Education for Sustainability: reflection questionsto support the AuSSI-SA education for sustainability rubrics and indicators

Reflection questionsto support the AuSSI-SA education for sustainability rubrics and indicatorsEducation for sustainability (EfS) presents us with many challenging and often confronting questions about our values and behaviours. It is through challenging our current assumptions and beliefs that we can transform our current thinking into new ways of considering the world and developing sustainable behaviours. Raising questions, discussion and reflection are valuable ways to develop a common understanding and position in education for sustainability. Schools and preschools are encouraged to selectively use the reflection questions and add their own to use with groups in their site and community.

Starting

Culture

Vision and values What is our individual vision of sustainability? What is the most important aspect of sustainability for you? How are the values of optimism and resilience important for students/children? What processes do we have for reviewing our vision and values? Who are the drivers in our school/preschool to run the EfS focus?

Interconnectedness

How can we build on people’s passions and interests to move forward with EfS? How can we highlight the other dimensions of sustainability in our project? How can I become more confident in discussing the economic, social, cultural

dimensions of sustainability and how they apply in our school/preschool? Is there a need to give extra weight to the environment to start with? What is sustainability?

Whole-school/preschool approach

What do you think culture means in a school/preschool context? How can we involve the whole site in this project? How can we move our efforts from individuals to groups? What value is there in a whole school/preschool approach to EfS, rather than a

class/group approach to environmental education? What’s the likely impact of the EfS vision on each of us?

Understanding

Learning and change

What is your preferred definition of sustainability and EfS? EfS is often described as a learning ‘journey’. What does this mean to you? Who do we need to involve with EfS and why? What are the relevant forums in our school/preschool for discussing EfS?

Learning for sustainability

How can we make sustainability an integral part of our site? Why should we make sustainability a priority? How can we promote the educational value of sustainability?

A sustainability inquiry

Are we seeing what’s important? How can an inquiry approach help us to collect evidence of change over time? What do we already know about EfS? How do EfS inquiries help to build resilience? How do EfS inquiries help to develop 21st century thinkers?

Learning

Curriculum How does this project fit with the formal curriculum (EfS and Sustainability as a CCP

in the Australian Curriculum or the Early Years Learning Framework)? How can we make explicit to students/children and parents the literacy, numeracy

and ICTs evident in EfS learning? Why are systems, cycles and patterns so important for EfS learning? What vocational opportunities connect with EfS?

Learning environment

What do we want to achieve for EfS through this particular activity e.g. building a frog pond?

How is the outdoor space valued as a learning environment? What is the value of reconnecting students with the Earth? How can we find the range of learning environments that are available in the local

area?

Pedagogy How can we personalise and connect learning for students/children? How can we further involve students/children in the EfS focus? In what ways are teachers’ decisions about how to teach influenced by what they

value? How can data be used by students/children to encourage and inspire more changes? How do our ideas of teaching and learning impact on students/children and EfS?

Community

Community connections

What is a community? What are the positives and negatives of working with others on EfS?

Building capacity What are the benefits of groups rather than individuals working on EfS in the

school/preschool? What are the positives and negatives of working with the community?

Developing partnerships

How can the community contribute to the EfS focus? How can we find out who would like to be involved and how they can contribute to

EfS activities?

Managing

Leadership How does decision making in the school/preschool reflect opportunities for everyone

to participate or be heard? How do we model democratic processes in our school/preschool? What leadership opportunities exist in the school/preschool for EfS?

Governance How can we maintain the EfS commitment and focus? Why make EfS a site priority? How is EfS currently reflected in site practices and programs? How can EfS be reflected in existing structures and priorities?

Planning and management

How do our projects connect to student/children learning and the curriculum? How can our current environmental projects and activities be brought together into

an EfS focus? Why should we bring our current environmental projects and activities together? What is the same and different about environmental education and EfS? What are the benefits and costs of having an EfS focus? What resources (time, staffing, financial) can we allocate to develop an EfS focus?

Challenging

Culture

Vision and values How will putting EfS into the Site Learning Plan/Quality Improvement Plan impact on

what we do? What are the benefits of valuing cultural diversity? Is our commitment to sustainability recognised and valued by the local community?

Interconnectedness

When do we need to compare the economic and environmental benefits and costs? How many examples can we find of integrated sustainability e.g. growing food and

food miles? Which sustainability principles will guide our program directions?

Whole-school approach

Are people talking about the sustainability vision, and getting involved? Are we letting go of activities and practices that no longer fit with the sustainability

vision? How can projects be a stimulus for the shift to sustainability?

Understanding

Learning and change

In what ways are we improving our practice? How do we know? What does efficiency and effectiveness mean for sustainability? What are the local impacts of global concerns?

Learning for sustainability

How do we get into people’s hearts and minds to embrace sustainability as a school/preschool and curriculum priority?

A sustainability inquiry

How can inquiry help us to reflect on everyone’s learning? How can inquiry help us to collect data to show what learning has happened and

needs to happen? Can an inquiry approach help us to map changes in attitude?

Learning

Curriculum What systems need to be in place to make the EfS curriculum sustainable? How can we create learning opportunities to link with global cultures and concerns? What should be part of an EfS curriculum e.g. consumerism?

Learning environment

How can we reconnect with nature and a sense of place? Why do we need to connect with environments before we can really care for them? What can we learn by connecting with global environments and other cultures?

