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Education for a Sustainable Global Future
- 1. EDUCATION FOR A SUSTAINABLEGLOBAL FUTURE Hosted by: routes2resilience.org At Hilton College (1-3 October) Feedback from Dave Goodwin Academic Advancement @ Uplands College
- 2. CREDIT & THANKSTO: Geordie Ractliffe & Elspeth Donovan (Routes2Resilience) Prof. Lausanne Olvitt (Rhodes Environmental Learning Research Centre) Dr Gary Kendall (sustainability expert) John Roff (transformative nature guide) Jocelyn Anderson (Nature Connect) Gerry Noel (Michaelhouse) Alexei du Bois (Hilton College) Prof. Joanne Hardman (UCT)
- 3. STARTING POINT –A DISCUSSION WITH ANY CLASS OR SCHOOL LEADERSHIP TEAM 3 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS • What exactly do we want to sustain? • For whom? • Why is this important to sustain? If we, the educators and school leaders, don’t have clear answers to these 3 questions, we have no basis on which to design a curriculum or a strategy. What would your answers be to these 3 questions? It is difficult to reach consensus on these questions. The UN’s published 17 Global Sustainable Development Goals provide a useful framework for this discussion at any level.
- 4. • If welook at our immediate environment, and our surrounding community, which goals are relatable and relevant to our pupils? Which goals could inspire our pupils to affecting change?
- 5. IDEAS SHARED BYPROF. LAUSANNE OLVITT OF RHODES UNIVERSITY ENVIRO LEARNING CENTRE • Do we envisage a future where living things just survive, or thrive? • Don’t allow sustainability to cause division among us as educators or school leaders; use it as a means to greater synergy, to taking action, and to finding shared interests. • An education that will make pupils future-ready, active citizens is called a QUALITY EDUCATION. There is no need to specify that eco-awareness or social responsibility or 21st century skills and values underpin such an education – it is self-evident. • Sustainability is not the scope of the EnviroClub, or some pupil volunteers, or some ‘champion staff’. These notions are utterly archaic. • Sustainability is a vital aspect to all learning, in all age groups, in all subjects, and our responsibility as educators is to draw this topic out from behind all our curriculum and position it at the forefront. • Our work and learning in this space will never be done. It requires ongoing orientation from us, and from school leaders, not pursuit of a definitive destination.
- 6. HOW TO APPROACHEDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT? An approach that is systemic, dynamic, holistic, connected… We cannot approach things in isolation or silos – all is connected Pupil exercise: Explode the connections Pupils are given a simple object, such as a teabag or sandwich or phone Their tasks is to draw on paper as many connections as they possibly can that resulted in the object in front of them – origins of resources or raw ingredients, processes, supply channels, packaging, marketing, labour legal and health influences at every level, energy sources behind every step… and so on This exercise will illustrate the connectedness of industries and sustainable issues. Use the 17 UN SDGs to inspire thought for this task.
- 7. WE NEED TOTEACH SYSTEMS THINKING
- 8. AN APPROACH THATIS INTER-DISCIPLINARY, CROSS SUBJECTS… I found the below image helpful in clarifying this. If each circle below is a school subject, how do we tend to teach concepts? We are being called to push pupils into the complex space where many things collide.
- 9. A RELATIONAL APPROACHIS REQUIRED There is little use in pointing fingers at ‘them’ whoever ‘they’ may be. We have to move forward together. We are all deeply embedded in relationships and systems that involve our common home (Earth). To solve our shared challenges pro-actively requires significant relational /
- 10. OUR APPROACH NEEDSTO BE CRITICAL & PROBING, TOUGH QUESTIONS SHOULD BE WRESTLED WITH IN CLASSROOMS - ‘Education’ has replaced traditional knowledge and natural wisdom of indigenous cultures; how did that happen? Who decides what is valuable knowledge? Who decides which worldviews or perspectives are valued? - Does prosperity really require economic growth? - Why do we even use the word ‘nature’? It is problematic because it suggests something other, something out there, rather than our constant surroundings – all of which in fact include nature in an adapted form. We cannot dissociate ourselves from nature. - Why do we want to know and understand so much? Why are we not content enough to just be sometimes? To co-exist with our incredible inherited world? To silence our cleverness and listen… - Why not just forget the rhino? It’s extinction will have no impact on any ecosystem. Similarly there are numerous species of endangered birds in Hawaii – why continue to pour money into solutions for these species if they have no critical role to play?
