Week 5: Education for Sustainability

Figure 1: Margaret Mead quote (Genius Quotes, 2014).

As we continue on with our CCE unit in Year 5 students will participate in Education for Sustainability (EfS). Our focus of EfS will be recycling plastic. This topic is vital for students to learn about as plastic is our ocean’s biggest threat, with over 268,940 tonnes of litter floating in the Earth’s oceans (Australian Marine Conservation Society, 2018). Key questions about recycling will be asked to spark curiosity and concern (see table 1). 

Key Questions     Where does the rubbish I throw away end up?     How does my rubbish affect those who live there?     What sorts of things can be recycled?     How do we recycle at school/home?

Table 1: Key Questions.

Video 1: Kids react to plastic pollution (The Eco Experts, 2018).

EfS has seven underlying principles including transformation and change. Students will be provided with the opportunities to explore and demonstrate these principles. This adheres to an identified goal of the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians, which states that students will become people who “work for the common good, in particular sustaining and improving natural and social environments” (MCEETYA, 2008, p. 9).

Students will view a video of a nine-year-old girl that has developed a campaign to rid the use of plastic straws in her school community. This will reinforce to students that as active citizens, they can make a difference.  

Video 2: Straw no more (TedX Talks, 2017).

After whole-class learning opportunities that highlight the need for change action, students will participate in an open-ended research project. Students will research the long-lasting impact that plastic has on our environment. They will identify a solution to minimising the amount of plastic that will reduce the devastating amount that litters our environment and supports a sustainable future. Such solutions may include finding alternative options such as replacing cling-wrap for reusable bees-wax wraps or using reusable drink bottles/coffee cups. I encourage you to openly discuss these solutions with your child, and perhaps implement their identified strategy at home. Open-ended research tasks are an effective learning experience as students develop autonomy by making decisions about their work, produce various products and conclusions, acquire a deeper understanding of complex issues and determine solutions to real-life problems (Marsh, Clarke & Pittaway, 2014). Students will present their projects at a class exhibition where parents and members of the community will be invited. This is a great way to celebrate student achievement, in addition to authentically presenting to a real audience and encouraging all members of the community to opt for more sustainable patterns of living (Reynolds, 2012). I look forward to seeing you at our exhibition!

It is important that students engage in EfS, as it encourages a change in the way people are educated about sustainability, by ensuring individuals have the knowledge, skills and values to respond and contribute to sustainability issues as a lifelong process (Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability, 2009). Sustainability refers to considering the consequences of our actions and how they will impact on future generations (Luke, n.d.). Sustainability is an overarching cross-curriculum priority for the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA). The cross-curriculum priorities are designed to benefit Australian citizens and communities and add depth and richness to key learning areas (ACARA, 2016a). Please see figures 2,3 and 4 for further links to the curriculum.

 

Figure 2: Year 5 content descriptor (ACARA, 2016b).

 Figure 3: Year 5 content descriptor (ACARA, 2016b).

                                                        Figure 4: Year 5 content descriptor (ACARA, 2016b).

Word count: 495

References 

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2016a). Cross-curriculum priorities: Sustainability. Retrieved from https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/cross-curriculum-priorities/sustainability/

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2016b, December 16). The Australian Curriculum: Humanities and Social Sciences (Version 8.3). (Humanities and Social Sciences, all year levels, all curriculum elements, all curriculum dimensions). Retrieved from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/download/f10

Australian Marine Conservation Society. (2018). Plastic pollution: How you can help & take action now!Retrieved from https://www.marineconservation.org.au/pages/ocean-plastic-pollution.html

Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability. (2009). Education for sustainability: The role of education in engaging and equipping people for change.Retrieved from http://aries.mq.edu.au/publications/aries/efs_brochure/pdf/efs_brochure.pdf

Genius Quotes. (2014). Margaret Mead: True quotes. Retrieved from https://geniusquotes.org/tag/margaret-mead-quote/

Luke, S. (n.d). What is education for sustainability? Retrieved from http://www.educationforsustainability.com.au/what-is-education-for-sustainability

Marsh, C., Clarke, M., & Pittaway, S. (2014). Marsh’s becoming a teacher (6th ed.).Frenchs Forest, NSW: Pearson.

Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA).(2008). Melbourne declaration on educational goals for young Australians. Retrieved  from http://www.curriculum.edu.au/verve/_resources/National_Declaration_on_the_Educational_Goals_for_Young_Australians.pdf

Reynolds, R. (2012). Teaching history, geography & SOSE in the primary school(2nd ed.). South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press. 

Tedx Talks. (2017, October 6). Straw no more: Molly Steers [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr5Py1r9xjw

The Eco Experts. (2018, March 6). Kids react to plastic pollution [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiGR9HzRrgk