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I'd like to point out this quite significant piece of work recently completed by the HEA on students' attitudes towards SD http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/esd/Student_attitudes_towards_and_skills_for_sustainable_development.pdf It does acknowledge the nebulous nature of the term, so indeed what a great opportunity for LD to be 'pioneering' and make a contribution to this debate. It also highlights how students largely believe that 'sustainability should be covered by their university', and, that this should be done through a 'reframing of curriculum content rather than additional content to courses', my feeling is that LD could and should have a critical role in this. Joe From: learning development in higher education network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Pottinger, Isabelle B Sent: 11 July 2012 11:03 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: LD and sustainability? Dear John (and others), The Alvin Toffler quote: "The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn<http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/1407.html>" sums up for me what Learning Development is all about - it is about teaching students how to learn whatever their subject, whatever their level of study. So I see us as pioneers in sustainable education - indeed many of us have been working in this field for a long time, long before 'sustainability' became the sexy topic it is now. Best wishes, Isabelle ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Isabelle Pottinger Effective Learning Adviser/ Academic Counsellor Library Heriot-Watt University Edinburgh +44 (0)131 451 3062 [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> Effective Learning Service: http://www.hw.ac.uk/library/effective-learning-service.html Library Workshops: http://www.hw.ac.uk/library/workshops.html LearnHigher: http://www.learnhigher.ac.uk/ From: learning development in higher education network [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of John Hilsdon Sent: 11 July 2012 10:19 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: LD and sustainability? 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 ________________________________ Heriot-Watt University is the Sunday Times Scottish University of the Year 2011-2012. Heriot-Watt University is a Scottish charity registered under charity number SC000278.