Educational Leadership for Sustainable Development EL4SD

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Educational Leadership for Sustainable
Development (EL4SD)

• Leading Learning for a Sustainable Future
• David Oldroyd
• ENIRDELM, Bergen, Sept. 2008

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AIMS

• To link back to the Uppsala conference and
  critique (Handout page 1)
• 2. To share and seek insights into
• a. The nature of the imminent global threats to
  the very survival of our planet
• b. What our respective educational systems do and
  should provide in relation to the mounting
  evidence of threats
• c. What action educational leaders (and
  ENIRDELM) can take in 'learning to lead and
  leading learning' for a sustainable future?
• OUTPUT An Action Plan for further networking on
  EL4SD (if desirable and feasible)

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Quotations

• Let us never, never doubt what nobody is sure
  about Hilaire Belloc
• A fish must leap out of the water in order to see
  the water - Zen proverb
• Where there is no vision, the people perish -
  The Bible
• This is the first moment in the history of our
  planet when any species, by its own voluntary
  actions, has become a danger to itself - as well
  as to vast numbers of others Bill Joy

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Carl Sagan (1994) Pale Blue Dothttp//obs.ninep
lanets.org/psc/pbd.html

• It might be a familiar progression, transpiring
  on many worlds - a planet, newly formed, placidly
  revolves around its star life slowly forms a
  kaleidoscopic procession of creatures evolves
  intelligence emerges which, at least up to a
  point, confers enormous survival value and then
  technology is invented. It dawns on them that
  there are such things as laws of Nature, that
  these laws can be revealed by experiment, and
  that knowledge of these laws can be made both to
  save and to take lives, both on unprecedented
  scales. Science, they recognize, grants immense
  powers. In a flash, they create world-altering
  contrivances. Some planetary civilizations see
  their way through, place limits on what may and
  what must not be done, and safely pass through
  the time of perils.
• Others, not so lucky or so prudent, perish.
  (Transparency 1)

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(No Transcript)
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THREATS TO SUSTAINABLITYCan we summarise them?
(Handout page 2)

• 1. PLANETARY ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
• Technosphere impact on the ecosphere climate
  destab. bio-diversity carrying capacity
• 2. PEACE AND SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
• Nuclear arms proliferation, terrorism
  ineffective international agencies
• 3. SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
• Resource depletion energy, food and water
  shortage Credit wealth and poverty
• 4. HUMAN BEHAVIOUR AND BELIEFS THAT UNDERPIN
  SUSTAINABILITY
• Over-population inter-faith conflict
  hyper-competitiveness short-term life narratives
  
• 5. UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS THAT RELATE TO
  SUSTAINABILITY
• Maldistribution of good governance, health and
  disease, food water security

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RESPONSES TO THE THREATS (Transparency 2)How are
we doing? Uncontrollable change? Too little too
late?

• Threat 1 ENVIRONMENTAL/DEMOGRAPHIC BALANCE VS.
  EXPONENTIAL GROWTH
• Anthropocene era climate Raising awareness
  better science about unsustainable growth.
• Threat 2 - POLITICAL INTERNATIONAL GOVERNMENT,
  NATONALISM, DEMOCRACY OR ?
• UN impotence ICC democracy vs. authoritarian
  power to act decisively nuclear arms
  proliferation
• Threat 3 - ECONOMIC THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT
  GOALS CONSUMERISM
• Good intentions well behind schedule WTO Doha
  failure Financial crisis 2008? Rising BRICs
• Threat 4 - CULTURAL/RELIGIOUS/SOCIAL MYTH VS.
  SCIENCE
• Absolutist, exclusivist true believers
  cyber-attacks 2007/8 intra-species risk and hate
  on the rise
• Threat 5 PSYCHOLOGICAL/MORAL EVOLUTIONARY
  PROGRAMMING
• Tribal competitiveness and acquisitive mind
  over-ride distributive justice and moral
  responsibility

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Climate change and peak oil are the most
fundamental threats for the following reasons

• They both are inevitable consequences of the
  accelerating use of fossil fuels, the undeniable
  primary factor in creating the explosion of human
  numbers, cultural complexity and impacts on
  nature.
• They both appear to be generating immediate and
  severe threats to humanity
• They both show a long term pattern of
  accelerating intensity
• They both contribute directly or indirectly to
  the impact of the other serious problems
  threatening humanity and nature.

