Section 1 Contents - WWF

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Section 1 Contents

Preface and acknowledgements

Section 1

Introducing the Planning Guide series

Learning for Sustainability and UK curricula

What is a Learning for Sustainability approach?Knowledge and understandingAttitudes and valuesSkillsTeaching and learning stylesLearning for action competence

Monitoring and evaluation

Section 2

Planning a Learning for Sustainability topic (on Communities and Sustainability)

Section 3

Exemplar activities

Resource sheets

Appendices

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Section 1 Preface

Since the early 1980s, WWF has been privileged to work with schools rightacross the UK. Together we have explored the role of education – andgood educational practice – in striving towards a more sustainable future.We call this work ‘Learning for Sustainability’.

Learning for Sustainability refers to the learning opportunities andexperiences that combine to empower individuals, schools andcommunities to pursue social justice, economic security, environmentalstewardship and civic democracy as complementary goals – now and inthe future. Typically this involves developing knowledge, skills, values andattitudes – and a desire to take positive action.

In using this term, we hope to provide a connecting place for those of youwho have come to this work via many different routes, using a variety ofterminologies and working to different curricula within the devolvedcountries of the UK. Your entry point might have been through a traditionalenvironmental education or development education project. You might bean Eco-school, or have taken part in initiatives such as Healthy Schools,Growing Schools, or a WWF award scheme. Or your focus might becitizenship or peace studies. All of these entry points put you on aLearning for Sustainability journey which we wish to recognise, value andcelebrate. We also want to help you continue these journeys, learning fromeach other.

Each school’s Learning for Sustainability journey will be unique. Learningfor Sustainability is different in each place it is practised and will bedescribed using different terms. Its key concepts, processes and designpractices will reflect the character of your local community – itsenvironment, social setting, economic development practices and links tothe global community. And each school will set off on its journey with arange of human and financial resources, and a range of institutionalcapacities to embrace and develop a whole school approach to Learningfor Sustainability.

Whatever your starting point, whatever terminology you use, and whateverform your work takes, we hope you will find this Planning Guide of value.Let us know how you have used it and what the outcomes were, by visitingour Planning Guide web pages or emailing [email protected].

We would like to acknowledge the Learning for Sustainable Cities project,coordinated by Manchester Development Education Project, which hasprovided a number of ideas, case studies and inspiration for this planningguide, for more information on this project visit www.dep.orlc.nk and clickon ‘Sustainable Cities’.

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Section 1 Introducing the Planning Guides

What is a Planning Guide?

WWF Planning Guides provide practical guidance for including a Learningfor Sustainability approach in planning curriculum topics.

The guides are designed for classroom teachers of pupils aged 8-13. Theyaim to:

• provide a planning tool to advance Learning for Sustainability within theformal and informal curricula of the UK;

• develop understanding and ownership of a Learning for Sustainabilityapproach to teaching and learning in both teachers and pupils;

• provide exemplar curriculum-based activities that model a Learning forSustainability approach – these can be adapted to meet individual pupiland school needs, and be shared with other colleagues.

The content covered by the exemplar activities relates to a number ofWWF ‘core issues’ as shown in the diagram on page 6.

Setting the context

These Planning Guides follow logically from WWF’s whole school planningpiece, Pathways: A Development Framework for School Sustainability .This is currently in a pilot stage with teachers, senior management teams,local education authorities, businesses and education consultants who areall working to advance Learning for Sustainability and good practice.

Pathways aims to increase schools’ capacity and motivation to engage inLearning for Sustainability – and thereby enhance all aspects of schoolperformance. A series of activities and tools help school communities to:

• explore their understanding of sustainability and of the processes andpractices that support a whole school approach to Learning forSustainability;

• identify and celebrate their past successes in this area;

• identify what they want to achieve in the future, how to get there, andhow to monitor and evaluate their progress;

• maximise the potential of this work by engaging in a cyclic learningprocess which takes stock of what has come before, what others havelearned, and how to apply their learning to future endeavours.

A key tool is the self-assessment matrix. Based on the work of schoolsacross the UK with whom WWF has worked since the mid 1990s, thematrix identifies six themes and 15 key elements which, together, can helpto build a whole school approach to Learning for Sustainability. The themescovered include school culture and ethos, teaching and learning, monitoringand evaluation, pupils, community, and school estate (buildings, groundsand resource management). The Planning Guides address elements of the‘Teaching and Learning’ theme see – Links to Pathways box.Implicit in this guide is the importance of helping teachers identify the links

Links to PathwaysPathways Theme 3:

Teaching and Learning

Element 3.1 Formal curriculum (core and non-core)

The formal curriculum is the planthe school has for implementingthe national curriculumrequirements. Effort must be madeto secure the position of Learningfor Sustainability within thecurriculum because it is a cross-cutting theme. Like the largercurriculum, Learning forSustainability requires aprogression (scope and sequence)that ensures that key concepts,theories, skills, values andattitudes are introduced andreinforced at developmental levelsappropriate to pupils.

