Geography Teaching Today

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and Sustainable Schools: An introduction

The key intention behind policies to promote the teaching and learning of sustainable development within schools is the need to inspire change in society as a whole, encouraging a move towards a more sustainable world. A more sustainable approach to education would help support a wider global strategy for sustainability.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is keen to support schools and has declared the years 2005 to 2014 the decade for Education for Sustainable Development. "Improving the quality of education and reorienting its goals to recognize the importance of sustainable development must be one of UNESCO's and the world's highest priorities."

Government Policy
At a national level, the UK Government showed its commitment to sustainability by establishing the Sustainable Development Education Panel in 1998. This ran until 2003 and was followed by the publishing of the DSCF's Sustainable Development Action Plan in 2003. Despite this obvious backing by UK policy for sustainable development education, however, these assertions do conflict with the current economic model.

The UK Government has stated that it wants all schools to become Sustainable Schools by 2020. They have introduced a Sustainable Schools Strategy which aims to support this, consisting of three parts: a commitment to care, an integrated approach and a selection of eight ‘doorways' or sustainable themes. Each of these doorways has a role to play in both the curriculum and the school campus, with implications also for the wider community.

The eight ‘doorways'
Finding a way into establishing sustainable practices at a school can be tricky. The eight doorways are entry points or places where schools can develop their sustainability practices.

Below is an overview of each doorway. More detail can be found on the Teachernet website.

1. Food and drink
An unhealthy diet contributes to poor child development but can also have ethical and environmental effects. The Government would like all schools to become model suppliers of healthy, sustainable food and drink with a strong commitment to the environment, social responsibility and animal welfare.

2. Energy and water
Unsustainable use of water and energy will create problems for future generations. The Government would like all schools to be models of energy efficiency, renewable energy and water conservation.

3. Travel and traffic
Increasing vehicle use adds to congestion, road accidents and pollution. The Government would like all schools to be models of sustainable travel with opportunities for healthier, less polluting modes of transport.

4. Purchasing and waste
The issue of waste and our ‘throw away' culture can be addressed through sustainable consumption. The Government would like all schools to be models of waste minimization, using goods and services of high ethical standards and locally produced where possible.

5. Buildings and grounds
The management and design of school buildings can teach pupils about sustainable living as well as food growing, conservation and natural play. The Government would like all schools to manage and where possible design their buildings sustainably. Through the school grounds pupils can learn about sustainable living.

6. Inclusion and participation
Schools can promote community cohesion by providing an inclusive, welcoming atmosphere that values everyone's participation and contribution. The Government would like all schools to be models of social inclusion, instilling respect for human rights, freedoms, culture and creative expression.

7. Local wellbeing
Schools can act as hubs of learning and change in their local area. The Government would like all schools to be models of corporate citizenship in their local area to improve the environment and quality of life for local people.

8. Global Dimension
Increasing interdependence between countries changes the way we view the world. Schools can develop a responsible, international outlook among their pupils. The Government would like all schools to be models of global citizenship with activities that enrich the lives of people in other parts of the world.

How are schools doing?
Evidence of significant change in education thus far is not conclusive. While there are examples of good practice, the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee has found Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) to be poorly introduced into the majority of English schools.

In spite of this, successful schools can provide inspiration for other schools to take the first steps towards integrating ESD. An Ofsted report in 2008 entitled ‘Schools and Sustainability' produced similar conclusions.

Teaching about sustainable development through geography
Teachers of geography may be feeling vulnerable at present in the light of changes to the geography curriculum. However, recent initiatives aim to support and promote this ‘new look' geography, for example:

• The Action Plan for Geography
• The Geographical Association's 2009 manifesto ‘A Different View'
• The Royal Geographical Society's Chartered Geographer (Teacher) Award

Thinking developed through the QCA Futures debates and the subsequent modernisation of the Key Stage 3 curriculum suggest that an approach to geographical learning called ‘sustainable geography' could help bring coherence to the fragmented curriculum whilst at the same time recognising the role of geography in transforming schools into places of learning that are beacons of sustainability.

In terms of geographical subject content, climate change is the ‘hot topic' of the moment when it comes to thinking about the teaching and learning of sustainability. However, it is not an easy topic to teach. The Prevent Climate Change website provides information and ideas for teaching about sustainable development and climate change.

Alongside climate change, war, famine, poverty, crime, population explosion, natural hazards and the economy are geographical issues that affect people across the planet today. Many of these issues highlight the interconnectedness of our pupils with other people and places throughout the world. They can be tapped into when considering teaching sustainable development. The Global Dimension website is an excellent source of teaching resources for some of these issues.

When teaching about sustainability, encouraging students to consider their own role in environmental change is an obvious starting point. However, the nature of the global market economy that our students are exposed to - in terms of its power structures and culture - makes a change towards a more sustainable lifestyle difficult. It is worth supporting the value of making small changes to our lifestyles, and pointing out evidence of a shift in ideas towards more sustainable approaches to industry and commerce, for example through the greening of industry and a growing coalition of interest groups such as the annual World Social Forum. Ideas for promoting sustainable living can be found on the Sustainable Stuff website.