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1987 Brundtland Commission Reports Principles
of Justice (Handout page 3)

• Global justice fair distribution of resources
  and wealth
• Justice between generations ensuring the
  well-being of our grandchildren
• Ecological justice considering the effects of
  human activity on mother earth
• Participative justice world citizenship and the
  creation of a better world

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Futures Economic and Educational (Handout page 4)

• David Holmgren (2008) www.futurescenarios.com
• Brown Tech
• Green Tech
• Permaculture
• Collapse
• OECD (2003) Schooling for Tomorrow

• The status quo,
• Schools as core social centres,
• Schools as focused learning organisations,
• Market model,
• Technology and network society.

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LEXICON OF RELEVANT CONCEPTS

• Homeostasis vs. exponential growth
• Turbo-capitalism a 2080 global system
• BRIC, GRIN and Moores Law
• Weapons of mass distrAction
• Inflection or tipping points e.g. peak oil and
  350 ppm CO2
• Anthropogenic (human-induced) climate
  destabilisation
• Ecological (depletion pollution) footprints -
  4.6 earths
• Agrobusiness Hyperconsumption Locovore
• Permaculture (hydro-carbon free agriculture)
  Localisation
• Carrying capacity and Overshoot
• Millennium Development Goals (MDG)
• Collapse scenarios energy descent to post-carbon
  soc.
• The Plan vs. The Market Credit Crunch
• Neo-liberal vs. Soc Democratic Projects Third
  Way?
• ESD Education for Sustainable Development

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Dialogue 1

• Are these threats sufficiently serious to require
  urgent action from educational leaders?
• Output 3 bullet points for sharing

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An additional moral purpose for education?

• INDIVIDUAL EFFICACY
• SOCIAL UTILITY
• SPECIES ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABLITY?
• In a world which needs a long-term perspective
  on societal and global problems, the individual
  is provided with a diet of immediate consumption
  and gratification (Bottery, M Educational
  Leadership and Economic Realities EMA, April
  2002)

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An additional Code of Education (Handout page 5)

• Child-centredness releasing the human potential
  of individuals
• Cultural transmission socialisation into the
  culture
• Social reconstruction education for a better
  society
• GNP education for employability and
  entrepreneurship
• Bottery, 1999
• Ecological sustainability with distributive
  justice closing the Ingenuity Gap?

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Botterys 3 qualities for Educational Leaders

• Ecologically-driven view of current effects of
  globalisation government responses
• Belief in a research-informed profession
• Centrality of debate about educational values
  (respect, trust care) in addition to the GNP
  code of skills for competitiveness
• But Beware Weapons of Mass DistrAction
• (Handout page 6)

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Educations complexity

• Interacting sub-systemsBy level
• Internationallt-gtNationallt-gtRegionallt-gtDistrictlt-In
  stitutionallt-gtDepartmentallt-gtLearning
  spacelt-gtCyberspace 8By function
• Legislationlt-gtAdministrationlt-gtLeadership Ed., R
  Dlt-gtL M practicelt-gtTeacher Edlt-gtCurriculumlt-gtR
  esourceslt-gtSupport Serviceslt-gtTeaching-Learninglt-gt
  Internetlt-gtWorld of Worklt-gtParentslt-gtLearnerslt-gtLo
  bbieslt-gtProfessional Associations 15
• ENIRDELM arena in bold

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UN Agenda 21 Chapter 36(900 pages)PROMOTING
EDUCATION, PUBLIC AWARENESS AND TRAINING

• critical for achieving environmental and
  ethical awareness, values and attitudes, skills
  and behaviour consistent with sustainable
  development and for effective public
  participation in decision-making.
• Countries and educational institutions should
  integrate environmental and developmental issues
  into existing training curricula and promote the
  exchange of their methodologies and evaluations.
  