Element 3.3 Quality teaching

Quality teaching that advancesLearning for Sustainability occurswhen stimulating learningresources and rich learningenvironments support appropriate,child-centred learning models,modes and strategies.

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Section 1 Introducing the Planning Guides

Sustainability ConnectorsBiodiversity

Climate changeFootprintPovertySecurity

Local-global

Living together sustainablyFocus: Citizenship

Communities and sustainability• Diversity of human communities• Biological comunities• Interdependence of human and biological communmities

Sustainable productionFocus: Science and technology

Technology and sustainability• Industrial v natural (eco) technologies• Fossil fuels v renewable sources

Sustainable useFocus: Economics/geography

Consumption and sustainability• Human needs and wants• Individual ownership• Diversity of resources• Resource trails• Global inequalities• Trade: Equality and injustice

Overlaps• Community support for agriculture

• Locally sourced products• Fair trade

• Quality of life eg happiness index

• Meeting basic human needs

• Public participation in governance

Overlaps• Zero waste production methods eg Bedzed• Business case for adopting sustainable technology• Community infrastructure eg shared transport, amenities

Overlaps• Biomimicry• Sustainable livelihoods• Support for small business innovation• Gender equality

Core issues

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Section 1 Learning for Sustainability and UK curricula

between the formal curriculum they are charged with delivering, and thecontent and learning process which characterises Learning for Sustainability.

Curriculum guidelines in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Walesinclude a range of statutory subject requirements and cross-cutting themesthat build understanding of sustainable development and the civicprocesses that guide policy and practice. For a flavour of these guidelines,see the box ‘ESD in the UK’ on page 8. To support schools’ efforts to fulfillcurriculum requirements, a number of NGOs and other organisationsrepresenting such specialisms as environmental education, developmenteducation, global education, citizenship and peace education haveexpanded or modified the scope of their work to embrace sustainabledevelopment principles. Some have produced curriculum guidelines suchas Oxfam’s Global Citizenship document.

WWF has produced four teachers’ guides, one for each country in the UK,highlighting the curriculum links for education for sustainable development.These can be downloaded from the Resource Bank at WWF’s dedicatededucation website, www.wwflearning.co.uk/resourceLearning for Sustainability is not a new or discrete body of knowledge: it

Global Citizenship

Oxfam sees the global citizen as someone who:• is aware of the wider world and has a sense of their own role as a citizen;• respects and values diversity;• is willing to act to make the world a more equitable and sustainable place; • takes responsibility for their actions. The key elements for developing responsible global citizenship are identifiedas: knowledge and understanding, skills, and values and attitudes.

Knowledge and understanding:• social justice and equity• diversity• globalisation and interdependence• sustainable development.

Skills:• critical thinking• ability to argue effectively• ability to challenge injustice and inequalities• respect for people and things• cooperation and conflict resolution.

Values and attitudes:• sense of identity and self-esteem• empathy• commitment to social justice• value and respect for diversity• concern for the environment and commitment to sustainable development• belief that people can make a difference

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Section 1 Learning for Sustainability and UK curricula

ESD across the UK

In the UK, education for sustainable development is grounded in a variety of sustainable development policy andnational curriculum documents. For more information, try visiting the websites listed under the quotes below:

England“The school curriculum should pass on enduring values, develop pupils’ integrity and autonomy and help them to beresponsible and caring citizens capable of contributing to the development of a just society… It should develop theirawareness and understanding of, and respect for, the environment in which they live, and secure their commitment tosustainable development at a personal, local, national and global level.”The National Curriculum Handbook for Primary Teachers in England

Visit The National Curriculum for England at www.nc.uk.netQCA on education for sustainable development at www.nc.uk.net/esd/index.htmTeacherNet on education for sustainable development at www.teachernet.gov.uk/wholeschool/sd/

Northern Ireland“Education for sustainable development is an approach to the whole curriculum and management of a school, not a newsubject. It has roots in environmental education and development education. As a result, many of the building blocks foreducation for sustainable development are already present in every school.” QCA Northern Ireland

Visit The Council for the Curriculum Examinations and Assessment at www.ccea.org.uk

Scotland“An education for sustainable development initiative should: be an integrative process, building connections and acoherent view of the whole; be an inclusive process, dependent on active participation; build in local and globaldimensions; build on the knowledge and understanding underlying the principles of sustainable development andencourage explanation of how the world works through systems; build in decision-making and critical thinking skills; leadto the development of people’s values and attitudes; and lead to an increase in the number of people individually,collectively and corporately choosing to act in ways consistent with sustainable development.”Scottish Environment Protection Agency

Visit Learning and Teaching Scotland at www.ltscotland.org.uk/

Wales“The National Assembly for Wales will promote development that meets the needs of the present without compromisingthe ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This means that we will take social, economic andenvironmental issues into account in everything that we do. We will integrate the principles of sustainable developmentinto our work and seek to influence others to do the same.”National Assembly for Wales Sustainable Development Scheme

Visit the Qualifications, Curriculum & Assessment Authority for Wales at www.accac.org.uk

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Section 1 What is a Learning for Sustainability approach?