By thinking of schools as ‘real world' places rather than just places of learning, geographers could develop a really powerful learning opportunity. This type of approach to learning can be called ‘place-based learning', ‘real world learning' and ‘learning outside the classroom', and provides geographers with an opportunity to develop the value of the subject whilst also indicating their role in the change towards whole school sustainability.

Sustainable fieldwork
Indeed, there is a strong tradition of encouraging ‘real-world' learning in geography - and this is usually developed through organised fieldwork. The benefits of fieldwork for students, particularly those whose learning styles are less suited to the formal classroom environment, are well documented.

Not every fieldwork activity need involve a coach and copious paperwork. School-based fieldwork is manageable to the student and teacher. It can be exciting and it can make positive changes to the school. This type of approach to fieldwork is not necessarily advocating the end to the ‘big trip' to Snowdon or London or the Alps. It is advocating instead the additional inclusion of far more frequent, shorter bursts of fieldwork that are based in the school, its grounds and the local area.

Case studies: an overview
The eight case studies included linked to this article, and available to download from the grey box to the right of the page, illustrate the potential that a sustainable fieldwork project can have towards helping schools become more sustainable places. Each case study is linked to one of the eight doorways of sustainability, and also highlights links with the key concepts of the new Key Stage 3 curriculum for geography.

Below is a short summary of each of the available case studies.

1. The Inclusion and Participation Doorway: Smelly Cocktails
As part of the Bromley Geography Project, students were asked to explore two areas within High Elms Country Park, Bromley. Students developed their ‘sense of place' using exploratory methodologies. They also collected natural materials from the environment that they mixed with water and marketed as a new perfume.

2. The Global Dimension Doorway: From Bromley to Brick Lane and back again...and again
This project is an ongoing link project between two London Schools: Glebe School in Bromley and Kobi Nazrul, a primary school in Tower Hamlets. The project enables students to compare two very different places and cultures in London. A major focus is on encouraging students from the two schools to work together. The project addresses issues of land deficit and viable solutions in local food production by considering ways to grow food and increase the volume of food grown at each site.

3. The Buildings and Grounds Doorway: The (W)hole of Learning
The project developed out of a student led archaeological dig. Two students wanted to investigate what was beneath the surface of their school grounds. The project then developed in a number of ways: the ‘archaeological site' has become a place just to dig in, to hide in, to watch sand wasps, to search for worms (linked to a climate change study) and to consider health and safety issues. Plans are also in place to use the area for a cross-curricular project to simulate conditions in the trenches during World War 1.

4. The Travel and Traffic Doorway: Bike Club
The geography department works very closely with a number of other departments and people to consider the travel and traffic doorway. One example of this is the Bike Club. Representatives from the Bike Club sit on the student council and have been inspirational in making a number of changes to the school's travel plan. The Bike Club often picks up discarded bikes from the local recycling plant and restores them. Reclaimed bikes have been given to students, community partners, used in the school grounds and used for cycle proficiency.

5. The Food and Drink doorway: Fairtrade Bananas from the Windward Islands
This case study makes links between food growing, purchasing and cooking, and takes place in the school through the lens of Windward bananas. Since 2005, geography students have developed their understanding of Fairtrade and banana production by selling Fairtrade bananas at the farmers market, making art, linking with schools and growers in the Windwards, bringing Windward bananas into school for staff and students to eat, and working with a local supermarket on joint Windward Projects. The aim is to consider the relevance to our lives of Windward bananas and also the similarity in the co-operatives of banana growers to the co-operatives of school growers in Bromley.

6. The Energy and Water Doorway: Travelling further by canoe
The aim of this project is to use outdoor pursuits to teach an awareness of water sources and the value of water: including issues of sewage and travel. A number of canoe trips have been carried out, encouraging students to look at water in different ways. These trips expose students to a range of different water-based environments and enable ‘real world' study of water which would be harder to achieve in the classroom.

7. The Purchasing and Waste Doorway: Eco-fashion
In this case study, a group of students across Key Stages 3 and 4 (led by two Year 11 students) organised an eco-fashion show using clothing made from waste products such as plastic bags, bottles, paper and straws. Staff volunteered to teach students a range of skills needed to develop their creations ready for the final catwalk - for example, design, textile manufacture, teamwork, communication, advertising, negotiation, lighting, stage design and planning an event.

8. The Local Wellbeing Doorway: Bromley Farmers Market
Once a term, geography students work with students from three other schools in Bromley to run a farmers market stall. The schools sell a range of plants that the students have grown, for example hanging baskets, pot plants, herbs, fruit and vegetables. The farmers market is the term focal point as it gives a specific purpose to the gardening work that is undertaken by students in the school grounds.