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UN Decade of Education for Sustainable
Development (2005-14)International
Implementation Plan

• Reorienting existing education programmes. (one
  of four thrusts)
• More basic education as it is currently will not
  create more sustainable societies.
• The conundrum remains, that it is educated
  nations that leave the deepest ecological
  footprints, using large amounts of resources and
  energy to support their lifestyles.
• Creating a more sustainable future will not occur
  simply by increasing the amount of education
  instead, it is an issue of content and relevance.
  Questioning, rethinking, and revising education
  from pre-school through university to include
  more principles, knowledge, skills, perspectives
  and values related to sustainability in each of
  the three realms environment, society, and
  economy is important to our current and future
  societies.
• (Erik Groth Handout)
• This should be done in a holistic and
  interdisciplinary context, engaging society at
  large, but carried out by individual nations in a
  locally relevant and culturally appropriate
  manner.

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Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

• is based on the principles and values that
  underlie sustainable development
• deals with the well being of all three realms of
  sustainability environment, society and
  economy
• is locally relevant and culturally appropriate
• is based on local needs, perceptions and
  conditions, but acknowledges that fulfilling
  local needs often has international effects and
  consequences
• engages formal, non-formal and informal
  education
• accommodates the evolving nature of the concept
  of sustainability
• addresses content, taking into account context,
  global issues and local priorities
• builds civil capacity for community-based
  decision-making, social tolerance, environmental
  stewardship, adaptable workforce and quality of
  life
• is interdisciplinary - all disciplines can
  contribute to ESD
• uses a variety of pedagogical techniques that
  promote participatory learning and higher-order
  thinking skills.

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EL4SD - The Swedish ResponseAtt lara for
hallbar utveckling 2004, Stockholm

• Committee set up after 2002 Johannesburg Summit
  (WSSD)
• Proposals made for injecting ESD into all levels
  of education from pre-school to liberal adult
  education as well as governance
• 15 concrete forms of action recommended,
  including
• Basic training and in-service on ESD
• Amending the 1985 Education Act 1992 Higher Ed.
  Act
• Targeting Decree subsidy for Adult Ed. on to
  ESD
• Review of school curricula
• Degree certificate to include ESD knowledge
  requirement
• Invite UNESCO to set up international institute
  network 4ESD
• Pilot scheme to develop methods of ESD
• Consider a govt coordinating body for the UN
  Decade of ESD

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Dialogue 2

• What are our ed. leaders (whether
  transformational or centrally controlled)
  learning doing in the face of these challenges?
• What should they be learning doing?
• Output 2 bullet points on each question

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Where could we go from here (post-Bottery)?

• Aim
• To incorporate the theme of Leading for
  Sustainable Development to meet the challenge
  from Global Forces into ENIRDELMs continuing
  mission.
• Methods
• EL4SD blog resources on ENIRDELM web-site with
  hyperlinks
• Special interest group session in Antwerp on
  EL4SD
• Collaborative research project on Leading for
  Sustainable Development?a. Policies at national
  and local level from selected countries, e.g.
  Swedenb. Providers programmes leadership and
  teacher education c. Practitioner - case studies
  of good practice from schools and higher
  education - e.g. NLA Inter-cultural curriculum
  for sustainable development Svens school in
  Goteborg inter-disciplinary thematic teaching
  module on Space Station Earth etc.
• Funding
• 1. Self-funding or incorporated into
  institutional time allocated to R D
• 2. Joint institutional bid for European Union or
  national funding, e.g. Sweden?
• Timetable
• Urgent!! the 100-day New Green Deal time
  pressure.

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Dialogue 3

• Assess react to the feasibility and
  desirability of the proposals in Where could we
  go from here?
• Outputs Note down your groups suggested Next
  Steps for ENIRDELM to promote EL4SD