Quote

“I worry about growingfragmentation – notdistinctiveness – and educatingpeople who have little appreciationof the deeper forces that may beshaping change and the ways thatthese forces arise out of our ownassumptions and actions. I feelthat much current education,because it is so fragmented,disconnects people from theexperience of their lives andleaves them feeling deeplypessimistic about influencing thefuture.”Source: Peter Senge in conversationwith Howard Gardner, end note inSchools that Learn: A Fifth DisciplineFieldbook for Educators, Parents andEveryone who cares aboutEducation, Nicholas BraerlyPublishing, 2000

Core themes of Learning for Sustainability

Lifelong learning The potential for Learning for Sustainability exists

throughout one’s life, within both formal and informal educational settings.

Interdisciplinary approaches Learning for Sustainability integrates

content and issues from a range of disciplines.

Diversity Advancing sustainability requires an understanding of the

diverse cultural perspectives and problem-solving approaches that address

cultural, social, economic, and biological diversity.

Systems thinking Social, economic and environmental systems – at the

local and global levels – are inextricably linked and offer opportunities to

develop and practice integrated systems approaches.

Equity Learning for Sustainability considers the needs and rights of current

and future generations.

Partnerships Partnerships forged among educational institutions and the

broader community are key to Learning for Sustainability.

Limits of knowledge Sustainability is information-dependent, and

although a growing body of evidence informs sustainability, human

understanding is limited.

Citizenship and stewardship Learning for Sustainability explores rights

and responsibilities, and empowers individuals and institutions to contribute

to sustainability.

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has emerged from a range of disciplines and initiatives such asenvironmental education, development education, global education andcitizenship and peace studies. This does not mean that it has noknowledge base; indeed, the knowledge content is well provided within themany initiatives listed above. However, it is fragmented and one way tobring it together is to come to some agreement as to what makes Learningfor Sustainability unique.

Learning for Sustainability requires pupils to develop:

• knowledge and understanding of key concepts;

• attitudes and values that promote a concern for the present and futurewell-being of all life on this planet;

• skills that promote action learning: eg critical thinking systems andfutures thinking.

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Knowledge and understandingAs noted, much of the content for Learning for Sustainability is present inthe specifications for different subjects. There are also many opportunitieswithin subjects and schemes of work for schools wishing to develop thescope of their sustainability work.

Attempts have been made to draw up a list of key concepts for Learningfor Sustainability from the viewpoint of environmental education, globaldevelopment education, education for sustainable development andothers. Once written down however, they tend to become prescriptive andso it is probably more productive to develop your own understanding ofwhat Learning for Sustainability means for your school community. (SeeActivity 2 from Pathways and the panel on the ‘Learning for SustainableCities project key concepts’ – page 11.)

Attitudes and valuesThroughout their childhood, young people acquire/develop attitudes andvalues largely determined by those held by the communities in which theylive and are educated. Learning for Sustainability helps young peopledevelop sensitivity to the needs of their community – in terms of theenvironment, cultural diversity, economic development, quality of life, etc. Italso helps to build their self-confidence by showing their contributions areacknowledged and valued. Much of this is reflected in introductorystatements to curricula documents in the devolved countries (see ESDacross the UK on page 8).

SkillsMany of the skills for Learning for Sustainability are part of teaching andlearning in the formal curriculum. For example, the National Curriculum forEngland states:

“At all key stages, pupils learn, practise, combine, develop and refine awide range of skills in their work across the National Curriculum. Some ofthese skills are subject specific (painting in art and design), some arecommon to several subjects (enquiry skills in science, history andgeography).

Some skills are universal, for example the skills of communication,improving own learning and performance, and creative thinking. Theseskills are also embedded in the National Curriculum and are essential toeffective learning.

Opportunities for teaching and learning all theses skills across the keystages can be identified in planning. Pupils can be encouraged to reflecton what and on how to learn, and how these skills can be applied todifferent subjects, different problems and real-life situations.”

To advance Learning for Sustainability pupils should have the opportunitiesnot only to develop and practise higher order thinking skills such as critical

Quote

A sad tale – “Once there was aman who wanted to understand anonion. ‘What was it?’… ‘What wasit made of?’ he thought. He tookoff a layer to find out. Underneath,he found another layer, so heremoved that too. And keptgoing… When he’d finished, hehad no onion apart from thefragments on the table. He felt hestill didn’t understand the onion,and maybe – he thought – hemight have learnt more by lookingat it whole.” And this is why we crywhen we peel onions…!Source: Stephen Sterling, ‘Systemicthinking’ in Engaging people in sustainability, IUCN Commission onEducation and Commmunication(CED) and IUCN – The WorldConservation Union, 2004

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Case study

Learning for Sustainable Cities project

This project, coordinated by Manchester-DEP in the UK, involved teachers inBanjul (The Gambia), Brescia (Italy), Curitiba (Brazil), Halifax (Canada) andMumbai (India). They decided on the following key concepts which they feltwere relevant to the project’s aims:

Motivation Be motivated, enthused and inspired to want to engage with learning andcontinue to do so, both individually and collectively.

