Fw: [se-ed] Query: Education for Sustainable Development: WorkingModels- Experiences; Examples. Reply by 13 May 2008
madhav...@ceeindia.org
Dear Friends,
As an academic professional, my views reflect a teacher perspective on the issue.
In accordance with the National Curriculum Framework, textbooks have been modified to integrate topics on sustainable development into the curriculum. At the school level, a course on environmental science or EVS is taught to the students to create awareness on the relationship between society and the natural environment in which each individual exists. NCERT has devised textbooks called ‘Pariyavaran Adhiyan’ or ‘Our environment’ for the purpose. However, the issue is whether students receive the desired perspective on environment and development while they study courses on environmental studies. For instance, it is theoretically possible to teach and learn the process of photosynthesis, but, not the attitude of sensitivity towards nature, which would have been an educational objective for developing the course. Hence it is questionable to what extent students are getting affected through these courses.
In the teacher training course of Bachelor of Elementary Education, there exists a course on “Pedagogy of EVS”, through which there is an attempt to transact this perspective. Sustainable Development is a component of the course. Textbook analysis that deals with how textbooks transmit environment is an important method of teaching the course. However, it needs to be contemplated whether teachers are empowered sufficiently to transact the course in a way that inculcates an attitude of care and conservation among students. Hence, a mere course on sustainable development and environment education in the teacher training courses is not sufficient; rather, the methods in which the various components of EVS are transacted to the students need serious thinking.
.
Thanks,
Tripti Bassi
Lady Sri Ram College for Women
New Delhi
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
----- Original Message -----From: pramod sharmaSent: Thursday, May 08, 2008 5:24 PMSubject: Fw: [se-ed] Query: Education for Sustainable Development: WorkingModels- Experiences; Examples. Reply by 13 May 2008----- Original Message -----From: Shankar MusafirSent: Thursday, May 08, 2008 3:56 PMSubject: Re: [se-ed] Query: Education for Sustainable Development: WorkingModels- Experiences; Examples. Reply by 13 May 2008
Hi friends,
The prime focus in ESD is on environment education. Although environment forms an important component of ESD but equally important are the social components such as- gender, diversity issues, human rights, peace, conflict resolution and others.
While there are many organizations working on these social components as separate entities, composite work on both environmental and social components of ESD has not been done adequately.
The following organizations have done important work in the field of environment education -
The Centre for Environment Education (CEE) has done pioneering work in the field of environment education. Their work ranges from creating primers on environment for both teachers and students. Some of the best primers in the field have been generated by CEE. They also conduct training programmes for teachers and students – Visit www.ceeindia.org. They also have an interesting website http://www.kidsrgreen.org/krg.html - especially designed for children.
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) CSE has also done innovative work in the field of ESD through its environmental initiatives. The monthly magazine Gobar Times has been at the forefront of information on environmental sustainability for beginners. Visit- www.gobartimes.org
The Green Schools Programme on environmental auditing is first of its kind in the region. In this programme, the children of a school conduct a survey in the school on how resources like water, air and energy etc are being used inside the school. They prepare a report card of the school. The manual, which helps the children do the audit, is a good resource book for children and teachers who want to learn about environment. As I have been personally involved in the project since its inception, we have seen the change in teachers and students when they come to know the reality about their school in terms of environmental practices. It is amazing to see rural schools score over urban schools in terms of sustainability. More on:http://www.cseindia.org/programme/eeu/html/index.asp The activity sheets on the CSE website also speak about contextual environmental issues: Refer to http://www.cseindia.org/programme/eeu/html/activ_archive.asp
The Energy and Resources Institute(TERI): Their work on environment can be accessed at; http://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/index.asp
There are many more organizations working on the environmental component but these are a few important ones which I have listed. The Ecology and Natural Resource Education (ENRE) project of ‘Development Research Communication and Services Centre (DRCSC)’ has been successful in the rural areas.
The social dimensions of ESD have been addressed by the following institutions satisfactorily:
Pravah is one of the best institutions in the country working on life skills based education (LSBE). They have developed a full-fledged training programme for children on conflict resolution. The programme is delivered through workshop sessions, which are interactive and activity based. The content includes sessions on non-violence, gender, understanding values, identity, sustainable development, stroking, communication and lots of other relevant issues.
Being involved in this project, I have witnessed a significant change in the attitude of students after receiving the training. In fact a lot of these workshops have materialized into initiatives by students where they directly address issues in the community.
Similar workshops are also done at the college level and a lot of the workshops have now materialized into formal organizations working on social as well as environmental issues.
More information could be accessed at www.younginfluencers.com and www.pravah.org
MISCELLANEOUS COMPONENTS:
Health: There is another strand of ESD, which has flourished, very well- that is health. A lot of organizations have put it under the head of Life skills or sex education. Yuva – Adolescent Education Program of the Department of Education, Delhi Government has done significant work on the health perspective. It also has some important sections on the social component as well.
