Education Towards Sustainable Development: Conceptualization and Characterization

Below is the introduction to the chapter published in the book Educación Socioambiental: Acción Presente (Socio-environmental Education: Action Present), published by Universidad Simón Bolívar, Barranquilla, Colombia.

Introduction

The most transcendent concepts in human history have always been difficult to explain; the definition of “democracy” or “justice,” for instance, remains disputed to this day. Trying to define a complex concept is often not as simple as it looks, and this is the case with the concepts of Sustainable Development (SD) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). The twenty-first century presents a practical-conceptual paradox. On one hand, from its very beginning it has widely been considered the era of sustainability, translated into alliances between governments, civil society and private-sector actors devising new strategies to confront the challenges humanity faces across different fields. On the other hand, the evidence shows that global society is becoming less, not more, sustainable (Adams, 2006). Much has been achieved, but not enough.

The concept of SD is relatively new; its first formal appearance came in 1987, in the United Nations' Brundtland Report, titled “Our Common Future.” This term carries a series of particularities worth highlighting. On one hand, its earliest references emerge from technical reports in the spheres of international politics and economic forums, which has consequences for how it is disseminated and conceptualized once it is translated into the world of education specifically. Likewise, unlike other educational approaches and content in general, in most countries ESD content is developed by other ministries — such as the ministry of health or environment — and only afterward passed on to the ministry of education, something that educators view as problematic (Hopkins & McKeown, 2002). After the United Nations proclaimed the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development between 2005 and 2014, with the aim of integrating the principles, values and practices of ESD into educational processes worldwide, the concept began to gain popularity across different fields, and professionals from a range of disciplines became interested in understanding it in depth.

Three decades on, it is possible to identify, analyze and understand the origins and precursors of this concept, and to trace the process through which these perspectives took shape. Only once concepts are created, and after a considerable period of adaptation and application, is it possible to analyze and understand their origins and implications. In education everything is a process of creation and discovery, as will be shown below regarding SD and ESD. This is why, in this chapter, the approach is referred to as Education Towards Sustainable Development.

The use of “Towards” is not accidental. One could use the word “about” or even “for.” Using “about” would mean teaching about something, implying purely theoretical learning. The word “for” could be understood as “instruction,” but it also defines a goal or purpose. The word “towards” speaks to form — to an ongoing process aimed at reaching a different reality, a shift in consciousness toward a sustainable reality (Rieckmann, 2012).

In this context, authors who have written about ESD tend to focus on two main themes. First, its definition and components (Mochizuki & Fadeeva, 2010; Lozano, Lukman, Lozano, Lambrechts, Mul, Ceulemans, Molderez & Gaeremynck, 2013; Lozano, Ceulemans, Alonso-Almeida, Huisingh, Lozano, Waas & Hug, 2015; Hopkins & McKeown, 2002); within this line of work, its differentiation from and connection to environmental education is examined (Miranda & de Agreda, 2016; Quintana et al., 2016), since these authors offer a critique of ESD and its theoretical foundations. Second, its implications for curricula are examined — relevant content and its connection to competency-based education (Lambrechts, Mul, Ceulemans, Molderez & Gaeremynck, 2013; Rieckmann, 2012). This includes research into practical ways of applying ESD through case studies (Lozano et al., 2015).

This chapter thus addresses the gap between ESD's theoretical-organizational definition and educational practice. First, ESD is conceptualized through a historical, evolutionary analysis, examining formative events and components as a pedagogical educational approach. Bearing in mind that ESD combines the concept of Education with that of SD — already, on their own, two massive concepts — the aim of this reflection is to identify the characteristics and components of this educational approach. Rather than defining ESD, the goal is to conceptualize it while taking into account its evolutionary, transformative and contextual character. This should make it more accessible to practitioners who wish to engage with it.

Likewise, seven Pedagogical Reflections are presented for practitioners who wish to embark on implementing this pedagogical educational approach. These are principles to consider before introducing the approach, rather than practices or actions that have already been extensively researched. These reflections are grounded in six years of the author's visits to educational institutions at different levels across Israel. Over time, and as this approach evolves, they can certainly be added to or reframed. The scope of this reflection rests in the hands of the practitioners who put what is presented here to the test. The relativity of the approach and its contextual character make the conclusions offered here an invitation to the educational community and to educators interested in ESD to interpret it, challenge it and apply it.