Self-esteemHave a sense of self-worth and confidence in your identity and place in thelocal and global community. A belief in your ability to make a difference.

CooperationBe willing and able to communicate and cooperate with a wide range ofpeople to achieve individual and collective goals.

Responsibility Take responsibility, individually and collectively, for the choices that you make,the way you live your life and the impacts that they have.

Critical thinkingBe able to think critically about issues and look at them from a variety ofperspectives. Be willing to constantly re-examine your beliefs and those ofothers.

Problem solvingThink creatively, look at problems from a number of angles and come up withpractical and sometimes innovative solutions. Know how to achieve ‘win-win’decision making.

Visions of the futureBe able to imagine and communicate a range of probable and preferablefutures. Develop consensus around courses of action.

Interdependence Understand and act on a sense of interdependence with both the human andnatural world, locally and globally. Understand power relations.

and creative thinking, but also to make connections in their thinking whichtake them to a different place. This type of thinking – systems thinking – isa prerequisite for constructive problem solving, coping with change and lifein pluralist communities. (See Appendix 1, The 35 dimensions of criticalthinking.)

Many educators are dissatisfied with the narrow agenda of conventionaleducation and wish to focus more on the process of engagement withlearners. They believe that good education should be participatory,experiential, include personal and social development, and discuss valuesand attitudes. This was a key finding in the Learning for Sustainable Citiesproject.

Quote

The ideal critical thinker is:habitually inquisitive, well-informed, trustful of reason, open-minded, flexible, fair-minded inevaluation, honest in facingpersonal biases, prudent inmaking judgements, willing toreconsider, clear about issues,orderly in complex matters,diligent in seeking relevantinformation, reasonable in theselection of criteria, focused ininquiry, and persistent in seekingresults that are as precise as thesubject and the circumstances ofinquiry permit. Thus, educatinggood critical thinkers meansworking toward this ideal. Itcombines developing criticalthinking skills with nurturing thosedispositions that consistently yielduseful insights and that are thebasis of rational and democraticdecision-making.Source: California Academic Press,Critical thinking: what it is and why itcounts, 1998)

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What makes Learning for Sustainability distinctive is a new vision ofeducation that seeks to empower pupils – citizens of the future – to takeresponsibility for creating a sustainable future. See ‘The differencebetween transmissive and transformative education’ below.

The differences between transmissive and transformative education

TRANSMISSIVE TRANSFORMATIVE

Instructive Constructive

Instrumental Instrumental/intrinsic

Training Education

Teaching Learning (iterative)

Communication (of ‘message’) Construction of meaning

Interested in behavioural change Interested in mutual transformation

Information – ‘one size fits all’ Local and/or appropriate knowledge important

Control kept at centre Local ownership

First order change First and second order change

Product oriented Process oriented

‘Problem-solving’ – time-bound ‘Problem-reframing’ and iterativechange over time

Rigid Responsive and dynamic

Factual knowledge and skills Conceptual understanding andcapacity building

Imposed Participative

Top-down Bottom-up (often)

Directed hierarchy Democratic networks

Expert-led Everyone may be an expert

Externally inspected and evaluated Internally evaluated through iterativeprocess, plus external support

Time-bound goals On-going process

Language of deficit Language of appreciation and managerialism and cooperation

Source: Stephen Sterling, ‘Schumacher Briefing No. 6’, Sustainable Education: Re-visioningLearning and Change, published by Green Books for The Schumacher Society, 2001

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This vision is characterised by providing a learning environment that:

• breaks down traditional boundaries between disciplines;

• is pupil centred – providing hands-on learning experiences;

• fosters and models a participatory approach, eg using team teaching;

• stimulates critical thinking skills;

• helps pupils make links and connections in their thinking;

• provides opportunities for pupils to take action and develop actioncompetence;

• enable pupils to critically reflect upon and assess their own learning.

• prepare pupils to embark on life long learning.

Where efforts have been made to provide such a learning environment, ithas been noted that students also perform well above average onstandardised achievement tests. For example, a number of schools in theUS have been involved in a project to use the Environment as anIntegrating Context for learning (EIC) in order to improve the education ofpupils from kindergarten to year 12. EIC-based learning is not primarilyfocused on learning about the environment. It is about using a school’ssurroundings and community as a framework within which pupils canconstruct their own learning, guided by teachers using proven educationalpractices. The benefits observed included:

• better performance on standardised measure of academic achievement,especially in literacy, numeracy, science and social studies;

• reduced discipline and classroom management problems;

• increased engagement and enthusiasm for learning;

• greater pride and ownership of achievements.

(See Closing the Achievement Gap – Using the Environment as anIntegrating Context for Learning, Gerald A Lieberman and Linda A Hoody,Science Wizards, 1998.)

Teaching and learning stylesAn understanding of how both teachers and pupils learn is a key elementfor effective Learning for Sustainability. Cognitive research, in particularresearch on learning styles, multiple intelligences, modalities and brain hasplayed a significant role in shaping our views about ourselves andlearning. Researchers have identified and named learning styles, but whatis more important is for teachers to understand their own personal styles(most of us have one or two styles or a combination of styles thatdominate) as their teaching style will reflect their learning style(s). With thisself-knowledge it is easier to help pupils discover and use their own styles.When choices, differentiated by learning style, are provided for students,they become actively involved, not passive recipients.