ICT: It has been discussed in the solution exchange forum and is an important part of ESD. The gospel ‘Think Global, act local’ could truly be achieved through it as global information in a village can be accessed only through ICT.
It is important to realize that as the funding is disparate- on environment, on social development or on ICT- developing a composite programme becomes problematic for non-profit organization working with communities.
Another, unexplored section is that ESD is primarily thought of at the school level; however it is equally important for youth- and not to leave out adults.
Thanks
Shankar Musafir,
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi
madhav...@ceeindia.org
One of the problems in discussing Education for Sustainable Development is that different people understand ‘sustainable development’ in different ways, due to which there are varied, and sometimes conflicting, notions about it; which are carried forward in as to how education should be woven around it. Admittedly, it is difficult to arrive at a universal definition for it, which makes it important to at least develop a shared perspective on the concept. The oft mentioned notion, echoed also by the various agencies of the United Nations, is that natural resources should be used in a manner that they do not get exhausted. While that is important, it constitutes only a part of the issue.
In India, as also elsewhere in developing nations, the crucial issue is that of contending claims to resources. For example, the forest is considered to be an integral part of life by the tribal and other people as they depend on it for their subsistence. It is their common property resource which sustains their life, and hence they have different ways of using it. The most dramatic manifestation of this sentiment is the Chipko movement in Uttaranchal where women hugged trees (as the legend goes) to prevent them from being clear-felled by contractors. The struggle did not emanate merely from the consideration of conservation, but as a conflict in the particular use of the resource. Wood from these trees provided them with fuel for cooking and consequently, they would not allow them to be used for making cricket bats or to be used for other commercial purposes by contractors. The contractors had come to clear fell them, i.e. chopping them off from the bottom to use the trunk, while the local people only lopped branches so that the tree would re-generate. Hence, the different use of resources needs to be recognized and understood; that’s how sustainable or unsustainable practices get defined.
It is these real life issues that need to be conveyed to children through teaching-learning materials and class-room practices. Classrooms should reverberate with different practices, methods of production and consumption which should help children understand the underlying sustainability issues and help them take positions on the right choices for sustainable development; rather then ‘telling’ and informing them in a non-contextual manner. Slogans such as ‘Plant a tree’ or ‘Save water’ are cosmetic and do not address the fundamental concept. Communities subsist and survive from common property resources while mainstream education deals with natural resources through mindless and uncritical platitudes. Children should be taught about the reality of contending claims, their allied practices, and the role of the ever increasing market, based on feverish consumption; that is supported sometimes by the same agencies that talk of sustainable development! For example, while unraveling the chain of food production, children should learn about the sustainable questions right up from inputs like water for irrigation, soil, fertilizers; to questions such as distribution, market forces and so on. Many lessons involving natural resources should begin from the source, the origin for the production process, and finally into the processes of consumption and markets. Questions of sustainability or otherwise must emerge through such exploration.
Having exposed them to such real-life situations and knowledge, children should be encouraged and should feel empowered to take different positions on the issues and debate them. This approach was used in many different ways in preparing teaching-learning materials and classroom practices (many of them being out of classroom - in fields, rivers and so on) in the Hoshangabad Science Teaching Program.
Lastly, the concept of sustainable development is not merely an arithmetic of production and consumption, as most mainstream approaches, even good ones, tend to treat it. It also encompasses a whole range of values; values enshrined in the interaction of Humans with Nature. The manner of use of communities that subsist mostly from common property resources, rather than from market products, are strongly governed by the particular values they attach to nature and its resources. When these values are eroded, so are the sustainable practices. These values form an integral part of the ‘culture’ of these communities, as codified in ritual practices, songs, festivities and so on. Sustainable Development is therefore also a cultural question, and a study of cultures can provide as much insight in the concept as equations of production and consumption. Classroom materials and practices should integrate the science, the practice, the values and culture of sustainable development through a critical, creative and exciting manner.
Thanking you,
Vinod Raina
Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samithi
madhav...@ceeindia.org
The prime focus in ESD is on environment education. Although environment forms an important component of ESD but equally important are the social components such as- gender, diversity issues, human rights, peace, conflict resolution and others.
While there are many organizations working on these social components as separate entities, composite work on both environmental and social components of ESD has not been done adequately.
The following organizations have done important work in the field of environment education -
The Centre for Environment Education (CEE) has done pioneering work in the field of environment education. Their work ranges from creating primers on environment for both teachers and students. Some of the best primers in the field have been generated by CEE. They also conduct training programmes for teachers and students – Visit www.ceeindia.org. They also have an interesting website http://www.kidsrgreen.org/krg.html - especially designed for children.
