Fw: [se-ed] Query: Education forSustainableDevelopment:WorkingModels- Experiences;Examples.
madhav...@ceeindia.org
Dear Friends,
Greetings from Ashram Paryavaran Vidyalaya.
Ashram Paryavaran Vidyalaya’s educational approach, we believe, has relevance in this discussion. APV School is based around the idea that if we want a better society we must constitute that society. Therefore, the organization has created an equal, loving, and sustainable learning community, breaking down the rigid student/teacher divide. This has resulted in a change in the environment where both, students and teachers learn together and students share the responsibilities of the school. At the center of APV is meditation, which has had many benefits, such as an increase in concentration of our students, better academic performance, better relationship with peers and teachers, and a decrease in discipline problems. It also has helped our children and teachers to develop compassion and sharpened our students’ critical capacities encouraging them to question societies, structures and practices. Another important concept put forth by APV is Link Syllabus, which deals with, how to connect the rational government syllabuses to the child's creative capacities and how to tangibly demonstrate concepts instead of using rote memorization. Lastly, music has a key importance in multiple ways in the school.
Recently APV has partnered with Plan International to scale up its model in 28 government schools in its region (Uttarakhand) and the intervention has met with surprising success.
This is just a brief introduction. We have created a report for this forum about how the APV approach embodies ESD. You can access it at,
http://www.solutionexchange-un.net.in/education/cr/res23040803.pdf (Size: 203.98KB)
Also you can visit our website, www.apvschool.org/home.html
We hope that our model can help influence the discussion albeit in the late stages and to network with like-minded or interested parties.
Thank you,
Anand Dwivedi
Ashram Paryavaran Vidyalaya,
Uttarakhand
Query: [se-ed] Query: Education for Sustainable Development: Working Models - Experiences; Examples. Reply by 13 May 2008
Dear Members,
We propose pilot programmes on ‘Education for Sustainable Development’, and are trying to understand its current practice.
The term “sustainability” here, covers a range of concepts within the notion of human interaction with both natural and socially constructed environments. A key principle is that of education as a transformative force through which sustainable environmental practices, valuing of human rights and responsibilities, and community cohesion can be realised. The slogan of “Think Global, Act Local” is one of the corner-stones of this ideal.
We would like to learn from real examples on social transformation through Education towards Sustainable Development (ESD), to better understand how ESD principles are being practically applied in educational design and implementation. There are several aspects that are especially useful. One, is inequality in education – access to basic resources for children living in poverty, caste/ethnicity, and its relationship with educational expectation, and gender equity. Two, is the idea of sustainable development as an educational theme – examination of programme design and implementation that aims to teach environmental sustainability, co-operative decision making, community contribution, or a culture of peace.
We are working on the idea that “Well-designed and implemented teaching programs in ESD show potentially positive outcomes for communities”.
As a first step, we would like to know about the teaching and learning aims of Education for Sustainable Development. We would also like to know how these are being applied in practice, and therefore request members to share:
· Information on activities and resources that teachers are designing for ESD and outline how these have facilitated student learning
· Experiences of teachers and students who have used this approach, and include any available documentation
· Examples of benefits the wider community derives, as a result of ESD, especially evidence of a positive impact on social and environmental issues.
Members’ inputs on the above would help us considerably in designing programmes on ESD at UNESCO.
Thanking you.
Huma Masood
UNESCO, New Delhi
madhav...@ceeindia.org
Dear Members,
The Centre for Environment Education, over the past 22 years, has been working in the field of environment and sustainable development education and communication in the country. It has developed innovative programmes, educational materials, undertaken demonstration projects and built capacities in this field. Recognizing the complexity and vastness of the task, CEE has worked in partnership with a range of organizations at the national, regional and international levels. The strategy at CEE has been to collaborate with others in building synergies; achieve a multiplier effect; enhance effectiveness; and widen the range of its programmes. Since its inception in 1984, CEE has worked in areas of environmental education and sustainable development with diverse communities such as rural and urban, governments, teachers, school children and higher education authorities among several.
