMAINS - Context
Interpersonal–relational
Socio-cultural
Political-Civic
Religious/Spiritual
Environmental
Cognitive–intellectual
Technical–vocational
Economic
Educational
Physical/Recreational
Aesthetic
WHOSE VALUES? - Global Values
•Equality - equal opportunity/access, equity, non-discrimination
•Responsibility - duty, obligation, commitment
•Participation – democratic/equal participation, vote, inclusion
•Cooperation - collaboration, working together, partnership
•Dignity - well-being, quality of life, living standards, livelihood
•Freedom - liberty, independence, autonomy, self- determination
•Security - safety
Respect
•Peace - non-violence, harmony, social cohesion
•Protect – preserve/conserve, steward, care for natural environment
•Dialogue - open communication, exchange, consensus/agreement
•Integrity - honesty, trust, truth, transparency, accountability, ethics
•Diversity - respect/appreciate/protect cultural/linguistic/natural div
•Tolerance - understanding, acceptance
•Justice - fairness
VALUES in Australian society
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
equality, equal opportunity, justice, fairness/fair go, social justice
responsibility
participation, democracy, separation of powers, free speech, freedom
mateship, team work
well-being, health & safety, national security
social cohesion, cultural diversity, tolerance, acceptance
environmental conservation
professional ethics, and accountability
respect
care and compassion
(D. Horne, 1997 and Australian Values Statement, 2007)
Worldviews = Value system clusters - (Barrett Brown)
% popn
Value system
Characteristics
Traditional
Rule of law, conservative,
40
conventional conformist, authoritarian
30
Modern
Economic rationalist, competitive,
materialistic, utilitarian view of
earth’s resources
30
50
Post modern
Relativistic, communitarian, and
10
egalitarian, humanitarian, ecologically
sensitive,
15
Integral
Accepting and able to work at all
value levels
?
?
% power
VALUES – Key to Quality learning
“Effective quality teaching is values-laden, particularly in relation to
the learning climate in caring, inclusive and cohesive learning
communities” Alton-Lee (2007).
Key values present in high performing learning
contexts:
respect, care, trust, fairness, cooperation
Positive learning outcomes occur in quality learning environments
that are: safe, welcoming, fair, inclusive, student-centered,
participative, non-discriminatory, supportive, empowering,
cooperative, rights-based & democratic, where teachers have
high expectations of students for deep learning & positive attitudes
towards them (UNESCO, 2005; UNICEF, 2000).
Implications of Values for pedagogy
COGNITIVE LEVEL
KNOWING
about oneself, others,
their behaviour, culture,
history, country etc
BEHAVIOURAL LEVEL
ACTION
decision making,
taking choices,
CONCEPTUAL LEVEL
UNDERSTANDING
oneself and others, key issues
and processes,
AFFECTIVE LEVEL
VALUING
experiencing, reflecting,
accepting, respecting, appreciating
oneself and others
Modelling Sustainability
“Sustainable development is as much
modelled as taught” (Unesco IIS, 2004, p. 20).
“Learners imitate the values that are modelled in
their environment, and are largely unaware of this
process” (McGettrick, 1995, p. 2).
What are the implications for EfS educators
and for schools?
A COMPREHENSIVE VALUES PEDAGOGY
1.Modelling values in practice
2.A values-rich learning environment
3.Values as content embedded in what is taught
4.Values clarification – learners supported in
identifying & clarifying own values
5.Ethical reasoning & values-based problem
solving
6.Skill development & practise values until habitual
7.Service learning & CSR opportunities to make a
civic contribution to the community
COMPREHENSIVE VALUES EDUCATION
Kirschenbaum (1992); (Halstead, 1996 - ‘Eclectic’)
Comprehensive in content, methods and location,
taking place in the school and in community,
combining traditional and progressive approaches.
Modelling
Environment
Values clarification (Raths, Harmin, 1966)
Affective
Moral reasoning, critical thinking
Cognitive
Service learning, civic contribution
Practical
Values clarification Process
Introduce students to different points of view
Help understand their own & others’ values positions
Weigh up alternatives
Reflect on implications of each when put into action:
Identify and clarify values (own & others)
Compare and contrast values
Explore and understand feelings
Explore conflicting values
Consider alternatives and their implications
Make choices & decisions, solve problems & take action
based on chosen values.
(Raths & Harmin)
Whole School Approach to EfS
Learning environment models EfS
Engages whole
learning
community
Ethos/
Values
Curriculum, Learning
& Pedagogy
Institutional Policy
& Governance
Quality features of EfS
values-based transformative learning;
equity, inclusion;
local relevance linked to global concerns;
participative, experiential, learner-centred approaches;
promote higher order thinking skills & practical action;
whole school approaches
whole person learning.
See handout for full list of
quality features for EfS and compare with
National Curriculum
Definition of Quality in the National Curriculum
Quality of learning was defined in the curriculum in terms
of outcomes and achievement standards, as the:
“extent of knowledge, depth of understanding
and sophistication of skills
described through achievement standards”
measured by quality assurance processes of monitoring,
review, evaluation and validation (ACARA, 2010a pp. 16-26).
Neither values nor other quality characteristics of EfS
were included in the definition.
Values also omitted from the Assessment Standards.
Teaching and learning methods for EfS
Dialogical approaches - discussion, debate, participation, dialogue;
Critical thinking & reflection on relevant local and global issues;
Hypothetical and real life scenarios; Role Plays; Case Studies;
Project/Assignment collaboration - Group activities;
Experiential learning activities - Community action, problem solving;
Participative inquiry - Deep collective exploration of sustainability
issues that stimulate new ideas for further inquiry and action;
Mentoring - to enable understanding & engagement with EfS themes
Interdisciplinary/thematic exploration and problem solving
Action learning - Learners develop & implement action plans, reflect
on their experience & suggest improvements;
Action research – cyclical process of research-based planning, action,
observation and reflection to improve and innovate practice.
Link local & global perspectives
World
Nation
Community
Family
Self as
individual &
member of
society
Learner as
Local,
National
and
Global
citizen
Hypothetical Scenario role play
Systems thinking &
complex problem solving
- Form 5 groups - each with a different role
- Read the scenario
- Develop a strategy/position for your role
Choose a spokesperson for the meeting of
representatives, who will negotiate a solution with
the other group representatives.
Role play
Debrief
The research presented here is published in:
Quality Education for Sustainable Development
(includes access to 79 appendices containing the research)
Order from: www.qesd.org
Or email: bookorders@qesd.org
Dr Joy de Leo
admin@joydeleo.com