Case study

Letting pupils construct their

own knowledge

One of the Learning forSustainable Cities projectcoordinators in Mumbai, who feelsthat the role of the teacher is tohelp the student hear and seeeffectively, but not to tell them whatto hear or see, gave an examplefrom one of the schools she hasbeen working with.

Pupils decided to have a debateon the topic “Greed is asustainable feature”. Those whoproposed the motion won. Theteacher pointed out why shedisagreed, but left it there. A fewmonths later they had a debate onthe war in Iraq. Many concludedthat the USA was very greedy, sothey revisited the previous debateand decided that greed was notsustainable. She believes thisindicates that both teachers andpupils need to keep an open mind.

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The following questions might help you:

Do you…

• provide new information using combined visual, auditory and kinestheticapproaches?

• enable learners to access all of their eight multiple intelligences?

• enable students to understand and use their own learning preferences?

• encourage students to choose their own strategies for learning?

• provide learners with a balanced variety of tasks and activities forexploring, processing, and making sense of their learning?

Team teaching

One means of reaching a greater variety of learning styles is teamteaching, simply because there will be more than one teaching approachwithin the team.

There is a large and growing literature on the advantages and problems ofteam teaching. One positive outcome that has been recorded is that teamteaching can open student’s eyes to accepting more than one opinion andto acting more cooperatively with others (Robinson, B and Schaible, RM(1995) ‘Collaborative Teaching: Reaping the benefits’ in College Teaching,43, 57-59. As this is an important aspect of Learning for Sustainability, youmight like to consider experimenting with team teaching in your school.

The issues surrounding team teaching are numerous and complex. Nosingle model will automatically result in success for a given teachingsituation. However, the checklist in the box on page 15 might be of use inplanning to include a team teaching approach. Discussing and makingdecisions about the issues in the checklist before beginning to teachtogether can help to prevent conflict later and make the team moreefficient right from the start.

Learning for action competenceLearning for Sustainability promotes the process of action learning. Theaim of this process is to help pupils develop action competence; that is,the ability to envision, research, plan and act.

The diagram on page 16 represents the steps in a cyclical process thatcan help pupils develop action competence by using whole brain thinking.It is a useful check or reference when planning a programme of work thatwill provide scope and sequence. (See the organisation of the exemplaractivities in Section 2.)

As you plan a lesson or topic of work, asking yourself some questions foreach stage might be helpful – some suggested questions are includedbelow.

Quote

Multiple intelligence is not aneducational goal in itself. Whenpeople tell me they have a‘multiple intelligence school’, Ithink, ‘What are they doing it for?’.This led me to consider: ‘What do Ithink the goals of educationshould be?’ I concluded that themost important, irreducible,purpose of school – fromelementary to high school – is tohelp students better understandthe major disciplinary ways ofthinking. This means establishingways of thinking in students thatthey haven’t experienced yet:teaching them what it means tothink scientifically, artistically,ethically, mathematically.”Source: Howard Gardner in conver-sation with Peter Senge: end note inSchools that Learn: A Fifth DisciplineFieldbook for Educators, Parents andEveryone who cares aboutEducation, Nicholas BraerlyPublishing, 2000

Further information

For further information on learningstyles see:

Gardner, H. Frames of Mind, The

theory of Multiple Intelligences,Basic Books, 10th edition, 1993

Smith, A. Accelerated Learning in

Practice: Brain based methods for

accelerating motivation and

achievement, Network EducationPress, 2004

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Planning a team approach – a checklist?

Classroom space, materials and time Work spaces and storage? Materials, books, supplies? Which materials are mine, which are yours, which are ours? If school doesn’t provide what we need/want, how will we get it? How can we set aside several hours of joint planning per week? Which content should each of us teach? What content should be divided? What content should be taught jointly? How will we keep records? How will we assess learning?

Needs/values/philosophy Tolerance of noise level? Personality strengths/weaknesses? What I know about my own learning style? How I feel about my teaching? Things about my teaching I’d like to be better at? Teacher training or staff development I’ve had or need? Parent conferences? (Yours? Mine? Ours?) Social interaction between us? Things we have in common? Things that make us different? Level of expertise? (Subject matter? Teaching strategies?) Who teaches what? Interactions with children? Spontaneity/asking for help?

Classroom management Disciplining? Rules/Expectations? Classroom routines? Movement within classroom? Constructive criticism? Communication with parents?

Source: Alan Eagle, Innovative Teaching Concepts(See www.todaysteacher.com/TeamTeaching.htm)


Source: Robert Gilman, ‘The Learning Process: an exploration of whole brain learning process’ in In Context #6, Summer 1984. Seewww.context.org/ICLIB/IC06/Gilman3.htm

The learning process

Whole-brain learning processes – learning processes that engage multiple areas within the brain that play unique roles inlearning and memory – can be generalised by a series of steps: motivating, building knowledge, making links, use, andrefinement.

