Sustainable Futures
Our vision for this course | Learning objectives and skills | Teaching and learning approaches | What to assess? | Course outline | In conclusion
Here is an outline of a year 12 course, Sustainable Futures, created by Christchurch Girls' High School. The school built on its experience of integrating Education for Sustainability into other subject areas to design a course to encourage students to follow up issues of concern with respect to the environment and the future.
Under the new National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) system, the school was able to plan a course that is not bound by particular curriculum areas yet still offers valid achievement standards. The following text is based on a presentation made by the school management to the board of trustees in 2002.
Our vision for this course
The Guidelines for Education for Sustainability in New Zealand Schools had stimulated our interest to do better in the school, not only within current subject areas and around our school grounds, but also to offer a subject dedicated specifically to the environment.
We set out to design a course that:
Our vision is to empower our students to have the confidence to follow up issues of concern with respect to the environment and our future.
The course covers the areas of:
- Knowledge – ethics, history, and the current environmental situation (locally, nationally, and internationally); understanding concepts such as sustainability, ecosystems, kaitiakitanga, social responsibility, triple bottom line accounting; information about agencies, government departments and lobby groups working in the Education for Sustainability area. Since the course is not restricted by a curriculum document, it is flexible enough to explore areas that students may feel passionate about.
- Inquiry skills – research skills using the World Wide Web, library resources, community contacts, international and national experts; data gathering (field research and data processing) processing written material and analytical skills; evaluating the research process.
- Practical skills – measurement, equipment use, questionnaire or survey construction, interpreting maps and graphs (tables)
- Interpersonal skills – team work, interviewing, phone contact, inter-generational communication, problem solving, confidence to express an opinion.
- Presentation skills – verbal, written and visual; using information communiation technology (ICT) tools; making graphs, maps, charts, diagrams.
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Learning objectives and skills
Working for the environment is the over-riding premise of the course. The essential things we aim to impart to our students are:
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to understand basic environmental stewardship ethics for a better sustainable world to live in (kaitiakitanga),
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to learn how human lifestyles have modified the natural world,
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to understand basic ecological principles,
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to learn how to make better environmentally informed decisions,
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to learn how to undertake an Education for Sustainability inquiry and take action.
We use the essential skills as developed under the biology and social science curriculum documents and adapt as appropriate, with special emphasis on information and problem solving skills. We want to students to see just how transferable the skills are across so many subject areas.
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Teaching and learning approaches
We offer a student-centred learning approach. We try to find out where their interests lie, and set in place a scaffold to support their learning. Our point of view is that we are all learners together. Our world is in state of constant change, and we are developing new understandings of what is happening to our environment. As teachers, we have some of the skills and experiences we can share with the students but we are not the founts of all knowledge.
Our approach is one whereby:
- outcomes are presented and discussed with students,
- we empower the students to take ownership of their learning,
- we work on the premise we are all learners together,
- we offer experiential learning through trips outside the classroom, we invite speakers into the classroom, and we work with outside organisations.
The course aims to help students take responsibility for their learning – they can't just sit and be sponges. We expect them to be proactive and involved both in the classroom and outside (for example, collecting news items about Education for Sustainability issues, talking to people, thinking about issues, and bringing new ideas and different perspectives back into the classroom).
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What to assess?
Since our course is not defined by any particular curriculum areas, there are no recognised achievement standards.
We selected the achievement standards we thought would fit what we had decided to teach.
