Entry 11 - Graham Allan - Education for Sustainable Development

Graham Allan came in to give us some insight on Education for sustainable developement. Kofi Annan, (2001) head of the United Nations says ‘"Our biggest challenge in this new century is to take an idea that seems abstract – sustainable development - and turn it into a reality for all the world's people". Allan emphasised the importance of this man regarding the topic as Annan is the head of the UN and a lost of ESD comes from this group. There are over 300 definitions of Sustainable Development so coming to terms with what it actually means is in fact relative. Allan also used, "Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Brundtland, 1987.
Regarding Education, The most impotance word is for sustainable development, as opposed to education about sustainable development. If about was used
In contrast, 'education for sustainable development', like 'citizenship', is a whole approach towards the curriculum rather than being seperate. With a clear overlap with the 'citizenship' curriculum, it requires reflection on what to teach in order to;
• Establish the childs ability to think for themselves
• encourage reflection, debate, and expression of oppinions
• Nurturing ones learning that is of relevance to the learner's life experience
Further Research
United Nations (1987) state that sustainable developement is a pattern of development in which resource is used to meet human needs now and in the future. Lotz-Sisitka (2010) in a recent journal lookes at ESD in relation to retention. Retention is paramount for sustainablity because it prevents ‘de-growth’ almost like an insurance policy. One way the UN has tried to apply retention is by keeping children of the world within education. This journal also qualifies the UN are using the concept of retention to improve teaching quality learning. In ‘‘The ESD literature
seems more interested in how education can assist in transmitting messages about
sustainable development than in the sustainability of national educational
ambitions’’ King believes that ESD literature is more focused on assisting messages about sustainable developement rather than sustaining national educational ambitions (in Education for Developement, 2010, pg.3)
As mentioned in the latter there are an intense amount of definitions on the concept. Bottery (2011, p. 3) states in a recent journal that there is a lot of disagreement regarding a definition of ESD. Also he mentions the Brundland Report United Nations Commission on Environment and Development which defined it as a sustainability that 'meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs'