Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Engaging Faculties of Education Manitoba 2009 Chuck Hopkins UNESCO and UN University Chairs York University

Source: UN Population Division 2004; Lee, 2003; Population Reference Bureau Our pressures on the planet have increased with numbers 1 billion (1800) 4 billion (1975) 2 billion (1920) 6.7 billion (2009) science

$1 trillion in 1900 $ 10 trillion in 1967 $ 70 trillion in 2008 World GDP (trillion 1990 dollars) Source: CIA World Fact Book Generating great wealth but paying a great price Great wealth without FCC – Full Cost Accounting

Biomass of Table Fish (tons per km 2 ) Source: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment; Christensen et al

From: Steffen et al. 2004

Our Student’s Eventual Greatest Challenges Provide for 50% more people: using less water using less land using fewer ocean food resources while tripling the global energy – (carbon free) addressing new issues as they emerge developing employable skill sets etc.

The Evolving Concept of Sustainable Development Global Change (environment) Globalization (economic) Human Development (social/culture) Sustainable Development Plus concepts of: Intergenerational responsibility Need verses greed /equity Social justice, etc.

Manitoba’s Sustainability Threats Environmental certainly but also Social issues such as racism, inclusion, equity, poverty, citizenship, relationships…. Economic issues such as preparing for the world of work, managing money and larger issues such as creating new opportunities….. Plus the global issues that face us all.

Understanding EE and ESD Environmental Education, Population Education, Development Education, Energy Education, HIV/AIDS Education, Permaculture Education, Citizenship Education, Democracy Education, Consumer Education, Media Education, Outdoor Education, Experiential Education, Workplace Education, Conservation Education, Anti-Racist Education, Religious Education, Equity Education, Gender Education, Holocaust Education, Entrepreneurship Education, Horticulture Education, Water Education, Global Education, Drug Education, Sex Education, International Studies, Family Studies, Human Rights Education, Women's Studies, Native Studies, Values Education, Natural History Education, Vocational Education, Economic Education, Anti-smoking Education, Conflict Resolution Education, Workplace education, Disaster Prevention Education, Computer Studies, Life- Skills Education, Recycling Education, Civics Education, Heritage Education, Community Studies, Multicultural Education, Anti- Violence Education, Systems Thinking Education, Futures Education, Biodiversity Education, Pioneer Studies, Nutrition Education, Resource Management Education, Self-Image Education, Peace Education, Leadership Education, Cooperative Education, Character Education, Sexual orientation Education…………….(100 plus)

Sustainable Dev. and Education (ESD) ESD is the potential contribution of the world’s education, public awareness, and training systems to building a more sustainable future. Thus ESD varies from situation to situation depending on the local/global environmental, social and economic threats both current and emerging

Four Major Thrusts of ESD – Access and retention to quality education – Reorienting existing education – Public awareness and understanding – Training programs for all sectors Agenda , UNESCO -96, UNCSD -98, JPOI -2002

A Question for All Societies What should our students: know, be able to do, and value, when they graduate?

UNESCO – Purpose of Education To Know To Do To Become To live together (To live together with “others” sustainably)

Global Awakening –Formal Ed. Formal education leaders are taking action (CMEC) Collaboration Regional levels – UNECE, Asia Pacific, ESD Indicators are being developed Engagement of core disciplines’ professional organizations ESD research platforms being established New ESD Research Journals Embedding ESD initiatives mainstream projects ESD concept linking to ECE, Spec. ED, TVET, Lifelong learning / adult education Manitoba an ESD Leader in Canada

UN Decade of ESD ( ) Co-coordinated internationally by UNESCO Each country/region to develop locally relevant and culturally appropriate response Formal, non-formal and informal ed. Included Key Agents – Canadian Commission for UNESCO Environment Canada Canadian Council of Ministers of Education

UNESCO World Conference on ESD March – 2 April 2009, 900 participants from 150 countries, 48 ministers and vice-ministers Objectives: to highlight the contribution of ESD to quality education; to promote international exchange on ESD; to take stock of Decade activities; to develop strategies for the way ahead

