Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship

Prepares learners for the new challenges that will be part of their future such as climate change and international competition for resource;

Builds the skills that will enable learners to think critically, think laterally, link ideas and concepts such as needs and rights and uncertainty and precaution, and make informed decisions; it helps learners to understand the complex, interrelated nature of their world.

ESDGC is education that will prepare young people for life in the 21^st century… it is more than a body of knowledge as it is about values and attitudes, understanding and skills.

The 9 key concepts of ESDGC

1.       Interdependence

2.       Citizenship and Stewardship

3.       Needs and Rights

4.       Diversity

5.       Sustainable change

6.       Quality of life

7.       Uncertainty and precaution

8.       Values and perceptions

9.       Conflict resolution

The 7 themes of ESDGC

1.       Wealth and poverty

2.       Identity and culture

3.       Choices and decisions

4.       Health

5.       Natural environment

6.       Consumption and waste

7.       Climate change

Why should children have ESDGC

Learning about global issues is essential as we are all effect by these issues such as climate change

We need to learn about how political, social, economic and cultural issues are liked for example how terrorism is linked with religion and culture and social injustice

Children need to be made aware of how political decisions are made and how they can affect them such as voting

Children should learn moral values and learn to be accepting of the moral values of others

Children should learn to make informed choices and should learn about the responsibility of their choices for example consumerism and how their purchases are affecting the lives of others

Scientific Inquiry

John Dewey believed that science should be taught as way of thinking. It should be a process.

The process:

1.       Identify a problem

2.       Ask a question

3.       Make a hypothesis

4.       Test the hypothesis

5.       Collect data

6.       Analyse the results

7.       Draw conclusions

8.       Make recommendations/solutions

 

  

This process allows the learner to incorporate the use of imagination and responds to their instincts and conduct out of context discussions. It is rich in conceptual content and the development of models of natural phenomena. The process goes beyond how something happens to why something happens.

 

Science is an error correcting process. Science thrives on open and free debate about the merits of rival hypotheses. Sometimes many rivals are considered before the best is found. It's the nature of scientific inquiry that scientists publish hypotheses that may later be disproved by new evidence and replaced by a better rival. Eventually some hypotheses receive sufficient positive evidence. They become accepted as part of scientific knowledge, with the proviso that even the best theories may be revised in the light of new evidence (Darden, 1998).

This approach aims to stimulate the curiosity in learners, it encourages the learner to ask questions rather than just accept information. The approach inspires the learner to engage in and explore the subject then to ask questions about it. Then the learner is encouraged to investigate and find the answer to the question in a scientific manner.

 

 

Issues with the approach:-

Scientific inquiry can be reduced to a simple step-by-step procedure. This notion is misleading and fails to acknowledge the creativity inherent in the scientific process.

Inquiry-based instruction relies on learners to generate and pursue their own questions. In most instances, the learning objective is to have students learn some specific science content (i.e. National Curriculum / exam board syllabi).

Inquiry-based instruction can take place without attention to science concepts. Learners should first begin to construct their learning using their prior knowledge of the topic and then inquire into areas that they do not yet understand.

All science should be taught through inquiry-based instruction. Inquiry-based instruction is a tool used by teachers to help facilitate educational goals for learners. It is not the most appropriate tool for every learning context.

Inquiry-based instruction can be easily implemented through the use of hands-on activities and educational kits. There is no guarantee that student learning will go beyond performing the tasks at hand. It is possible for a student to successfully complete an experiment and yet not understand the science concept it is designed to teach.

Reference list

 

Darden, L., 1998. The Nature of Scientific Inquiry. Maryland: University of Maryland Press.

 

 

 

 

The Leonardo Effect

The Leonardo Effect is a new form of interdisciplinary teaching centred around “synchronised integration” of subjects. It allows children to creatively develop ideas, to become more confident as collaborators and contributors, and is producing astonishing results in primary schools. By giving wings to children’s curiosity and allowing teachers to be more creative and flexible in the classroom, areas highlighted in the new curricula, it stimulates autonomous learning and enables children to make connections across the learning landscape. Children rise to the learning challenges and surpass ceilings set by traditional approaches. (LeonardoEffect.com, 2011)

The Leonardo Effect

Stage 1 – Capture the learners’ imagination: human beings have an innate curiosity, if we are shown something interesting we are more likely to explore it.

Stage 2 – Development of ideas: this open ended stage allows children to discover and observe a new topic

Stage 3 – Creation: learners now have to opportunity to transfer this knowledge in an innovative way

Stage 4 – Reflect and Communicate: children now have the opportunity to explain and discuss their findings with their peers.

We were given a group task to pick a topic and we had to come up with questions that we wanted to know the answers to about this topic. Our group had a Hot air balloon and we decided that we wanted to find out ‘How do hot air balloons float?’

 

Leonardo da Vinci possessed the curiosity of a child and questioned everything. He believed using all of the senses in first-hand investigations to be essential to his development of ideas. We have found that when pupils are given the opportunity to take a similar approach it unlocks their potential and gives them a passion for learning and makes teaching a more invigorating and meaningful task.
The Leonardo Effect’s tested and validated four-stage approach enables children of all abilities to access learning and exceed ceilings set by traditional learning approaches. Ken Robinson discusses a need for change in the delivery of the curriculum, the Leonardo effect could be the revolutionary way in which the curriculum is delivered  (LeonardoEffect.com, 2011)

 

Reference list

LeonardoEffect.com, 2011. The Leonardo Effect. [Online]
Available at: http://www.leonardoeffect.com/
[Accessed 22 Febuary 2014].