Learning needs to be based on the unstressed, self-motivated seeking of the learner. The learning process mosteffectively begins with un-pressured, multi-sensory building knowledge (exposure to a wide variety of information andexperience related to what you are trying to learn) that engages the right brain (the part of the brain that is best atquickly forming new patterns). Making links involves the digestion and synthesis of new information that brings newunderstanding into awareness (left brain dominates).

Self-motivated learners spontaneously bring this new learning into use (spreads the learning to the whole brain). Useleads to refinement through fresh right brain activities.

This model suggests that self-directed, lifelong learners need to be able to: find (and recognise) resources (people,books, events, etc.) to know where to immerse themselves; relate to those resources through as many parts of theirbrains as possible; and to keep the phases moving from one phase to the next.

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Reflecting Building knowledge

Taking action Making links

Motivating

Creating awareness and interest

Building knowledge and ideasReflecting on action and learning

Connecting knowledge and experienceAction based on knowledge and understanding

Building action competence

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Motivating

Starting from what children know about issues, inspiring them and lettingthem vision alternatives will make them more receptive to finding out andbuilding their knowledge. Do you:

• Find out and talk to learners about their own lives, hobbies and interests?

• Provide opportunities for expressing emotions?

• Use display to demonstrate that you value learners’ knowledge,experience and work?

• Provide opportunities to display work in progress?

• Communicate high expectations and challenge positively?

• Encourage learners to think and talk about themselves and otherspositively?

• Encourage all learners to respond to others positively?

• Ensure all learners experience success and affirmation every day?

Building knowledge

Traditionally, building knowledge and ideas has been seen as the role ofthe teacher with pupils as the recipients. Learning for Sustainability placesgreater emphasis on the learner taking responsibility for their own learning,with the teacher as mentor and guide. Do you:

• Ensure that questions and questioning are an integral part of theclassroom culture?

• Provide opportunities for pupils to pursue their own lines of enquiry?

• Ensure pupils are clear about the intended outcomes at the start of alesson?

• Enable pupils to build their own targets into lessons?

• Consult with pupils about their own goals and aspirations?

• Encourage the use of planning frames to structure thinking and work?

Making links

Providing a learning environment that encourages pupils to think and act ina joined up way is an essential element of Learning for Sustainability. Somuch in traditional teaching and learning militates against this: subjectbased teaching; targets and tests; examination specifications, etc. Do you:

• Encourage pupils to connect new learning to what they already know,understand and can do?

• Encourage the transference of skills and knowledge from one topic toanother?

• Provide pupils with the opportunity to formulate and ask their ownquestions?

• Encourage pupils to see and discuss ‘the relevance to my life’ of theirlearning.

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Taking action

Research has shown that citizenship action skills that are taught withoutissue-related knowledge does not necessarily prompt responsiblebehaviour in individuals. There is also evidence that suggests that there isno inevitable progression from awareness and understanding to concern,or that concern motivates the development of skills and action. Thedevelopment of action competence is more likely to happen if there is aholistic approach to Learning for Sustainability within a school community.Do you:

• Provide opportunities for pupils to engage with real issues?

• Facilitate the acquisition of information from a wide range of sources?

• Enable pupils to draw up action plans – critically evaluating them ingroups and as individuals?

• Let pupils discuss what, and who, is involved in making an action plan areality?

• Prepare pupils for failure first time round?

Source: These questions have been based on those from ‘How Mind Friendly Are You?’ presented at the Learning to Last conferences by SALT MFL – Cheshire Schools.

Reflecting

Helping pupils to review and reflect upon their learning is part of theoverarching evaluative process that is key to a Learning for Sustainabilityapproach. Do you:

• Provide opportunities for pupils to review what they have learned,reflecting on how they solved problems, tackled tasks, made sense of thelearning? They might ask themselves:– What have I achieved?– What went well in this particular activity/project?– What could have gone better?– What do I need to know, learn do next?

• Teach different memory and recall techniques?

• Encourage multi-sensory review?

• Provide time-out for thinking about the learning process?

• Encourage learners to generate their own questions?

• Encourage learners to talk about and explain their thinking?

• Support learners in transferring their new learning to other non-schoolcontexts?

(For more ideas about review tools, see ‘Monitoring and evaluation’ on pages 20 – 25, and the exemplar activities in Section 3.)

