Hi everyone,
Over the past few months my colleague Kiran and I have been doing research on education for sustainable development (ESD) for Karen O’Brien, our Vice-Principal of Education. The goal of this research is to get a better understanding of how sustainability is currently understood and taught across the College. It’s been a very interesting journey so far and we have discussed sustainability with many departments at King’s. Here I would like to share some my initial findings with you.
So… what is ESD?
There are different approaches to education for sustainable development. Traditionally ESD has focused largely on environmental problems. In this philosophy environmental sustainability can be explained through science, and solutions need to come from human action and technological innovation. This idea doesn’t cover the more social, cultural or economic aspects of sustainability. A more common view in ESD nowadays is that our present knowledge may be inadequate to cope with future uncer
“ESD seeks to balance human and economic well-being with cultural traditions and respect for the earth’s natural resources.” (UNESCO)
tainties and risks. I like the broad definition by the Higher Education Agency (HEA): “Education that prepares people to cope with, manage and shape social, economic and ecological conditions characterised by change, uncertainty, risk and complexity.” (Future Fit Framework)
According to Vare and Scott, this means that learning needs to be more ‘open-ended’. If we understand ESD in this way, this means we no longer look for a specific desired end-state of learning. This way we can realise what they call ‘social learning’ and be more reflective on how we might live in the future. I find this approach sustainable in that it uses out-of-the-box ways of thinking to deal with this unknown future.
Why is this important?
A study conducted by the HEA and NUS “Student attitudes towards and skills for sustainable development“, found that more than 80% of students believe sustainable development should be actively promoted and incorporated by UK universities. According to this survey, this belief strengthens as they progress through their studies and it remains strong despite the rise in tuition fees. Previous NUS sustainability skills surveys have shown that:
- 75% thinks sustainability should receive more attention in the curriculum.
- 42% of students think sustainability will help them in the job market.
- 70% of first years believe sustainability will have a bearing on future working life and career choices.
What we’re already doing at King’s
Talking to people from so many disciplines has made me reflect more critically on sustainability and I have found some really surprising angles to this theme. German and French, for instance, teach students valuable lessons about culture and global citizenship. Specialised programmes such as forensic science have a huge social impact. In philosophy students can take combined paths on political science, philosophy of medicine and even gender studies. And management students are educated about corporate social responsibility and human resources.
I have found it really inspiring to discuss sustainability from such a wide range of perspectives. I’ll summarise our findings in a report that is to be discussed by our central education committee this summer. If you’d like to know more or get involved in the project, just get in touch! I’ll keep you posted on developments here and in our newsletter.
Janne