- 11. OUR APPROACH SHOULDBE AFFECTIVE, EMOTIONAL, TANGIBLE, EXPERIENTIAL… Pupils will not protect or enhance what they do not already value. • We are well positioned at Uplands to ensure our students find JOY in their interactions with our natural world – animal interactions, excursions, beauty, wilderness, camps, Journey, Kruger Park, our campus gardens, local birdlife, wildlife on campus. • Are pupils aware of ecosystem services? These are things nature does for humanity ‘for free’, such as bees pollinating, grasslands preventing flooding… are these services in evidence here? • A chameleon was found on campus this week – how many pupils got to touch it or see its amazing feet and eyes up close? WHAT ARE OUR POSSIBILITIES IN THIS SPACE?
- 12. AN APPROACH THATIS MULTI-VOICED, WITH VARIED CULTURAL INPUT, WITH NO SINGLE AUTHORITY. WE NEED TO INVITE AND SEEK ALL VALID PERSPECTIVES. ‘This is all yours’ pupil exercise Give pupils complete ownership of the Uplands campus and surrounding fields Pupils then draw an identity out of a hat – such as miner / farmer/ property developer / politician / land claimant / conservationist / entrepreneur / community activist… They must present their vision for this property and its buildings 5 years from now. Pupils can choose to be self-serving or altruistic (inclusive). They listen to every vision and discuss the validity of each voice.
- 13. AN APPROACH THATIS REFLEXIVE – WE ALL REFLECT DEEPLY AND RESPOND We are in the habit of commodifying knowledge – suggesting it has value in itself. We need to shift so that knowledge informs actual decisions and actions by pupils. This requires much deeper learning, substantial pupil reflection and the opportunity for pupils to apply knowledge in contexts that matter personally to them. Bishops ‘BIG IDEA’ – Grade 9 project, designed by Gerry Noel Pupils (parents) were given the choice to attend normal classes in 5 subjects for 6 months. Or to use the lesson time for those subjects to work on their own BIG IDEA. Inspired by the UN’s 17 SGDs pupils provided a solution to a real problem in their community. Ride share/Car pooling apps (to reduce emissions), School Notes app (to share quality learning notes with disadvantaged pupils), Social networks and
- 14. AN APPROACH THATIS JUSTICE ORIENTED, POLITICAL “Women who hold up the Sky” – powerful documentary about African women who are opposing big industry in Uganda, DRC and SA (mining, hydro-electricity) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAHLhEqBI0c (35 minutes) We watched the film and discussed 3 questions: • Who are the winners and losers here? Think in terms of short term and long term. • Which group of women were most successful? This question required discussion on what success is in contexts like this – it’s not simple. • A controversial hydropower dam in DRC is supplying SA with electricity – how do we respond to this? What agency do we have in this scenario? The ‘global north’ has for too long been the dominant voice; it is time to tune into the ‘global south’.
- 15. POSSIBLE PUPIL CASESTUDY: DRC’S INGA DAMS
- 16. FOR PUPIL INQUIRY Land Rover‘life straw’ initiative: a straw through which all water becomes potable/drinkable. GET PUPILS TO INTERROGATE CSR PROJECTS LIKE THIS FROM MULTIPLE VIEWPOINTS…
- 17. AN APPROACH THATIS ETHICAL AND CARING What is the role of philanthrocapitalism today? Pupils can investigate the charitable work of global CEOs and evaluate it. CSR initiatives pose many ethical dilemmas and perpetuate problematic narratives of rich saving poor. “More and more wealthy CEOs are pledging to give away parts of their fortunes – often to help fix problems their companies caused. Mark Zuckerberg and wife Priscilla Chan have pledged to give away 99% of their Facebook shares – valued at $45 billion. The Giving Pledge, a philanthropy campaign initiated by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates in 2010 targets billionaires around the world, encouraging them to give away the majority of their wealth. Essentially, what we are witnessing is the transfer of responsibility for public goods and services from democratic institutions to the wealthy, to be administered by an executive class. Firms must now balance, at least rhetorically, a dual commitment to profit and social outcomes. This has been reflected in the promotion of the “triple bottom line”, which combines social, financial and environmental priorities in corporate reporting.” In 2000, 51 of the largest economies in the world were corporations, and 49 were national economies. Dutch historian Rutger Bregman famously told last year’s Davos participants, “stop talking about stupid philanthropy schemes” and focus on tax instead. Can organisations do ‘good’ to offset their ‘bad’? https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/may/24/the-trouble-with-charitable-billionaires- philanthrocapitalism
- 18. AN APPROACH THATAIMS TO BE TRANSFORMATIVE, CHANGE ORIENTED… EVEN TRANSGRESSIVE (DISRUPTIVE, UNCOMFORTABLE) There is little point to aiming any lower than this. Change is uncomfortable. Pupils should challenge the status quo and examine their circumstances critically. We are unlikely to inspire young people with doom and gloom prophecy of planetary collapse. Our role is to model, to empower, to sharpen, to support, to enable and give agency to pupil ideas and actions. A key message for this generation is that deep personal fulfilment is attainable through simplicity in lifestyle, through lower consumption, by having meaningful purpose, by building authentic relationships, and in having efficacy and autonomy through personal health and ongoing quality learning. These are critical ideas to position alongside short cuts to wealth, materialism, career success, and societal validation. ARE WE PREPARED TO LIVE THIS?