 

 








 

The Mantle of the Expert

The mantle of the Expert is an inquiry based approach to teaching and learning developed by Professor Dorothy Heathcote in the 1980s. Children conduct their curriculum work as though they are a group of experts in the subject field.

Our task required our group to imagine ourselves as experts in the construction industry. We asked to set up a company who design and build bridges and pitch a design to a member of the local council. We then had to construct a bridge (on a small scale) that fitted the clients needs.

To complete the task we had to research multiple aspects of bridge construction and the structure of a construction company.

 

 

Involving students in a practical process that incorporates different aspects of the curriculum makes learning a much easier. Our group had no idea about building bridges but this task gave us the opportunity to research the different aspects of bridge construction. the students can apply their research to their scenario and make it their own. Instead of a teacher standing at the front of the class talking about the cost of building a bridge or the types of bridges that can be built the students are creating a real life scenario, they can research what they think is appropriate for the topic. As the student has to interpret the topic for themselves they find ways of understanding the topic and can then apply this understanding to their research which will help to embed what they have learned.

Mantle of the Expert actively engages children in the learning experience. Teachers can incorporate different aspects of the curriculum into one task. For example, in our task, not only did we learn about the construction industry, we had the opportunity to develop pre-existing skills such as communication skills, team work, research techniques, organisation skills etc. not only will children learn about a specific subject, they will develop transferable skills at the same time.

The system permits the normal school context of class responsibility to change. Instead of the children relying on the teacher’s energy to drive the work and evaluate achievement, teacher and class share the responsibility for the quality of work (MantleoftheExpert.com, 2008).  

People learn from and with other people both in person and from what others have

recorded in materials, books, on the internet etc. that forms the knowledge base for

particular communities of expertise and in doing so they identify with those communities (Edmiston, 2001).

As Wenger stated , ‘ learning transforms who we are and what we can do … it is not just

an accumulation of skills and information, but a process of becoming a certain person’ collaborative learning develops a sense of what Wenger described as a ‘community of leaners’. (Wenger, 1998)

Reference list

Edmiston, B., 2001. The Mantle of the Expert apporach to education. Ohio: Ohio State University .

MantleoftheExpert.com, 2008. how does moe work?. [Online]
Available at: http://www.mantleoftheexpert.com/copyright-notes/
[Accessed 16 March 2014].

Wenger, E., 1998. Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

 

 

Is Education killing Creativity?

‘Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.’ (Einstien , 1931)

In our education system today, little, if any value is place on ‘creative’ subjects such as the arts. Subjects that require students to think less academically and more creatively are attached with stigma, they are assumed to be lazy and useless subjects. A degree in physics is seen as more impressive than a degree in art. There is little understanding of the academic side of these ‘lazy’ subjects.

Creativity should be encouraged in all subjects in school. Children who have knowledge but lack the ability to express it in traditional ways are being overlooked. They have a talent that is wasted because they have been failed by the education system. Those who are reluctant to be creative will also benefit from this as they will discover an ability they never knew they had, if we are all told to sit at a desk and have no participation in a classroom we will never discover our creative talents. The education system needs to change the way we see creativity it should be an opportunity for all learners regardless of ability (Grant & Grant, 2012).     

An Allegory with Venus and Cupid 1545, Bronzino

 

‘ The picture is likely to be that mentioned in Vasari's 'Life of Bronzino' of 1568: He made a picture of singular beauty, which was sent to King Francis in France; in which was a nude Venus with Cupid kissing her, and on one side Pleasure and Play with other Loves; and on the other, Fraud, Jealousy, and other passions of love. Venus and Cupid are identifiable by their attributes, as is the old man with wings and an hourglass who must be Time (not mentioned by Vasari). The identity of the other figures, and the meaning of the picture remain uncertain.The howling figure on the left has been variously interpreted as Jealousy, Despair and the effects of syphilis; the boy scattering roses and stepping on a thorn as Jest, Folly and Pleasure; the hybrid creature with the face of a girl, as Pleasure and Fraud; and the figure in the top left corner as Fraud and Oblivion. The erotic yet erudite subject matter of the painting was well suited to the tastes of King Francis I of France. It was probably sent to him as a gift from Cosimo I de' Medici, ruler of Florence, by whom Bronzino was employed as court painter. Bronzino was also an accomplished poet. The picture reflects his interest in conventional Petrarchan love lyrics as well as more bawdy poetic genres.’ (The National Art Gallery, 2009)

But is creativity saved for the ‘creative’ subjects? We must not ignore the fact that all other subjects require the learner to have some level of creativity. In an English lesson, the student is expected to extract meaning from a poem much like the painting above. In chemistry the learner is expected to create an experiment. In most of our everyday experiences we are being creative; we are creating memories, creating experiences. We as humans are unique, but what we all share is the capability to be creative. We are born with a natural curiosity about our surroundings. If the education system continues to brush creativity under the carpet, innovation will no longer be achievable.

 

 

 

Reference list

Einstien , A., 1931. Cosmic Religion: With Other Opinions and Aphorisms. New York: Covici-Friede.

Grant, A. & Grant, G., 2012. Who killed Creativity: and how do we get it back. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.

The National Art Gallery, 2009. An Allegory with Venus and Cupid. [Online]
Available at: http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/bronzino-an-allegory-with-venus-and-cupid
[Accessed 20 Febuary 2014].