Since my last post I have been plodding forward with my plans to get the idea of ESD more widely recognized in my area. To that end I have met with representatives of our local Land conservation group, The Harris Center, and Antioch University.
The meeting with the Harris center was quite productive and there is the possibility of an evening course nest spring and even a teacher workshop.
Today I held a meeting at school with a number of faculty who had expressed an interest in ESD. I gave a brief presentation on ESD and then we had an informal discussion, over lunch provided by my principal, to talk about how we might spread the idea with in the district, and certainly within our high school. It was suggested that I give a similar presentation at a faculty meeting and follow it with an assignment to come up with some ideas as to how ESD could fit into each teacher's curriculum. I have the Principal's OK to go ahead with this.
I have also started an online course through the GREEN Education Foundation. So far I have been very impressed with the quality of the course, both in terms of the online pedagogy, and in terms of content for the person who wants to learn about sustainability in education.
The course is currently in BETA testing so you can try it for free if you log onto
http://www.greeneducationfoundation.org/
There are also all kinds of great ESD lesson plans to be had here.
My next move is to get in touch with Franklin Pierce University with which my school has a close association. I'd like to work out some kind of partnership with them since they are in one of our two district towns.
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is an initiative of UNESCO. It recognizes that students do not seem to be engaged in their education because it has no relevance for them. Most of what they learn is geared to the past, not to their future. ESD provides students with a key concept, that in order for them to survive this planet they cannot exploit resources faster than they can be replaced. It focuses on systems thinking and includes every aspect of curriculum.
