Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Institutionally based education must facilitate change through promoting skills
development, behaviour change and, importantly, by fashioning a learning
for
sustainable development. But this too is insufficient, because our learning, our
technologies, our emergent understandings help shape our moral universe, our social
and political worlds, and the very possibilities for, and of, sustainable living. Given
this, Scott and Gough write of learning as sustainable development, the building of
capacity to think critically about (and beyond) expert knowledge enshrined in the
conventional wisdoms and nurturing capabilities for individually and collectively
exploring the contradictions inherent is sustainable living. Blewitt (2006) complements
this analysis through his emphases on the importance of informal learning, social
practices, cultural mores and the experience of everyday life - the antimonies and
joys of consumption, travel, leisure, food, work, the media and life itself - and Dyer
(2007) suggests that, despite the steady increase of cultural heritage, ecology and
sustainability in formal education, there is still lacking the holistic energy that will
effectively transform facts into feelings, understanding into personal action, or
professional development into corporate responsibility. The major reason for this is
the absence of a certain magic and enchantment, the 'wow' factor, that would render
learning a truly memorable, meaningful and life-enhancing experience. Building on
the work of Chet Bowers (2001), David A. Gruenewald (2003: 9) has persuasively
argued for a critical pedagogy of place which 'aims to (a) identify, recover, and
create material spaces and places that teach us how to live well in our total
environments (reinhabitation); and (b) identify and change ways of thinking that
injure and exploit other people and places (decolonization).' There are consequently
no shortages of ideas, theories and, thankfully, practical examples of education for
sustainable development, though perhaps less so for education as sustainable
development. Tilbury and Wortman (2004) have offered their contribution to the
debate by arguing that ESD should consist of the processes described in the following
sections.
Imagining a better future
Learners are encouraged to envision their ideal, preferred or possible futures, which
in the process reveals their underlying beliefs and values. Envisioning can be deeply
motivating, not least because it enables people to develop their own interpretation
and understanding of sustainability, to share and enter into dialogue with others:
In education for sustainability, all people need to share knowledge and partici-
pate in working towards a sustainable future. For such participation to effectively
take place, people need both the time and freedom to articulate their ideals
and dreams and to share them in a learning space that sees each of them as
equally valid and meaningful. Such a process values every person's vision of
what a better future might look like, regardless of their background, knowledge
or expertise. The process of envisioning facilitates an understanding of what
sustainability is in their context and how it relates directly to their lives. Visioning
is also a process that is inclusive to all cultures, and one that begins a dialogue
which
strengthens intercultural understanding
. It can act as a bridge to incorporate
intercultural and indigenous perspectives and knowledge. Every individual's vision
can have direct or indirect implications for future action and provokes further
