The New Generation of

Environmental Education as
ESD (Education for
Sustainable Development)

Examples from
Denmark, Thailand and Hungary

Presentation at 3rd World Environmental Education Congress - Torino, 2-6 October 2005
 Presented
by
Soren Breiting,
Danish University of Education,
Copenhagen,

In cooperation with

Nicola Bedlington,

HQ of ENSI, Switzerland.
ENSI is a partner organization to UNESCO for DESD
 Considering Primary and Lower
secondary schools
 Rationale:
 Developing a clear concept and
practice of Environmental Education
has been very stimulating
 Called “The New Generation of EE”
See
http://www.uleth.ca/edu/research/ciccte/naceer.pgs/pubpro.pgs/Alternate/PubFiles/
15.Breiting.rev.htm

 How far is NGEE toward ESD ?

 Class work: Investigating the use of
a local natural resource
Preparation in class:
Focus on a ‘natural resource’
e.g. WATER – prep for group work
Outdoor in the community:
1. Groups interview older people 2. Interview active people in 3. Ask all for their expectations
in the community about how the community about the same for the future related to this resource:
the resource was used resource: How is it used today? What do people expect to happened?
in older days and their feelings Which problems are there etc. What would they LIKE to see happen?

Back in class:

Back in class: Groups elaborate on their

Each student group
own observations:
prepares
Groups elaborate on their findings: Summarizing their
4 big drawings / Posters
Summarizing their interviews own impressions
 Drawing the community
Back in class:
concerning the selected resource through time

Pictures showing Which Future 1

future? We fear
The use of this resource The use and problems
in the community in old days with the resource today
t
en
p m
lo
ve
De

Future 2
Before Development Now Development
We expect

De
ve
lo
pm
en
t

Future 3
We hope
(and might
act for)
 Advantages with this approach. 1
 We are not telling students what to think,
but how to dig into problems related to
development and use of resources

 We help students to see the complexity of

development issues

 We help build students

ACTION COMPETENCE
 Advantages with this approach. 2
 The students will get a lot of personal
experienced information from the people (old and
younger) they meet – supporting their ‘episodic
memory’

 They will be able to link short-term and long-term

effects of change (essential dealing with
sustainable development)

 The results from their investigation is visualized

in such a way to make it easy for linking the
concrete content to conceptual development
 Advantages with this approach. 3
 It generates plenty of possibilities for
being in interaction with local people
of different background and with
different interests related to the
natural resource in focus.

 It is a good background for learning

to be influential related to own ideas
- supporting their action competence
 Former versions of EE - New Generation of EE - ESD
Former EE
Goal:
Behaviour modification
We (environmentalists +
educators) know the solution
to EE issues
We must stop/delay
development
Balancing the quality of
human life and the quality of
the environment
The concept of human health
isn’t prominent in EE
Focussing on different values
No emphasis between
equality between people
New Generation Education for SD
EE
Goal: Action competence Goal: Action competence
related to environmental related to developmental
problems issues
?
All people should be involved
in decisions about the best
solutions
?
There are many possible
ways of development
?
Balancing the needs of
present generations to the
needs of the future
generations
?
The concept of human health
is very prominent in EE
?
Focussing on conflicting
interests related to the use of
natural resources
?
Much emphasis on equality
between people
 Denmark and other Nordic
Countries: The MUVIN Project

 Focus on conflicting interests related

to the use of natural resources

 Issues in the community – no

problems in nature
 Research results from MUVIN-DK
 Students’ real actions related to real
environmental problems they have
identified themselves are of immense
importance

 They develop a higher level of interest in

environmental problems

 They develop more belief in own influence

 Results from EE development in
Hungary

 When students work without being

‘behaviour modified’ they become

• More optimistic
• More concerned about their own possibilities
• More participatory

From Breiting & Csobod

Sustainable development is essential about:

• That actions and activities are influencing our future and

• How other people's living conditions are now and in the future

But we have alternatives and choices

daily and political

Different futures
The Past Now

Which future
do we want ?

Sustainable development needs democratic participation

So does Education for Sustainable Development

Quality Criteria for ESD schools
 Inspiration for schools
that want to take
sustainable
development seriously

 Helping to avoid
serious mistakes
forgetting real
participation

 Making a focus on ESD

as a way to develop
the whole school
 Useful web adresses

Quality criteria for ESD schools:
http://seed.schule.at/uploads/QC_eng_2web.pdf
From http://seed.schule.at

 ENSI.org

 ActionCompetence.com

   Environmental-Education.net


  EducationForSustainableDevelopment.com