Curriculum & Instruction: Fndns in Ed for Sustainability

Prepares educators to use sustainability as an integrating lens for learning. Provides an introduction to Education for Sustainability (EFS), an approach that links teaching of social, environmental, and economic systems to foster the knowledge, inquiry, and action needed to build a healthy and just future for communities, both locally and globally.

Instructor permission required. In-Person learning retreat at Shelburne Farms on July 6-10. Four synchronous online meetings 9am-12 dates TBD. Pre and Post work required.

This course prepares educators to use sustainability as an integrating lens for learning. It provides an introduction to Education for Sustainability (EFS), an approach that links teaching of social, environmental, and economic systems to foster the knowledge, inquiry, and action needed to build a healthy and just future for communities, both locally and globally. We will explore connections between curriculum, context, and community while diving into the content and pedagogical approaches that support students' understanding of systems thinking and sustainability. Designed to be dynamic and democratic, this course offers students the time and space to develop projects of personal interest while providing opportunities to co-construct knowledge and learn from other leaders in the field of Education for Sustainability. Interactive sessions will feature a blend of experiential learning, individual work time, peer-to-peer feedback, resource sharing, and large and small group discussions.

We have designed the course to align with your specific learning goals and teaching contexts. Together, we’ll focus on foundational experiences: Applying Education for Sustainability as a unifying framework for curriculum, campus ecology, community partnerships, and collaboration. Understanding the Big Ideas of Sustainability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals and applying those ideas in formal and non-formal education settings to help students address social, environmental, and economic issues. Exploring complex systems in social and ecological contexts. Uncovering and lifting up promising practices and pedagogies for place-based learning, inquiry, systems-thinking, and collective action. Building knowledge about community sustainability efforts, resources, and opportunities in order to integrate them into your curriculum. Becoming skilled in using EFS curriculum planning tools to develop units, projects, year-long scope and sequences that uses sustainability as an integrative concept. Pedagogy: This course models and incorporates the use of promising practices and pedagogies of education for sustainability (EFS) including place- and project-based learning, action civics/service-learning, inquiry and experiential learning. In order to engage students in thinking critically about their practice we will also model and use reflective strategies and protocols that promote educational equity.

As a community of educators, we expect you to demonstrate the same level of professionalism in our virtual classroom as you would in any formal or non-formal education setting. These expectations include: On-site learning retreats at Shelburne Farms are an important aspect of learning in this course. Attendance at all such field-based learning experiences is mandatory. On-time attendance for all synchronous sessions Assignments completed by date specified, including class readings Generative contribution to all aspects of the course Respectful behavior towards yourself, others, and the land