Sustainability education
Sustainability Education– Facilitator notes
These notes will assist with staff development sessions using the Sustainability
Education presentation.
This presentation will cover:
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What is sustainability?
Student capacity building for sustainability
Sustainability Curriculum Framework.
Slide 1
Sustainability education
This presentation covers some of the issues related to sustainability education in
schools and details the results of research and resource development in this area by
the Department of Education and Communities.
It is designed to be used by schools to provide additional depth to our understanding
of sustainability, to consider how we may build student capacity in the area of
sustainability education and action and a brief overview of the Sustainability
Curriculum Framework. This presentation includes opportunity for staff to break for
discussion and reflection on questions and issues.
Slide 2 - 5
What is sustainability?’ (Click to show all images)
Whilst sustainability is a relatively new term, used frequently in relation to
environment but also in relation to the longevity of industries, communities,
companies or programs and project.
These four images are like many we see when the media presents modern day
challenges to the environment and to sustainability. In the current media, these
sorts of images are often matched with phrases like ‘It is estimated that around 1000
species are becoming extinct around the world every day’, ‘scientists agree that
greenhouse gasses are causing global warming’, ‘environmental quality and food
security are in decline’ and so on.
CLICK THROUGH THESE REMIAING IMAGES
Many still ask ‘What is sustainability?’
A better way to view sustainability is with a futures perspective. Sustainability is
about the current and future challenges of maintaining and improving the quality of:
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the natural environment and understanding our responsibilities toward it
our communities and our way of life now, and into the future.
But as these sorts of images are often in the media, as educators we need to think
about how these images and statements impact on our students.
© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2011
NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre www.clic.det.nsw.edu.au
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Sustainability education
It can be challenging to engage students in a positive way when this is what they
commonly see and hear.
Research in NSW schools has identified the importance of engaging young people in
actions in school, home and community to improve environmental quality and
sustainability is one of the most powerful ways to empower and enable the next
generation.
How do and can we do things differently in schools to keep a positive and
participatory approach to these issues?
Discuss in your group.
Slide 6
What should Sustainability Education look like in our schools?
(Click to show all images)
Sustainability Education faces a challenge of keeping young people optimistic about
the future when they are often hearing very negative stories and strongly conflicting
opinions.
A clear and productive way to consider sustainability is through a perspective that
includes a reflection on futures, needs and intergenerational equity. This is
illustrated in a UN definition of sustainability. ‘Sustainability is a goal in which
society meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs’ from ‘Our Common Future’ - United Nations
World Commission on Environment and Development (1987, p.54).
Through 2008 and 09 the Department of Education and Communities undertook
some research, investigating sustainability from a whole of student learning
perspective with a view to developing a sustainability education framework that was
broader in scope and would provide an updated policy foundation. It is now over 12
years since the ‘Environmental Education policy for schools’ was released and the
community has grown significantly in its understanding and approach to
sustainability.
The basis of the research was a question ‘What should a citizen in our society
know, be able and motivated to do if we are to create an ecologically
sustainable society’
The findings identified building student capacity for acting and living sustainably as a
prime objective and using the school as the context and place for developing this
capacity. The research findings strongly supported the current positioning of
environmental education engagement in the school as the most important learning
context
(Parental permission provided for photos provided by Field of Mars EEC for
professional Learning material)
© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2011
NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre www.clic.det.nsw.edu.au
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Sustainability education
Slide 7
Student Capacity Building for Sustainability
CLICK THROUGH THE IMAGES
The research identified that context was critical so we now need to ask ‘What should
sustainability education look like in our school’?
Participating in environmental and sustainability education activities and
demonstrating good environmental citizenship is part of the fabric of many schools in
NSW and a commitment of the Department of Education and Communities.
Evidence in schools includes the grounds improvement and local biodiversity and
environmental improvement and projects, student leadership and interest projects
related to the environment, environmental events schools participate in and the
many ways sustainability and environmental contexts are included in curriculum.
The research indicated the importance of purpose and structure to the activity that is
explicit for teachers and for students. This builds good foundation knowledge,
develop a broad set of competencies and create connections and commitment.
What does the answer to this question look like in our school?
Discuss in your group.
Does our school:
• engage young people in the activities that help them explore and understand
their environment;
• provide learning activities for them investigate sustainability issues in their
home, school and community,
• support students to develop and implement sustainability solutions
• or create opportunities to develop and demonstrate environmental
citizenship and leadership
To date sustainability and environmental education programs in our schools have
achieved improvements in student environmental understanding and awareness,
resource use and management and improved environments in and around the
schools.
Will these programs continue to equip students with environmental and sustainability
problems that will only become more complex in the future.
Note: Images 1, 2 & 3 – Parental permission provided for photos provided by Field of Mars EEC for
professional Learning material. Image 4 Nemingah PS – NSW Public Works
Slide 8
Quote - K. Skamp, Southern Cross University
Quote ‘A Critical review of current practice and research of environmental education
and education for sustainability for Kindergarten to Year 12 from 1990’, Associate
Prof Keith Skamp April 2010.
© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2011
NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre www.clic.det.nsw.edu.au
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Sustainability education
Sustainability can be used as a context for student learning, engagement, leadership
and increasing community participation. The literature review identified that whole
school approaches to sustainability integrated into curriculum and the school culture
were evaluated as being most successful.