- 19. AN APPROACH THATIS LEARNER CENTRED, INTERACTIVE, GENERATIVE, EMPOWERING! Like the Bishops BIG IDEA project, it is up to us the educators to provide choice to our pupils and to not limit their exploration or agency. Holy Rosary PBL, designed by Mia Nixon, adapted from work by Ashleigh Askew Summarised objectives: Pupils are to repurpose/redesign an old piece of furniture – it may not fulfil its original purpose. Pupils are given R500 per group for materials. Donated / dumped furniture items are allocated randomly to pupil groups. Pupils find inspiration from design experts and from the informal economy – a tour through JHB city centre where entrepreneurs are re-invigorating tired infrastructure and wares are created from recycled materials; pupils see ingenuity, art, vision, creativity first hand. Pupils find a worthy charity and prepare a presentation about it. Pupil furniture creations are auctioned at an event and the winning group donates all proceeds to their chosen charity.
- 20. A MORE LIKELYFUTURE Some surprising facts: - In 1969 Boeing launched the 747 – it is still widely in use today, 53 years later. Air travel has not evolved as quickly as one may have anticipated it to. Flying cars? - The last manned moon landing was in 1972 – 50 years ago, but we’re going to live on Mars? - Electric cars were already around in the mid-19th century. Innovation tends to accelerate when we are faced with a significant and inconvenient problem. Human beings will likely turn to technological innovation to solve sustainability problems, rather than have to change behaviour. So our educational purpose is to inspire and enable pupils’ creativity to innovate, and instil in them the moral consciousness to implement such innovation responsibly.
- 21. THINKING FAR AHEAD– A GOOD ANCESTOR This is such a smart idea. In any strategic meeting, put ‘ceremonial robes’ on some members in the room… Their job is to represent future generations, to think for those who are not born yet but will inherit the results (intended and unintended) of our decisions. HOW COULD WE USE THIS THINKING IN OUR CLASSROOMS?
- 22. POSSIBLE PARTNERS FORTHE JOURNEY AHEAD For R350 per annum, Uplands can access the online curriculum resources and expert support from Nature Connect. Routes2resilience can help teachers to incorporate sustainability principles and theory into daily curriculum and teaching practice. Offered by routes2resilience, an 80-hour deep immersion for pupils, spread over a series of experiences that explore sustainability concepts, systems thinking and complexity theory. Costed per pupil. Online, experiential and face-to-face components.
- 23. A POSSIBLE VISIONOF UPLANDS IN 2030 Whole campus is energy independent – off the Eskom grid; A ‘re-wilded’ campus – continuous enhancement of our flora and fauna (indigenous Matric forest, ecosystems in evidence - wetland system and dam, existing MTB pump-track is a transformed wilderness space for walking, learning, animal watching, listening… and cycling); Visible sustainable practices – water collection and reuse; solar panels; no waste (only recyclable bins, worm farms, composting); 2nd hand store for all excess; Food production on campus (what if pupils rotated ownership of the tuckshop and could only sell what they produce/grow?); Established sustainability curriculum from Grade R-11 (partnership with NatureConnect?) that pulls learning topics together and enables deep learning and unique responsiveness from pupils; Ongoing celebration of pupil initiatives, pupils’ problem-solving ingenuity, pupils’ active citizenry; Intentional inspiring input from alumni guest speakers, industry experts, community activists; Pupil-led social strategies that continuously drive change from habits of consumerism, immediate gratification, and self-serving patterns towards simplicity, improved health, altruism, and long term thinking. A pervasive sense of collective purpose – a campus that models the future of sustainable living and provides tangible experiences that instil a reverence for our common home (Earth). WHAT WOULD YOU ADD TO THIS?