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) CSE has also done innovative work in the field of ESD through its environmental initiatives. The monthly magazine Gobar Times has been at the forefront of information on environmental sustainability for beginners. Visit- www.gobartimes.org
The Green Schools Programme on environmental auditing is first of its kind in the region. In this programme, the children of a school conduct a survey in the school on how resources like water, air and energy etc are being used inside the school. They prepare a report card of the school. The manual, which helps the children do the audit, is a good resource book for children and teachers who want to learn about environment. As I have been personally involved in the project since its inception, we have seen the change in teachers and students when they come to know the reality about their school in terms of environmental practices. It is amazing to see rural schools score over urban schools in terms of sustainability. More on:http://www.cseindia.org/programme/eeu/html/index.asp The activity sheets on the CSE website also speak about contextual environmental issues: Refer to http://www.cseindia.org/programme/eeu/html/activ_archive.asp
The Energy and Resources Institute(TERI): Their work on environment can be accessed at; http://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/index.asp
There are many more organizations working on the environmental component but these are a few important ones which I have listed. The Ecology and Natural Resource Education (ENRE) project of ‘Development Research Communication and Services Centre (DRCSC)’ has been successful in the rural areas.
The social dimensions of ESD have been addressed by the following institutions satisfactorily:
Pravah is one of the best
institutions in the country working on life skills based education (LSBE). They
have developed a full-fledged training programme for children on conflict
resolution. The programme is delivered through workshop sessions, which are
interactive and activity based. The content includes sessions on non-violence,
gender, understanding values, identity, sustainable development, stroking,
communication and lots of other relevant issues.
Being involved in this
project, I have witnessed a significant change in the attitude of students after
receiving the training. In fact a lot of these workshops have materialized into
initiatives by students where they directly address issues in the
community.
Similar workshops are also done at the college level and a lot of
the workshops have now materialized into formal organizations working on social
as well as environmental issues.
More information could be accessed at
www.younginfluencers.com and www.pravah.org
MISCELLANEOUS
COMPONENTS:
Health: There is another strand of ESD, which has flourished, very well- that is health. A lot of organizations have put it under the head of Life skills or sex education. Yuva – Adolescent Education Program of the Department of Education, Delhi Government has done significant work on the health perspective. It also has some important sections on the social component as well.
ICT: It has been discussed in the solution exchange forum and is an important part of ESD. The gospel ‘Think Global, act local’ could truly be achieved through it as global information in a village can be accessed only through ICT.
It is important to realize that as the funding is disparate- on environment, on social development or on ICT- developing a composite programme becomes problematic for non-profit organization working with communities.
Another, unexplored section is that ESD is primarily thought of at the school level; however it is equally important for youth- and not to leave out adults.
Thanks
Shankar Musafir,
Centre for
Science and Environment (CSE), New
Delhi
madhav...@ceeindia.org
Sikshasandhan is working in the field of education for sustainable development since 1998. Established in 1995, Sikshasandhan has been innovating education, especially for children in tribal societies. The organization has sparked a debate on the necessity of a different pedagogy outside the mainstream for tribal children, which takes into consideration customs and practices, language and the particularities of their life processes. Sikshasandhan has started schools in remote areas where government schools are dysfunctional or non-existent. In 1998, a consortium for the successful functioning of tribal schools was formed under the leadership of Sikshasandhan that includes seven organizations established in different parts of Orissa.
In Orissa, there are sixty two tribal communities; their life systems show similarities as well as distinct differences. Some are comfortable with their tribal status and mobilize themselves, but many are deprived of basic necessities and services in health, education and human rights. Most make a livelihood from forest produce; large scale mining and industrialization have destroyed parts of forest cover and displaced a large number of tribes. Tribals are also largely unaware of their rights, and without support, unable to protect themselves against injustice and corruption. A high percentage of tribals dropout from government schools due to apathy, general disorganization and ignorance of their needs. Through awareness programmes and training, Sikshasandhan helps tribal communities learn about their rights to forest land and produce and to protect themselves against neglect and exploitation. Most tribals have a positive attitude, and are eager to develop confidence to navigate in mainstream society. In many areas where the consortium members are functioning, the Alternative Education Centres (AECs) are welcomed and supported.
One of the most important factors in the success of a center is that teachers are selected from the same tribe as the students. This makes communication easy. Teachers are trained to keep the curriculum informal while allowing the students to learn as much as possible from their own environment with locally available learning materials. The school calendar in each AEC accommodates the festivals and activities of that village. Learning about local history, geography, religion, culture and socio-economic aspects of their communities, gives the tribal girls and boys a sense of pride and confidence. They participate in workshops, excursions, fairs and picnics to foster creativity, acquire pleasure and all-round development. Mobile libraries also give them access to a broader sphere of learning. Primary schooling at an AEC prepares them for higher education in mainstream schools, where they often perform well and do not drop out again.
The teachers attend regular training sessions, and are encouraged to record their experiences for the bi-monthly magazine Siksha. Sikshasandhan provides expertise to researchers, scholars and universities. The organization has a well stocked library and is the first of its kind to publish books on a large scale in Oriya on education and social change.
You can contact
them at www.sikshasandhan.org
Yours
sincerely,
Chetana Biswal
Council of Ability Research and Generation
Bhubaneswar