What does the term “sustainability education” mean? At a teacher
workshop that I co-led last week, we explored the meaning and ways to accomplish environmental and sustainability education in the teacher's classrooms.The goal of our workshop was to get teachers
excited about using tools in their classroom that would facilitate this
learning by adhering to state adopted Integrated Environmental and Sustainability Standards. The key word here is “integrated”. It is not intended
for a separate assessment of student learning in environmental and sustainability education to be created. In fact, environmental and sustainability education
is required in Washington State and is required to be taught in an interdisciplinary manner
aiding in the assessment of other core content standards.
Back to the sustainability question, the first definition
came from the 1987 UN Brundtland Report, “Our Common Future”. Sustainability
was defined as “meeting the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
needs”. Using this rule of thumb, teachers can more easily see the need for
systems thinking in order to move toward the goal of satisfying the triple bottom line which
recognizes the connected nature of ecological, the economic and social
systems.
Environment and sustainability education offers a rich and meaningful context for integrated
teaching and learning. In 2007 The Washington legislature called for a report
to be completed to assess the impact that environmental education has on K-12
students. The culminating report indicates a strong correlation between
participation in EE and improved academic achievement. Strong evidence is shown
that EE increases math and science achievement. As a result of these findings, the Office of Public
Instruction convened a committee of teachers, administrators, and community
educators to develop the Washington Integrated Environmental and Sustainability
Education Learning Standards which were adopted July, 2009. A corresponding Environmental and Sustainability Literacy Plan was created in July, 2011.
The standards indicate what students should know and be able
to do in three areas of environmental and sustainability education. Teachers
attending our workshop got to experience hands on activities that can easily
support these three standards as well as move toward completion of core
standards required in science and social studies.
- The first standard builds on the interconnectedness of the three bottom line areas: ecological, social and economic systems. Ecological systems encompass the living and nonliving components of the environment. Social systems refer to human interactions including culture and politics with the emphasis on fairness. Economic systems refer to the production, distribution and consumption of resources. An activity about comparing tap water versus bottled water gives an opportunity to examine all of the systems.
- Standard two gets students outside to observe both the natural world and the human built environment. Students are urged to think critically about how the human built environment can be designed or modified to promote ecological health while learning about relevant environmental issues. Students observing a wetland or a stream and assessing its ecological health will make this a real experience.
- Standard three gives students an opportunity to act upon knowledge and experience referred to in standards one and two. Students should be able to envision a sustainable world and articulate the changes needed. They will achieve habits of mind which includes flexibility, commitment, appreciation, humor, confidence and determination. These habits of mind are built by "on the ground experiences" such as planting trees near a stream or teaching others about what they have learned.
Since 1990 when legislation first created the WAC stating
that environmental education would be included as part of basic education to
all grade levels in an interdisciplinary manner, Integrated Environmental and Sustainability Learning Standards
have been needed. As teachers learn about these standards and incorporate them
into their school curriculum, our students will move toward becoming citizens
with the habit of mind to create a more sustainable world.
