Deirdre Hogan, Ubuntu Network Coordinator, ULdeirdre.hogan@ul.ie; www.ubuntu.ie

Educating for a better future

…an introduction to the concepts of Development Education (DE) and

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

What are these symbols …what issues do they represent?

1. 2. 3.

4. 5. 6. 7.

8. 9.

What are these symbols …what issues do they represent?

Make poverty history advert, 2005

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFfIIW_xQq4

€1.78 ($2.50)

In 2010, Irish Aid allocated €671 million to its Overseas Development Aid programme.

Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland

It has 4 strategic areas of work to bring about poverty reduction

1. Gender equality2. HIV/AIDS3. Environmental Sustainability4. Good governance

Development Education & Irish Aid

Development Education & Irish Aid

Development Education is…

“an educational process aimed at increasing awareness and understanding of the rapidly changing, interdependent and unequal world in which we live

…it seeks to engage people in analysis, reflection and action for local and global citizenship and participation

…it is about supporting people in understanding and acting to transform the social, cultural, political and economic structures which affect their lives at personal, community, national and international levels”.

Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland

Irish Aid has 9 priority countries

Development Education & Irish Aid

Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland

Education for Sustainable Development

…is a new vision of education that “helps students better understand the world in which they live, addressing the complexity and interconnectedness of problems such as poverty, wasteful consumption, environmental degradation, urban decay, population growth, gender inequality, health, conflict and the violation of human rights that threaten our future”.

Ref - UNESCO (2002). Education for Sustainability From Rio to Johannesburg: Lessons learnt from a decade of commitment. Paris.

Education for Sustainable Development

http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals

http://www.endpoverty2015.org

Millennium Development

GoalsIn 2000, 189 world leaders at the United Nations Millennium Summit agreed to take steps to end world poverty by 2015.

http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals

http://www.endpoverty2015.org

Millennium Development

GoalsIn 2000, 189 world leaders at the United Nations Millennium Summit agreed to take steps to end world poverty by 2015.

What has this to do with me?

The role of education

• To replicate society and culture (socialisation)

• To train people for employment (vocational)

• To develop the individual’s potential (liberation)

• To make a fairer society (transformative)

Sterling, S. (2001). Sustainable Education - Re-visioning Learning and Change. Bristol, Green Books (for The Schumacher Society).

What has this to do with me?

The role of the teacher

• Instructional manager

• Caring person

• Generous ‘expert’ learner (facilitator of learning)

• Cultural and civic person

Conway, P. F. (2009). Learning to teach and its implications for the continuum of teacher education: a nine country cross national study, Teaching Council, Ireland

What has this to do with me?

Changes to curriculum

• Senior Cycle focus on key skills development (information processing, critical and creative thinking, communication, working with others, and being personally effective) www.ncca.ie

• Opportunities for transition year

• New additions/reviews of existing subjects

What has this to do with me?

No one subject captures all these issues. They are relevant to all subject areas.

You can explore the issues in…

• What you teach - look critically at your subject matter

See NCCA document at http://www.ubuntu.ie/resdocs/senior_cycle[1].pdf

• How you teach it – use active participatory teaching strategies

• Your professional practice – act fairly and be aware of sustainable practices

What has this to do with me?

Science – genetic engineering, world hunger, ecosystems

What you teach…

http://www.newscientist.com

Geography – Role of multinational companies within the global economy; the consequences of global trade for those regions excluded from world manufacturing activities and those supplying raw materials.

What you teach…

Construction studies – Forestry, wood consumption and global poverty

What you teach…

www.woodforlife.org; http://www.fsc.org/

Technology/Design – product design to change lives

What you teach…

THE BUILDING of an innovative cooking stove designed for use in developing countries has won the top prize in the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition.

– Irish Times, 16/01/10

English – development messages in literature and film

What you teach…

Maths – development statistics

What you teach…

Languages

What you teach…

“Quesque tu

pense…”

Your professional practice…

• Sustainable use of resources, e.g. paper, lights, wood, water etc.

• Respectful of views – justice in the classroom

• Linking teaching to local and global events

How you teach it…strategies to promote

• Images, video, film, documentary

• Role play

• Discussion, conversation

• Independent research

• Getting involved in society – action, awareness raising…

• Reflection

How you teach it…strategies to promote

Critical thinking – asking questions and finding answers, considering alternative points of view, evaluating the source of the information, seeking out more information, making informed life choices.

Systemic thinking – seeing connections between actions and outcomes, seeing the impact of our consumer decisions on other parts of the world

Deirdre Hogan, Ubuntu Network Coordinator, ULdeirdre.hogan@ul.ie; www.ubuntu.ie

Educating for a better future

…an introduction to the concepts of Development Education (DE) and

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)

Thanks… bye!