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Quote

Developing action competence

“…. Among the most successfulprogrammes are those that avoidthe belief that awareness leads tounderstanding, understandingleads to concern, and concernmotivates the development of skillsand action. Instead, the keyingredient of success is to startfrom the questions, issues, andproblems that concern youngpeople themselves, and to helpthem develop ‘action competence’through community-basedlearning. Action competencebrings the capacity to envisionalternatives, clarify the values andinterests that underlie differentvisions, and make choicesbetween visions. This includesdeveloping the skills needed inactive and informed citizens toevaluate, plan, and take action.Action competence bringsknowledge, not just of the problemand its symptoms, but also aboutits root causes – how it impacts onpeople’s lives, ways of addressingit, and how different interests areserved by different sorts ofsolutions.”Source: John Fien, “Education for a sustainable future: Achievementsand Lessons from a decade of Innovation from Rio toJohannesburg” in InternationalReview for Environmental Strategies,Vol 4, No 1, Institute for GlobalEnvironmental Strategies, 2003

Changing roles

The role of the teacher and his/her relationship with pupils changes as pupilsprogress through the cycle. The roles could look like this:

Stage Teacher role

Guide and inspirer

Guide and mentor

Facilitator

Facilitator

Learner with pupil

Motivating

Making links

Taking action

Reflecting

Building knowledge

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Section 1 Monitoring and evaluation

Evaluating the planning process

Considering how a topic is to be evaluated is a fundamental part of theplanning process, and will need to fit with any procedures already in placewithin your school, and with inspection requirements from government. Forexample, schools in England measure their overall effectiveness by self-evaluating standards and achievement, the personal development oflearners, the quality of the provision, and the quality of leadership andmanagement. Schools’ self-evaluations are reviewed by Ofsted inspectors.Only you can decide what the learning outcomes are to be for a topicbeing planned, and what will be the best tools to help assess whetherthese have been achieved. Ofsted offers English schools a framework tohelp with this process with the following headings:

• Aspects we have looked at in order to make our overall evaluation.• The processes we have gone through in order to make judgments.• Aspects that impact positively and negatively on the outcomes.• Strategies the school has put into place to enhance/improve provision.

WWF-UK is developing a set of tools to help schools in this self-evaluationprocess as part of Pathways (see Appendix 3).

Assessing pupil learning

Traditionally pupil performance assessment is teacher led, using strategiessuch as rating procedures and recording pupil achievement againsttargets. The Learning for Sustainability approach emphasises theimportance of empowering pupils by involving them in their own learning,‘active learning’, and by giving them a role in the assessment process.There is a growing body of research from institutions around the world thatdemonstrates the efficacy of self-assessment by pupils. In their article‘Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment’,Professor Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam (Phi Delta Kappen, October 1998)drew these conclusions:

“Thus self-assessment by pupils, far from being a luxury, is in fact anessential component of formative assessment. When anyone is trying tolearn, feedback about the effort has three elements: recognition of thedesired goal, evidence about present position, and some understanding ofa way to close the gap between the two. All three must be understood tosome degree by anyone before he or she can take action to improvelearning.

Such an argument is consistent with more general ideas established byresearch into the way people learn. New understandings are not simplyswallowed and stored in isolation; they have to be assimilated in relation topre-existing ideas. The new and the old may be inconsistent or even inconflict, and the disparities must be resolved by thoughtful actions on thepart of the learner. Realising that there are new goals for the learning is anessential part of this process of assimilation.

Quote

“We can’t just march through thecurriculum anymore. It’s hard. Ispend more time planning andmore time coaching. At first mystudents just wanted to be toldwhat to do. I had to help them startthinking.”Source: Teacher in the US quoted from www.ed.gov/pubs/OR/ConsumerGuides/perfasse.html

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Thus we conclude: if formative assessment is to be productive, pupilsshould be trained in self-assessment so that they can understand the mainpurposes of their learning and thereby grasp what they need to do toachieve.”

Self-assessment tools

RubricsA rubric is a carefully designed ratings chart that is drawn up jointly byteacher and pupils. Along one side of the rubric are listed the criteria thatthe teacher and students decide are the most important ideas to bemastered in the lesson. Across the top of the rubric are listed the rankingsthat will be used to assess how well students understand each of thosecriteria. Four ranking categories are recommended as this prevents atendency to plump for a middle ranking.

The rubric also indicates how much importance should be given to eachcriterion, based on its importance to the overall lesson. Within eachranking, there also may be numerical gradations, depending on whether astudent performs on the higher or lower level of that category. Unlike atraditionally assigned, generalised number or letter grade, the rubric servesas an in-depth ‘report card’ for a lesson, unit, or project.

Further information

Rubrics

For further information on rubrics see:

www.middleweb.com/rubricsHG.html

www.phschool.com/professional_development/assessment/rub_coop_process.html

www.interactiveclassroom.com/articles_006.htm#Creating%20Rubrics%20Through%20Negotiable

Source: Andi Stix, EdD, The Interactive Classroom, NY: New Rochelle, see www.interactiveclassroom.com/articles.htm and click on ‘Creating Rubrics through Negotiable Contracting and Assessment’

Rubric template

Beginning1 point

Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting beginning performance

Stated objective or performance

Developing2 points

Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting development and movement towards mastery of performance

Accomplished3 points

Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting mastery of performance

ScoreExemplary4 points

Description of identifiable performance characteristics reflecting the highest level of performance

Description of task or performance that this rubric is designed to evaluate

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This is a rubric drawn up by middle school students in the USA for the taskof creating a mural for a geography lesson.

The key features of the process that led up to this were:

Negotiation between pupils and with the teacher, to select the criteria forassessing the mural (right hand column) and agree neutral words (acrossthe top) for each rating that avoided the implication of good/bad inherent inthe usual alphabetic or numeric grades.