Bonn Declaration – A Call for Action : “Promote ESD’s contribution to all of education and to achieving quality education” “Increase public awareness and understanding about sustainable development and ESD” “Mobilize adequate resources …, in particular through integrating ESD into national development policy and budgetary frameworks” “Support the incorporation of sustainable development issues [e.g., climate change] using an integrated and systemic approach in formal education as well as in non-formal and informal education at all levels”

Bonn Declaration – A Call for Action : At the practice level “Support the incorporation of sustainable development issues [e.g., climate change] using an integrated and systemic approach in formal education as well as in non- formal and informal education at all levels”, in particular through the development of effective pedagogical approaches, teacher education, teaching practice, curricula, learning materials, and education leadership development.

Teacher-educators Have broad influence – Educate next generation of teachers. – Sit on national curriculum committees. – Write textbooks for elementary & secondary. – Invited to give advice to ministries. – Speak at conferences. – Publish. – At local, regional, and national levels.

International Network Formed Met in 2000, Canada, Baseline reports, Agreed to experiment at home institutions. Set up reporting format. Met in South Africa Sent in reports and responded to survey. Met in Sweden Reviewed draft of guidelines. Met in 2006 Finland Establishing regional UNESCO networks Met in 2008 Turkey - Launch phase 2

Recommendations: Research Create a research agenda to address important questions, such as the effectiveness of faculty efforts to reorient education to address sustainability. Develop strong arguments backed by research to submit to academic boards to show that education for the future that does not include ESD is not an appropriate education for the future.

Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre: Métis Holistic Lifelong Learning Model

Systemic Challenges for both EE and ESD vision and awareness policy or mandate society’s expectation funding and resources training programs crowded curriculum research base models and exemplars

OECD ESD Problems Hard to serve students suffer Not seen as relevant to testing – reading and math Poverty related issues Irrelevant to core curricula Technical and vocational ed. Untrained staff Lack of meaningful equipment

The Need for Hope Speak of solutions Our ability to change/survive etc Age appropriate Education verses indoctrination Ministry guidelines and Our need to learn by acting and experimenting now before the worlds poor suffer unbearably! We will change – but when and how!

Reorienting Existing Education Currently our most educated nations leave the deepest ecological footprints We have ED systems for Dev. Rather Than SD

Reorienting Existing Education We need more ecological handprints!! - From all sources!

Infusing EE Means Addressing: Infusing EE Means Addressing: Values Principles Perspectives Knowledge Skills But again in a context of education rather than indoctrination

Infusing EE into Existing Education Means Addressing: Buildings Program Practices and actions What we value and what we evaluate Modeling sustainability

SEdA Domains Governance: policy, goals, mission Curriculum, teaching and learning Human Capacity: professional development Facilities, operations, procurement Community: relationships Commitment: System culture and ethos Leadership

Prof Dev. Considerations Prof development for all employees including leaders PD and teacher education institutions Capacity building Technology transfer for support staff Rewarding innovative practices

Ministries and Faculties of Ed Learning Perspectives Traditional – Learning as “ acquisition” model Knowledge, solutions, true/false right/wrong Plus – Learning as “ participation” model” complexity, reflexive, reflection, negotiation And – Learning as a “ response” model” ambiguity in world, taking charge-life, tolerance, engagement

W I C K E D N E S S U N C E R T A I N T Y low high traditiona l Traditional Plus Post Traditiona l

Strengths Model : A Starting Point for Formal ed. No single discipline/group/teacher/employee can do it all Every discipline/group/teacher/employee can contribute something Some individuals or sectors can take lead roles in directing/managing the reorientation Leadership and coordination of these “strengths” are key as we “learn” our way forward

Energy savings Geography Science Industrial Arts Economics Family Studies Literacy History Health Math Media Arts The Arts

IN Phase Two - ( ) Goals 1 - To implement the Guidelines 2 - To develop regional networks 3 - To further refine the Guidelines 4 - To assist in the overarching SD strategies (internationally - local) 5 – Research into ESD competencies, impact, contributions delivery schemes, EfSD vs EuSD