CEE's Director, Mr. Kartikeya V. Sarabhai's view on ESD guides the organisation's strategy on ESD. According to that view, ESD calls for a change not only in the paradigm of development but that of education itself. Some of the key components of such a change would include:
- Learning rather than teaching
- Lifelong and continuous rather than confined to a specific period
- Multisourced and accessed rather than top-down, controlled, and orchestrated
- Empowering rather than socializing (indoctrinating)
- Global and yet locale specific
- Capacity building to build abilities for critical thinking and problem solving
- Multi-disciplinary approach as opposed to a single new discipline
- Sensitivities to gender, diversity, etc.
- Participatory and based on learning with peers
In January 2006, the Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO constituted a National DESD Committee comprising experts and officials from Government, Civil Society, Academia and NGOs on Education, Environment, Culture, Social Sciences, Science Communication and other related fields. CEE has been designated as the Nodal Institution for the implementation of DESD in India. The National Action Plan for DESD in India is under preparation for further consultation. Key documents such as the International Implementation Scheme were sent by the INC UNESCO, to the Eleventh Five Year Plan Working Groups of the Planning Commission of India, to serve as inputs to the planning process. The Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO views ESD as the fifth pillar of Education, i.e., "Learning to transform". The ESD plan would include addressing the broad SD concerns for the country such as issues of food, water, income and energy security and impacts of globalization; besides acknowledging and building on the strengths such as the developments in ICT, existing programmes and innovations within the country.
CEE has reoriented some of its programmes to ESD and has special initiatives to foster the decade. These include capacity building programmes for teachers and in-service professionals in formal education, developing ESD modules for educators and facilitators in formal and non formal education, providing internship opportunities to youth in ESD, creating forums for interaction and exchange of experiences and views on ESD through website (www.desd.org) and the newsletter Education for Change, documenting case studies, and the Journal of Education for Sustainable Development. CEE along with the JSW Foundation, Times of India and TERI have set up an award for innovation in ESD for industry, community organizations/groups and individuals. ESD modules have been developed for Teacher Education in partnership with the National Council for Teacher Education. CEE developed ESD facilitators’ handbook for the National Bal Bhavan (a large non- formal organization in the country involving children from vulnerable sections of the society) and worked on a plan of action for all their centres. CEE's international programmes focussing ESD include the South Asia Youth Environment Network (SAYEN), supported by UNEP, and its capacity building programmes in partnership with Swedish International Development Agency. CEE has been part of the Asia Pacific and the Global DESD planning processes through participation in the committees set up by the UNESCO. CEE also carried out the Situational Analysis for South Asia, as part of the Asia Pacific Situational Analysis Study carried out by the UNESCO Bangkok. It has facilitated setting up of the Regional Centres of Expertise (RCEs) in India, a UNU-IAS initiative to involve Higher Education Institutions in sustainable development action. With ESD-J, CEE is involved in documentation of ESD case studies specific to agriculture and land. More details on the programmes are available at the following websites: www.ceeindia.org; www.desd.org
The first conference of the UNDESD was held at CEE Ahmedabad in January 2005. This civil society event had participation of 900 delegates from 50 countries, who strongly felt that this Decade could usher in a new role for organizations, such as UNESCO, to lead the Decade. The Ahmedabad Declaration highlighted the need to move towards sustainable lifestyles and policies. It underlined the growing disparity between the prevalent model of development and the direction in which we need to go. Examples and efforts at sustainability exist across the world – both in developed and developing countries. These need to get shared at some level through networks, partnerships, and institutions.
India hosted the Fourth International Conference on Environment Education at CEE, Ahmedabad during November 2007. The Conference was co-sponsored by the UNESCO and UNEP, and it discussed the role of Environment Education in fostering ESD. The conference was attended by over 1500 participants from 91 countries around the globe, which came up with recommendations for the decade through 31 workshops and plenary sessions. The Ahmedabad Declaration provides a direction for action towards ESD. The role of education as a driver of the drivers of change is seen as very important. For more information look at: www.tbilisiplus30.org.
Thanks,
Madhavi Joshi
CEE,
New Delhi