Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 10
Geography Education as Education
for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Japan
Shuichi Nakayama , Fumio Wada , and Jun'ichiro Takata
Abstract
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Japan has been taught
in classrooms from elementary to senior high school since the Ministry of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) introduced it as a compulsory study
area in the revised National Curriculum Standards of 2008 and 2009. This chapter
examines three driving forces of ESD and highlights exemplary practices that might be
useful to teachers at every grade level. The fi rst discussion presents characteristics
and evolution of ESD in Japan and around the world. Second, international efforts
to promote ESD are summarized from the Lucerne Declaration on Geographical
Education for Sustainable Development (2007) by the International Geographical
Union Commission on Geographical Education (IGU-CGE). Third, the theme and
practice of the Associated Schools Project, initiated by UNESCO in 1956, are
extracted to highlight the evolution of ESD. This reexamination of ESD formation
to current instruction presents a roadmap for advancing geography education within
ESD in Japan.
Keywords
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) • Lucerne Declaration •
Sustainable society • UNESCO Associated Schools Project • United Nations Decade
of Education for Sustainable Development
