Education for

BY: prepared by:

Esperanza luz alviar
Maria Frecel febrada

Sustainable
Theresa Velasco
Ivy jean villarosa

Development
“It is absolutely essential to change
the way we think. All other attempts
at change will fail if we do not
transform our thinking. A proper
understanding of the way the world
requires people to think
systematically, holistically,
interrogatively, and in futures mode”
(Lester Milbraith, 1969)
UNESCO, 2005

* It has been acknowledged that there is no

single route to sustainable development.
Furthermore, it is coherent that
understandings and visions for sustainability
will be different for each of us and that we
will need to work together to negotiate the
process of achieving sustainability.
The concept of sustainable development was
popularized in 1987 with the publication of the
“Brundtland Report”—the report of the World
Commission on Environment and Development.

This landmark report highlighted the need to

conceptualize sustainable development that would
“meet the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs”.
Sustainable development is generally thought to have
three components: (1) Society, (2) Environment, and (3)
Economy.

SOCIAL
Peace, Equity,
Democracy

ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT
Work, Money, Conservation,
Education Preservation,
Protection
 Society
- understanding of social institutions and their role in change
and development as well as the democratic and participatory
systems.
 Environment
- awareness of the resources and fragility of the physical
environment and the effects on its human activity and decisions.
 Economy

- sensitivity to the limits and potential of economic growth and

their impact on society and on the environment, with a commitment
to assess a personal and societal levels of consumption out of
concern for the environment and social justice.
 Education for Sustainable
Development
 Education for sustainable development is a dynamic
concept that encompasses a new vision of education
to empower people to assume responsibility for
creating a sustainable future. Its overall aim is to
empower citizens to act for positive environmental
and social change implying a participatory and action-
oriented approach(UNESCO, 2002).
 ESD is fundamentally about values, with respect at the
centre; respect for other, including those present and future
generations, for differences and diversity, for the
environment, and for the resources of the planet that we
inhabit.

 Education enables us to understand ourselves and others, and

our links with the wider natural and social environment; and
this understanding serves as a durable basis for building
respect. Along with a sense of justice, responsibility,
exploration and dialogue, ESD claims to move us to adopting
behaviours and practices that enables us to live a full life
without being deprived of basics.
 Education is a n essential tool for achieving
sustainability.
 Education at all levels can shape the world of
tomorrow, equipping individuals and societies with
the skills, perspectives, knowledge and values to
live and work in a sustainable manner. It directly
affects sustainability plans in the following area:

1. Implementation
2. Decision-making
3. Quality of life
Skills that are essential in the development of ESD:
(Adapted from Tilbury D. And Wortman, D. 2004)

Envisioning
CriticalThinking and Reflection
Systematic thinking
Building Partnerships
Participation in decision making
How can Education for Sustainable Development
improve the quality of education?
 ESD teaches individuals how to make decisions that consider the
long term future of the economy, ecology, and equity of all
communities.
 ESD mirrors concerns for education for high quality, encouraging
a holistic interdisciplinary approach. It should be locally relevant,
stimulate critical thinking and encourage the use of problem
solving techniques. In order to create ESD programs all sectors
of education community need to work together in a cooperative
manner.
 Qualityeducation understand the past, is relevant to
the present, and has a view to the future. It relates
to knowledge building and the skilful application of all
forms by unique individuals that function
independently and in relation to others.

A quality education reflects the dynamic nature of

culture and languages, the value of the individual in
relation to the larger context, and the importance of
living in a way that promotes equality in the present
and fosters a sustainable future.
UNESCO’s Role in Education for Sustainable
Development
 InDecember 2002, the United Nations General Assembly
adopted a resolution putting in place a United Nations
Decade for Sustainable Development (DESD) spanning
from 2005-2014. The founding value of ESD is respect:
* Respect for others;
* Respect in the present and future generations;
* Respect for the planet and what it provides to us
(resources, fauna, and flora).
The DESD breaks down the traditional
scheme and promotes:
 Interdisciplinary and holistic learning rather than subject
based learning
 Value-based learning;
 Critical thinking rather than memorizing;
 Multi-method approaches: word, art, drama, debates, etc;
 Participatory decision-making; and
 Locally relevant information, rather than national.
The DESD aims at changing the approach to education
so that it can integrate the principles, values and
practices of sustainable development. Its goals can be
broken down into four key objectives;
 Facilitating,
networking, and collaboration among
stakeholders of ESD;
 Fostering
greater quality of teaching and learning of
environmental topics;
 Supporting
countries in achieving their millennium
development goals through ESD efforts, and
 Providingcountries with new opportunities and tools to
reform education.
UNESCO’s role, including its member states,
are defined by the four major thrusts of ESD,
as follows:
Improving access to quality basic
education;
Reorienting existing educational programs;
Developing public understanding and
awareness; and proving training.
There are key action theme for education for
Sustainable Development. They are as follows:
 Gender Equality
 Health Promotion
 Environment
 Rural Development
 Cultural Diversity
 Peace and Human Security
 Sustainable Development
 Sustainable Consumption
Education for Sustainable
Development, therefore, is
focused on giving people knowledge
and skills for lifelong learning to
help them find new solutions to
their environment, economic, and
social issues.
ESD as the right attitude to globalization.
The optimist globalists see only the boon of
globalization
The pessimist globalist see the dark side of
globalization
The traditional globalists take a safe ground
feeling indifferent to change
The transformation globalists who would not
stand and wait but take a proactive stand.
Being an Educator for Sustainable Development
 Environmental awareness
This program promotes environmental education, active
approaches to teaching-learning citizenship education,
research and exchange of experience internationally.
 Competencies foe the knowledge economy.
This delineates the skills of knowledge workers and
specifies conditions to be met for lifelong learning for all.
 Human/social capital economic growth
This studies the specific roles of both human and
social capital in economic growth.

 Inclusive education
This address the special education needs of students
with organic disabilities, learning difficulties and social
disadvantages.
Guidelines were also set for effectively
incorporating ESD into the curricula:

 Decide the themes to ensure programs fit the

environmental, social, and economic conditions and
goals of their community/region/nation.
 Ensure educators/administrators understand the
concept of sustainability and are familiar with its
principles; that they distinguish between “education
about sustainable development” (cognitive theories)
and ESD as “a tool to achieve more sustainable
futures.”
The guidelines set for Teachers
 Acknowledge
their key role cornerstone of effective
ESD programs and co-developers of the curricula.
 Understand the cross-cutting (mainstreaming) and multi-
disciplinary nature of ESD.
 Avoidoverloading the curriculum and to solely link ESC to
one or two disciplines.
 Be open to divers learning strategies.
 Appreciatethe importance of multi-stakeholders
partnership- working together to solve a shared
problems.
ESD teaching-learning process in the classroom

Value-based learning

Learning to transform

Whole-school approach

Community-based learning