We wanted achievement standards that did not constrict what we wanted to achieve in terms of teaching and learning approaches
Achievement Standards
The following achievement standards were chosen:
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Social Studies 2.2 – Examine ways people influence society – external credits: 5
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Social Studies 2.3 – Conduct an advanced social studies inquiry – internal credits: 6
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Social Studies 2.4 – Examine different value positions – internal credits: 4
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Social Studies 2.5 – Plan social action in relation to a social issue – internal credits: 4
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Biology 2.9 – Describe the impact of humans on an ecosystem – internal credits: 2
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Science 2.3 – Describe aspects of New Zealand's endemic life – external credits: 2
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Course outline
Term 1: Our Earth: Our Values
Broad course outline for term 1 is:
- Introduction to earth as home – "spaceship earth"
- Human impact on "mother earth" (past and present)
- Environmental ethics – beliefs and ideas about our relationship with earth
- Future scenarios
- Field trip: Coast to High Country (2 days)
The plan is to begin the term by working with the students on setting the overall ambience of the course as this is not like their usual subjects. They are expected to be much more involved and to be proactive learners and teachers. There will be a number of readings the students will be required to read, to be ready for round table discussions on philosophy, history of the planet etc.
The aim is to bring in at least three speakers with different perspectives on the genetic engineering (GE) issue. The intention is to have the students involved in making the arrangements to invite the guests and to host the speakers. They must be prepared with questions and be involved in the presentations.
Each term the students will be required to work in groups to keep up with current issues and present news reports each fortnight. They will be required to do some research and interact with the rest of the class while they report on their research.
Assessment activities for term 1
- Some practice exercises for: Social Studies 2.2 – Examine ways people influence society – external credits: 5
- Social Studies 2.4 – Examine responses to differing values position(s) – internal credits: 4
- students listen to 3 speakers with different perspectives on the GE issue
- students read various articles on GE issue
- followed by 2 days formal assessment using NZQA format for SS 2.4
- Work done on the field trip to cover science 2.3 (external credits: 2) and biology 2.9 (internal credits: 2).
Term 2: Biodiversity
The areas to be covered in term 2:
- The concept of biodiversity
- Ecosystem balance and sustainability
- Evolution of New Zealand plants and animals
- Key conditions for survival of New Zealand plants and animals
- Human impact on New Zealand ecosystems
Assessment activities for term 2
- Biology 2.9 (internal credits: 2)
- journal
- PowerPoint presentation on an aspect of biodiversity
- Social Studies 2.3 and 2.5 (internal credits: 10)
- ongoing major inquiry plus social action exercise – 10 weeks of work with the community, or local government group
- Science 2.3 (external credits: 4)
- preparation
- practice testing
Term 3: Energy and Waste
The topics for term 3 are:
- Energy in New Zealand
- Sustainability of our energy use and its impact on society
- Changing attitudes to energy use
- History of waste and waste management
- Waste in 2003
- Impact of waste our communities (people, air, waterways)
- Ways governmental bodies have tried to change attitudes and behaviours
Assessment activities for term 3
- Social Science 2.2 (external credits: 5)
- preparation
- practice testing
- Social Science 2.3 and 2.5 (internal credits: 10)
- ongoing major inquiry plus social action exercise – 10 weeks of work with the community, or local government group
Term 4: Optional unit
The topic for this unit is to be chosen and agreed upon by the students in term 2. The decision-making process would involve outside speakers and some initial research into the topic.
Examples of areas that could be covered in this unit are:
- environmental chemistry
- water and soil
- noxious plants and animals
Assessment activities for term 4
This is the opportunity to present a major inquiry.
- This could be in the form of a seminar in front of invited audience, for example, the board of trustees
- An individual or group could take part in a particular action and document that action.
Appropriate actions include:
- making an environmental change at the school, for instance, set up a recycled materials fashion parade or set up a swap meet at school, where students exchange "stuff" they no longer need,
- putting a proposal through to the Canterbury City Council or ECan,
- adopting a highway or beach or a riparian strip.
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In conclusion
- The first year of this course will be considered a developmental period.
- There will be an ongoing review of programme.
- We look forward to seeing Education for Sustainability achievement standards that can be used nationwide.
- The plan is for other departments to integrate Education for Sustainability principles into their courses.
- It will be good to see more schools implementing Education for Sustainability courses as part of whole curriculum.
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