Clarity of purpose – pupils knew what was expected of their mural beforethey even picked up a pencil.

Ownership – because of their involvement, pupils felt valued participantsand were able to accurately evaluate their strengths and weakness,pinpointing where to focus their efforts to get the most out of their learning.

Creating rubrics with pupils to assess their developing understanding ofaspects of sustainability would be an interesting exercise. Many differentways to represent the ranking have been suggested by pupils including:

Attempted Acceptable Admirable AwesomeEgg Larvae Pupa ButterflyPrivate Sergeant Lieutenant Captain

Some would lend themselves to visualisation for less able or youngerpupils, and instead of text to describe achievement, a version of ‘smiley’faces could be used.

Master Exceptional amount of facts, vivid descriptions (10-12 points)

Highly organised and easy to follow (7-8 points)

Exceptional design and outstanding visual appeal (10-12 points)

MURAL

Accurate detail and depth

Clear focus

Design

Novice

Incorrect or little facts, hardly any detail (1-3 points)

Vague and unclear (1-2 points)

Little to no layout and design (1-3 points)

Apprentice

Some facts are accurate, some detail(4-6 points)

Some focus, but not organised enough (3-4 points)

Simple design, but layout could be more organised (4-6 points)

Veteran

Substantial amount of facts, good amount of detail (7-9 points)

Well organised and clearly presented (5-6 points)

Attractive and invites the viewer(7-9 points)

Source:www.pdkintl.org/kappan/kbla9810.htm

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JournalsEncouraging pupils to keep a journal to track their learning can be veryempowering. The basic idea is to agree a structure that will help pupilsevaluate and record their learning. Statements/heading such as thefollowing might be used:

• What I wanted to find out/learn/know• What I have learned so far• What I need to find out/learn/know next

For other questions, see those under ‘Reflecting’ on page 18.

Journals can be private or shared with other pupils and teachers – againthis needs to be agreed at the outset. A suggestion for how you mighttackle this has been set out as an activity in the ‘Reflecting’ section of theexemplar activities on pages 61-62. To illustrate how a journal might beused as a self-assessment tool for pupils, suggestions have been includedin many of the exemplar activities.

PortfoliosA portfolio is a purposeful collection of a pupil’s work that illustrates theirefforts, progress and achievements. In order to involve pupils in theportfolio collection as a self-assessment tool for them as well as for theteacher, the following need to be agreed at the outset:

• guidelines for the selection of materials for the portfolio to prevent thecollection growing haphazardly;

• times/opportunites for teacher feedback;

• clear and appropriate criteria for evaluating the work (for example, theymight include rubrics);

• whether there should be an element of peer evaluation, and, if so, whenthis would be appropriate.

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Big Books This is the whole class or group equivalent of an individual portfolio. It is ameans of collecting together samples of pupils’ work to show progressionof their understanding of sustainability through the course of studying atopic, and can be developed to include pupil self-evaluations and alsogroup evaluations. The work is mounted on large sheets of paper (A3)within board covers bound along one edge.Some headings for the book might include:

• What we aimed to do/learn

• Draft ideas or Work in progress

• What we found out

• Our action plans

• Who was involved in this project

• Our evaluation of the work we did (include individual evaluations whichmight refer to their journal entries for specific activities. Ask pupilsquestions such as: How did we feel when we did this activity? What didwe learn from this activity? Add their answers to the book.)

• What we want to do next

Big Books can be the focus for pupils to share their work with the rest ofthe school through assemblies. They can be displayed so that parents andschool visitors – as well as pupils and teachers from other year groups –can learn from your pupils’ work. In effect, they become a resource whichcan be used in many different ways and on different occasions.

InterviewsThis is a familiar tool or technique to assess learning in many differentsituations and for different purposes. Typically, someone not involved inthe project (in a school situation it might be a parent or another teacher)interviews those who have done the work to ascertain how much, and inwhat depth, learning has taken place.

It can become a useful self-assessment tool by involving pupils in drawingup the questions to be asked, and agreeing how answers can take thelearning forward.

For example, some general questions for the Communities andSustainability topic could include:

• What does the word ‘community’ mean to you?

• What does the word ‘environment’ mean to you?

• What does the word ‘sustainable’ mean to you?

• What sorts of things do YOU do because they might improve theenvironment or quality of life: – At home?– At school?– Anywhere else? (You might need to remind pupils about their work on

recycling, reducing litter and dog mess, energy conservation,

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improving habitats, conserving wildlife, water saving, fair tradeproducts, taking part in environmental clubs / School Councils,walking/cycling, etc.)

• How would you like the environment to be when you are an adult?• How do you think you can be involved in making your ideas for the future

happen?

This could be done in groups, with each group drawing up and asking theirquestions of another group, recording the answers. A discussion on whatwas asked and the answers received could follow, enlightening andempowering pupils to take their learning forward. An interesting additionmight be for each group to ask similar questions of the teacher(s) involvedin the project.

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Section 1 Contents - WWF

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