sarah lart sustainable development officer for education and awareness raising

Cardiff Council – Sustainable Development Unit

Sarah Lart

Sustainable Development Officer

for Education and Awareness Raising

([email protected] or 02920873103)


Contents of this session

• Why do we need ESDGC and what is it?• Estyn and ESDGC• Examples from schools around Wales • Governors role in ESDGC in Schools • Where to find more information


Think of an apple….

…and ask some questions…..

Nature

Economic

Social

Who decides


• economically through trade, banking etc:• environmentally through sharing one

planet, and one atmosphere:• politically through international relations

and systems of regulation.• socially through the media and

telecommunications:• culturally through movements of

people, music, food, arts, etc:

Globally connected


Can you imagine the pupils in your school when they are 30...40…50? Do we know what will their world be like?

What about:• the environment• the economy• technology• quality of life• society

What are the implications for their learning needs now?


Activity

• Think back to when you were in school and how people thought the world would develop at that time.

• What do you think is the most unexpected thing that has happened in the world or been developed, invented or discovered since that time?

• What was expected then that has not happened?


We need something to ….

…prepare learners for the changes and challenges facing Planet Earth and its inhabitants in the 21st Century, and their role as Global Citizens.


Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship

enables people to develop the knowledge, skills,

values and attitudes and needed to become a

Global Citizen and to live sustainably.

“Living Better , Using Less.”


Some of the big issues in ESDGC

• Recognising our interdependence

• Understanding and care for the environment

• Respect for diversity• Promoting global

fairness and justice

and much more….


ESDGC is …About links and interdependence

It is about taking action; trying to change the way we live and if necessary trying to change the world.

‘Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.’

Nelson Mandela


The challenge for schools

• To embed ESDGC across the curriculum, through all subjects and at all ages

• To give learners opportunities to develop their own global awareness

• To understand that the concept of interdependence is central to ESDGC

ESDGC is more of an ongoing journey than a destination, you don’t have to do it all at once.


Activity

• Brainstorm on the issues you think might be important for schools with respect to ESDGC.


Some of the issues for schools

• Awareness – governors, teachers, pupils, parents, wider community.

• litter, waste minimisation and recycling, resources, transport, food waste, energy and water use, grounds development and use

• School linking, fairtrade, cultural diversity, human rights, equality, social justice,


Activity

•Chose the 9 most important.

•Rank them in a diamond


ESDGC and EstynCommon Inspection Framework from 2010• Key Question 1 - Outcomes• Key Question 2 - Provision • Key Question 3 – Leadership• 2.1 Learning experiences

– 2.1.1 meeting the needs of learners, employers / community

– 2.1.2 provision for skills – 2.1.3 Welsh language provision and the Welsh

dimension – 2.1.4 education for sustainable development and

global citizenship


Activities

• See guidelines for Estyn inspection (page 2).

Every Estyn School report now has a comment about ESDGC in the school.

• Briefly read either primary or secondary section. Any reactions to these comments?


Activity

• Look at the Annex section (page 5 - 6) of Estyn document. This is self evaluation tool for schools to see how they are doing with ESDGC and to identify areas of strength and areas which might need more work.

• For the section “Leadership and Management” use highlighter to colour in the areas you think apply to your school, to identify areas of strength and weakness.


Seven themes– a convenient way of dealing with ESDGC

Choices and Decisions

Wealth and Poverty Identity

and Culture

Health

Consumption and Waste

Climate Change

Natural Environment

ESDGC


Different routes into ESDGC

Whole School ESDGC

AwardsCurriculum Citizenship

Environmental education

Linking

School Policies (eg Fairtrade, energy, ESDGC, procurement, waste, travel etc)

Ethnic make up of the school and local community

Thinking skills

Teachers’ and children’s experiences in other countries

ESDGC


Examples from Cardiff Schools

• Energy Monitors – checking lights and computers are off at break and lunch times, naming and shaming energy wasters.

• School Gardens, growing vegetables, cooking and eating their own food, orchards, woodlands, sensory gardens.


Examples ….

• School linking – links to schools in UK, Europe, Africa, America, Australia, Asia. Link can be as simple or complex as the partners want. Can have themes, exchange information, prepare common schemes of work, exchange teachers, pupil visits, link with one school or several…

• Teacher visits to partner schools bringing back resources and experiences.

• Visits by teachers and pupils from partner schools bringing new insights and challenging stereotypes.


Examples ….

• Cooking projects eg Tredegarville Primary, ethnically mixed school, got parents in to cook different dishes with the children.

• Herbert Thompson School have some web cams they used to watch bird nesting boxes in their grounds.

• Peterlea Primary have set out on their website how their activities fit into the 7 themes. http://peterleaprimaryschool.com


Examples

• Spring bulbs project – looking at flowering times over several years. Through National Museum

• Millbank have a textile bank and have been learning about the amount of waste from clothing and fashion, (also have lots of other activities going on).

• Christ the King – “Respect Week”– Used 5 themes for a week of activities across

the school, one theme per day. Classes rotate around different activities.


Awards

• Eco Schools• Healthy Schools• Fairtrade Schools

• International Schools

• Many others

Linked – evidence for one can be used for another

}Cardiff - 137 Schools

Ecoschools – 52 Green Flags

Fairtrade Schools - 22


Activity

Consider the role of the school governor in supporting and promoting ESDGC in school. - Brainstorm

• What do you think would be the most important things to do?

• Can you identify any barriers that particularly apply to ESDGC?


Support available for Schools for ESDGC• Resource boxes at Howardian

• Monthly update on information for Cardiff Schools

– http://ESDGCinCardiff.wordpress.com

• Welsh Government Hwb

– https://hwb.wales.gov.uk

• Any amount of teaching resources on web


Some useful publicationsESDGC: Common Understanding for schools

ESDGC: Information for Teacher trainees and new teachers in Wales

Out of Classroom learning

or http://ESDGCinCardiff.wordpress.com


Strategic Context in WalesESDGC A Strategy for ActionSeptember 2006 updated January 08 and Sept 09

Covers all sectors within Education and Lifelong Learning

• Schools

• Youth

• FE and work based learning

• HE

• Adult and Continuing Ed

sarah lart sustainable development officer for education and awareness raising

Documents