Educating for SustainableDevelopment

J an Bebbington

Vice-Chair (Scotland)Sustainable Development Commission

Education for SD conference: Dundee, 13th J une 2007

The SDC’s role

The independent advisory body on sustainable development for the UK Government, Scottish Executive, Welsh Assembly Government & Northern Ireland Government

Working with a Commission of 19 and a secretariat of 50+ to provide scrutiny, advocacy and capacity building on sustainable development

In Scotland Hugh Raven is a SDC Commissioner 5 strong secretariat lead by Maf Smith

The five principles

LIVING WITHIN ENVIRONMENTAL LIMITS

ENSURING A STRONG, HEALTHY AND JUST SOCIETY

ACHIEVING A SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY

PROMOTING GOOD GOVERNANCE

USING SOUND SCIENCE RESPONSIBLY

What I plan to talk about …

Scottish Funding Council and SD

UN Decade of Education for SD

I t is not just what you teach it is how you teach

An example of attempting to incorporate SD into the life of a University

SFC and SD

Mission: provide a strategic overview of tertiary education in Scotland to help secure a more coherent system of high-quality learning, teaching & research

Required by statute to have regard to:

Skills needs in Scotland I ssues affecting the economy of Scotland Social & cultural issues in Scotland Achieving sustainable development The UK & international contexts The education and related needs of students &

potential students

Other relevant policy contexts

Scottish Sustainable Development Strategy

Learning for our Future: Scotland’s first action plan for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development

Will work with institutions & national bodies to identify how sustainable skills, attitudes & behaviours can influence the development of courses

Assess progress made by Scotland’s universities and colleges & report annually to Executive (& review sectors progress of following SD principles in capital projects)

Consider how sustainable development research capacity can be developed

How you teach matters

• Freire – critical pedagogy for adult literacy education

• Banking– Deposit & withdraw– Passivity & power

• Dialogic– What do you need

language for?– Start at your

starting point– Praxis

• What would foster this– Real world

problems– Field trips/case

studies– Choose your topic

of interest– Action research for

assessments– Practical activities– Engaging in change

Under graduate degree in SD

• Inter-disciplinary– Science, Arts & Humanities– At honours 50% in SD work (integrating

cases, review essays & dissertation) & 50% in a subject (to allow depth and context to apply SD thinking to)

• Demographics– 1st year (186 students), 2nd year (83

students), junior hons (24 students)– First graduates in 2008– Cognate subjects (geography, international

relations, philosophy, biology, management)

University as pedagogy• Strategy

– With objectives, targets & reporting

• Governance & leadership– Environmental task

group & changing behaviour group

• Fair Trade status• Ethical investment• Building for SD & green

tourism award• SD Leadership Lecture

series (in partnership with SDRC)

• Data gathering– Travel survey– Student SD survey– Water/energy/waste

audits• Renewable energy

strategy & energy efficiency fund

• Students Association– Fair trade & ethical

investment– Interhall energy

competition– Clubs & societies– Campaigning &

innovating

J an Bebbington

Vice-Chair (Scotland)Sustainable Development Commission

scotland@sd-commission.org.ukwww.sd-commission.org.uk