1. Learning about Sustainability in the Victorian curriculum F-10
Sharon Foster – VCAA
Julie Harris - Environment Education Victoria
David Speller – Sustainability Victoria

2. Agenda
Introduction – rationale, organising ideas and working with the curriculum
About the organisations
Exploring the meaning of sustainability
Teaching and learning - examples from the curriculum
Resources and links

3. Locating this cross curriculum priority

4. Introduction
Sustainability addresses the ongoing capacity of Earth to maintain all life.
Sustainable patterns of living meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Individual and collective endeavours shared across local and global communities are required.
Education for sustainability develops the knowledge, skills, values and world views necessary for people to act in ways that contribute to more sustainable patterns of living.
Sustainability education is futures-oriented, focusing on protecting environments and creating a more ecologically and socially just world through informed action.
Actions that support more sustainable patterns of living require consideration of environmental, social, cultural and economic systems and their interdependence.
Could move this and leave for David and Julie to cover later – need to discuss

5. Organising Ideas Systems World views Futures
explores the interdependent and dynamic nature of systems that support all life on Earth and our collective wellbeing
World views
enables a diversity of world views on ecosystems, values and social justice to be discussed and recognised when determining individual and community actions for sustainability
Futures
aimed at building capacities for thinking and acting in ways that are necessary to create a more sustainable future
Could add a poll here – eg If you run a current sustainability program does it include explicit coverage of:
All 3 concepts
2 concepts only
1 concept only

6. Mapping against learning areas
All learning areas within the Victorian Curriculum F-10 have a potential to contribute to the Sustainability cross-curriculum priority.
Each learning area contributes differently to the Sustainability cross-curriculum priority, its key knowledge, concepts and skills.
While some areas do not address sustainability directly in their content descriptions, they may still contribute to learning that is essential for understanding sustainability issues by providing the analytical, measurement and persuasive skills needed to advocate effectively for sustainability.
The Arts
Dance
Drama
Media Arts
Music
Visual Arts
Visual Communication Design
English
Health and Physical Education
The Humanities
Civics and Citizenship
Economics and Business
Geography
History
Languages
Mathematics
Science
Technologies
Design and Technologies
Digital Technologies

7. Mapping against the Capabilities
The capabilities within the Victorian Curriculum F-10 can also play a significant role in addressing Sustainability as a cross curriculum priority.
When developing the teaching and learning program, schools need to give the same consideration to the capabilities as they do for the learning areas.
For example, exploring possibilities, interrogating points of view, becoming socially aware and applying ethical principles are part of the knowledge and skills of the capabilities and these clearly contribute to creating a more sustainable future.
Critical and Creative Thinking
Ethical Capability
Intercultural Capability
Personal and Social Capability

8. Environment Education Victoria Sustainability Victoria
Background
Environment Education Victoria
(EEV)
Membership based Professional Association established 1984
Previously called VAEE
Advocacy, Knowledge, Engagement
Subject Association for VCE Environmental Science
Vision: Active and aware sustainable communities
Sustainability Victoria
(SV)
Sustainability Victoria's statutory objective is to facilitate and promote environmental sustainability in the use of resources.
Manages delivery of ResourceSmart Schools across Victoria to government, Catholic and independent primary and secondary schools
Increasing focus on curriculum support

9. Looks like?

10. When teaching for sustainability
What are the learning objectives?
Knowledge and understandings
Skills and capabilities
Attitudes and values
Actions and participation

11. Embedding sustainability in the teaching and learning program
Do not re-invent the wheel! Repeat!!
Do not re-invent the wheel!
Strongest synergies with Geography and Science
Design and Technologies offers hands-on, solution focused, positive learning
Learning for Sustainability offers some deep thinking opportunities especially in the Ethical Capability and Critical and Creative Thinking
Cut text back a little but shouldn’t have effected the intent

12. Example 1: Food and fibre
Learning Area – Design and Technology
Strand : Technologies context
Sub-strand : Food and fibre
Level: 5 and 6
Content Description – Investigate how and why food and fibre are produced in managed environments
Code -VCDSTC035

13. Example 2: Climate Change
Learning Area – Science
Strand: Scientific Understandings
Sub-strand: Earth and Space Sciences
Level: 1-2
Content Description
Observable changes occur in the sky and landscape; daily and seasonal changes affect everyday life (Code –VCSSU046)
Elaborations
recording short and longer term patterns of events that occur on Earth and in the sky, for example, the appearance of the moon and stars at night, the weather and the seasons
linking changes in the daily weather to the way we modify our behaviour and dress for different conditions, including examples from different cultures
investigating how changes in the weather might affect animals such as pets, animals that hibernate, or migratory animals

14. Teaching and learning resource
Carbon
Culture
Citizenship
Go to With One Planet Page and navigate to Level 1 & 2 Activity.

15. Example 3: Water Learning Area – Science Strand: Science Understanding
Sub-strand: Earth and Space Sciences
Level: 7-8
Content Description
Water is an important resource that cycles through the environment (Code VCSSU101)
Elaborations
Consider the role trees in the school ground play in the water cycle in terms of changes of state of water
investigating factors that influence the water cycle in nature
exploring how human management such as the use of swales and water tanks impacts on the water cycle
What examples could you add to these elaborations?

16. Example 4: Water Learning Area – Economics and business
Strand: Economic and business reasoning and interpretation
Level: 5-6
Content description
Make decisions, identify appropriate actions by considering the advantages and disadvantages, and form conclusions concerning an economics or business issue or event (VCEBE010)
Elaborations
weighing up options involved in a decision, for example, installing water tanks, comparing the advantages and disadvantages of this option compared with potable water
taking action to share their findings with audiences beyond the classroom, such as presenting the case for water tanks at a school assembly, writing a letter to the editor of the local newspaper or their local member of parliament

17. Curriculum Links F-6
A document created by SV to assist schools to address sustainability across the curriculum for years F-6

18. Teaching Strategies how to get sustainability to ‘Stick’
Experiential Learning
Values Clarification and Analysis
Creative thinking
Future problem-solving
Storytelling
Inquiry Learning
Science in the community
(Citizen science)

19. Resources and Links http://www.sustainabilityinschools.edu.au/
What good resources do you use?
What resources would you like to have to support your teaching and learning program?
How can we help you to build sustainability into teaching?

21. Julie Harris Environment Education Victoria eo@eev. vic. edu. au www
Julie Harris Environment Education Victoria David Speller Sustainability Victoria Sharon Foster, F-10 Curriculum Manager
CONTACT US