The University of the Arts had Professor John Wood from Goldsmiths
School of Design (& co-editor of Writing Pad, Journal of creative
writing) as their key note on this topic for their UAL LD'ers Away
Day. He started with the premise that the world is dying because of
what we do, how we do it and how we teach it ... The argument offered
was that we must do things very differently in education if we want
sustainable outcomes. He delivered his key note in a dialogic and
thought-provoking style - form & content in harmony as he modelled
some of the practices that we could support ...
Best,
Sandra
On 11 July 2012 10:19, John Hilsdon <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Dear all
>
>
>
> I’m doing a ‘testing the water’ thing! Julia Dawson and I have been having
> conversations here in Plymouth about ‘sustainability’ over a period of time
> with Stephen Sterling. He is Professor of Sustainability Education and Head
> of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and author of Sterling, S
> (2012) 'The Future Fit Framework: an introductory guide to teaching and
> learning for sustainability in HE'
> http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/esd/The_Future_Fit_Framework.pdf
>
>
>
> One of our discussions has been about the extent to which all teaching and
> learning needs to embed sustainability. Stephen says, for him, it comes down
> to the issue of the purpose education: given that we are in the midst of the
> most fundamental environmental changes we have witnessed, many of which
> seriously threaten life on the planet, and that these are undoubtedly caused
> by human activity, it is a ‘no-brainer’ that education needs to serve
> sustainability – in other words “ … ensuring social, economic and ecological
> well-being, now and into the future.”
>
> So what are the implications for learning developers and for our work? How
> do we ensure that what we do and how we do it serves a ‘sustainability’
> agenda?
>
>
>
> When I asked him this question, Stephen referred me to the following quote:
>
>
>
> ESD is about the learning needed to maintain and improve our quality of life
> and the quality of life of generations to come ... ESD enables people to
> develop the knowledge, values and skills to participate in decisions about
> the way we do things individually and collectively, both locally and
> globally, that will improve the quality of life now without damaging the
> planet for the future. (Sustainable Development Education Panel Report 1998)
>
>
>
> I know it is about things we are all pretty familiar with now - the extent
> to which we use paper, power, share transport, buy local, use resources
> thoughtfully, recycle etc. But what specifically in terms of LD?
>
>
>
> In my own mind I can see how this relates to what I say and do as a learning
> developer – it means I should think about context, local, regional, global
> in the examples I use in teaching, and think about modelling good practice.
> Thinking back to our Bournemouth conference of 2009 – we hosted Jan Sellers’
> labyrinth and talked about the need to promote mental wellbeing through
> allowing time and space for contemplation and for more holistic approaches
> to learning … but … What else?
>
>
>
> I wonder if there is enough interest among us, and sufficient
> ‘sustainability learning development topics’ to support a group of
> presentations on this theme for our upcoming conference in Plymouth next
> March?
>
>
>
> If this is something you feel strongly about either way, or if you have
> suggestions it would be great to hear from you. And if there is enough
> interest perhaps we might ask the ALDinHE Conference Working Group if they
> would be willing to include sustainability as one of our 2013 themes?
>
>
>
> Best wishes
>
>
>
> John
>
>
>
> PS – another recent publication folks might like to read on this topic: Seda
> Special 31
> “Putting the 'S' into ED - Education for Sustainable Development in
> Educational Development”
> Edited by: Debby Cotton, Stephen Sterling, Vivian Neal and Jennie Winter
--
Sandra Sinfield
University Teaching Fellow
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