Slide 9
Research into sustainability education
The research included analysing answers to a range of questions related to capacity
building for sustainability.
‘What do I need to contribute to a sustainable future?’
The research led to a series of other questions.
The next four slides list these questions. Discuss in your group:
 personal foundations to being an environmental citizen
 the citizenship characteristics we will need to demonstrate
 the skills and practices we will need to employ
 the knowledge and understanding that will underpin our thinking, actions and
commitment.
Slide 10
What foundations do I need? …. to contribute to sustainability
Discuss in your group.
Slide 11
What foundations do I need?
Seek responses “What foundations do I need? ” to contribute to a sustainable future
The research identified a single most important foundation.
Wellbeing: Personal, family and community. Focused on the foundational feelings of
the individual and how they may contribute to a positive local and global community.
It values self, has elements of resilience, feeling happy and ‘in-tune’ with yourself,
with others and with the world as big or small as that may be.
Slide 12
What kind of citizen to I need to be? …to contribute to sustainability
Discuss in your group
Slide 13
What kind of citizen to I need to be?.
Seek responses “What kind of citizen do I need? ” to contribute to a sustainable
future.
The research identified three key aspects to citizenship for sustainability.
© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2011
NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre www.clic.det.nsw.edu.au
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Sustainability education
Global Citizen: A sense of belonging to and responsibility within local, national and
global communities.
Biosphere Custodian: A sense of stewardship of the natural environment.
Change Agent: The capacity and motivation to act as a agent of change towards
sustainability.
Slide 14
What do I need to be able to do? …..to contribute to sustainability
Discuss in your group
Slide 15
What do I need to be able to do?
Seek responses “What do I need to be able to do …..to contribute to sustainability
The research identified three key practices that support sustainability.
World Viewing: Comprehending, reflecting on your own beliefs, principals and
values and being willing to change them. Understanding the world view of others.
Systems Thinking: Skills for understanding and working with systems, complexity,
uncertainty and risk.
Futures and Design Thinking: Skills for influencing the future, designing and creating
sustainable communities.
Slide 16
What do I need to know? … to contribute to sustainability
Discuss in your group
Slide 17
What do I need to know?
Seek responses “What do I need to know?
The research identified two key areas of knowledge that support sustainability.
Ecological Systems: Knowledge of the process and interactions of living and physical
systems that support the biosphere.
Human Systems: Knowledge of social, cultural, political, economic and technological
systems, structures, beliefs and actions. Understanding of how these impact the
Earth’s biosphere and capacity of people to live sustainably.
Slide 18
Sustainability Curriculum Framework
(Click to show all stages in development)
The Sustainability Curriculum Framework was developed by the NSW Department of
Education and Communities for the Australian Government.
© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2011
NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre www.clic.det.nsw.edu.au
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Sustainability education
It is essentially a scope and sequence for best practice sustainability education and
is written as a guide for curriculum developers to support schools in developing
strong sustainability aspects to their learning programs.
2nd click The Sustainability Curriculum Framework includes:
Core knowledge and understanding of ecological and human systems – this is what
we considered with the question ‘What do I need to know if I am to contribute to
sustainability?”
3rd click A set or ‘repertoire’ of practices.
World viewing, Systems thinking and Futures and design thinking – this is what we
considered when we considered the question ‘What do I need to be able to do if I am
to contribute to sustainability?’
4th click The Sustainability Action Process is a 5 step methodology written
specifically for sustainability to engage students in sustainability action.
It brings those together through a specific methodology written for sustainability
action.
Called the Sustainability Action Process it has elements of science, geography and
technology investigation and solution development processes.\
Slide 19
The Sustainability Action process – in action
The Sustainability Action Process is the preferred methodology for sustainability
investigation, understanding for students.
It is the basis of the Climate Clever Energy Savers program, Product Road map
waste education materials and recent teacher professional learning courses.
In the Climate Clever program students are provided with the five steps on a poster
to guide their work. The poster explains the process for students and teachers.
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In step 1 ‘Making a case for change’ – students explore energy as a concept
and energy use in their school.
In step 2 ‘Defining the scope’ students think about what is possible for their
school and the available resources they have and success criteria
In step 3 ‘Developing the proposal’ students develop their plan of action in
some detail
In step 4 ‘Implementing the proposal’ the students put their plan into action,
gather evidence of actions like photos
In step 5 ‘ Evaluation and reflection’ students think about their action and
measure or evaluate against any criteria they have developed.
© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2011
NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre www.clic.det.nsw.edu.au
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Sustainability education
Learning materials to support the use of the Sustainability Action process for a
number of focus areas are being developed by the Curriculum and Learning
Innovation Centre and will be published on-line in 2012.
Slide 20
Session summary – Questions & Comments
What is Sustainability?
Student Capacity Building for Sustainability
If I am to contribute to sustainability:
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What foundations do I need?
What kind of citizen to I need to be?
What do I need to be able to do?
What do I need to know?
Sustainability Curriculum Framework
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Repertoires of Practice
Knowledge
Sustainability Action Process
© State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities, 2011
NSW Curriculum and Learning Innovation Centre www.clic.det.nsw.edu.au
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