Pedagogy How do we support students/children to make connections between previous

learning and learning for sustainability? Are we providing opportunities for students/children to develop the dispositions and

capacity to shape their own learning? How can we encourage students’/children’s thinking?

Community

Community connections

How many communities can we identify within our community e.g. communities of interest, cultural communities?

What motivates and inspires us and the community to continue with EfS?

Building capacity How can we build a sharing community? How can we make sustainability behaviours normal practice and not a special focus

of attention?

Developing partnerships

What does a partnership involve? How can we identify sustainability challenges and opportunities?

Managing

Leadership In what ways are leadership opportunities being embraced? What are the challenges we face to incorporate EfS into our current and/or proposed

programs?

Governance What are the implications of including EfS in the Site Learning Plan/ Quality

Improvement Plan? How can we continue to include sustainability in planning cycles?

Planning and management

Which EfS activities require ongoing maintenance and which require further development?

What is the same and different about environmental education and EfS? How can the SEMP move us from projects to living sustainable lifestyles?

Committing

Culture

Vision and values Who promotes the sustainability vision and values? How are we achieving the sustainability vision and values? How can we align our sustainability vision with global community values? How is the commitment to sustainability in our vision and values reflected in

practice?

Interconnectedness

How is a holistic approach to sustainability reflected within and across school/preschool initiatives?

When and how do we make compromises in decision-making for sustainability? Are we learning from the past and present to create a sustainable future?

Whole-school approach

How are we continuing to learn about and for sustainability? How do we get from here to being part of a sustainable community?

Understanding

Learning and change

Are we doing things better or doing better things? Do we have a more questioning culture in the school/preschool? How can we grow our understanding of the global and local interconnectedness of

sustainability?

Learning for sustainability

Do our practices align with the expectations of our sustainability vision? How can we continue to seek opportunities to further develop our learning and skills

in sustainability? What are the best ways to communicate what we are doing and find out what

leading edge thinkers are proposing?

A sustainability inquiry

How receptive are we to change? How can we involve all staff in the development of inquiry discussions and plans? How can we best develop a questioning attitude i.e. continuously observing,

thinking, and reflecting? Are we improving educational and EfS outcomes? How do we know?

Learning

Curriculum What are the social, environmental, economic and educational outcomes of our EfS

initiatives? How can we report student/children achievement in EfS to students/children and

parents? Which EfS initiatives can we share with home and community?

Learning environment

Are we seeing a growing respect for the health of the environment? How can we measure a growth in environmental awareness and care? How can the virtual environment support sustainability learning?

Pedagogy How many ways can we connect students/children with practical sustainability

experiences? Are we engaging ‘heads, hearts and hands’? How can we create opportunities for students/children to identify what they

want/need to know rather than telling them? What kind of recording/ reporting of sustainability learning is undertaken and to

whom e.g. parents?

Community

Community connections

How willing and able are we to try new things and be open to emerging opportunities?

How can we bring people together to build a sustainable community?

Building capacity What’s next? What else? Are our sustainability practices becoming ingrained habits? How can we maintain a learning conversation, within and outside the

school/preschool, about our EfS journey?

Developing partnerships

How can we build quality relationships with agencies and organisations to achieve the sustainability vision?

How can we work with partners to improve sustainability and educational outcomes?

Managing

Leadership Who drives what is happening? How are we picking up emerging leaders and mentoring, encouraging and supporting

them? How can we ensure that leadership for EfS represents the community profile?

Governance What are we doing to challenge existing assumptions and practices?

Planning and management

How can we support all stakeholders to model EfS behaviour expectations? How can changes in attitude and behaviour be evaluated? How can we better manage EfS through sharing with other schools/preschools? Which data is most useful and who uses it?

Transforming

Culture

Vision and values What does transformative mean? Which parts of my life are sustainable and which parts can I improve?

Interconnectedness

In what ways are we living the maxims’ ‘thinking about forever’ and ‘enough for all forever’?

Are we developing as self-generating individuals, with sustainable lifestyles as our guiding direction?

Whole-school approach

What is a sustainable community? What does being part of a sustainable community mean?

Understanding

Learning and change

If change is the only constant in life, how do we continue what is valued?

Learning for sustainability

How can we continuously improve our knowledge of sustainability and promote sustainable behaviours in our communities?

Are we learning to be more sustainable with our communities?

A sustainability inquiry

How are community members using inquiry processes to examine sustainability in their lives?

Learning

Curriculum What is trans-disciplinarity and how does it relate to sustainability?

Learning environment

In which environments / communities are we making the most impact? Why?

Pedagogy In what ways are we learning together? How can we challenge others to join us in leading sustainable change?

CommunityCommunity connections

How do we know if the school/preschool and community is living more sustainable lifestyles?

Building capacity How can we actively seek new ways of living more sustainably?

Developing partnerships

How can we encourage and develop global partnerships for sustainability?

ManagingLeadership How can we support and challenge behaviours in respectful ways?

Governance What are the community signs that people are living more sustainable lifestyles?

Planning and management

How are we critically questioning current assumptions, knowledge and practice? How are cyclic processes reflected in EfS planning and growth? How do we know we are making a difference?

www.naturalresources.sa.gov.au/adelaidemtloftyranges/education

AcknowledgementsThis resource was created in partnership with the Department for Education and Child Development.

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License:

www.creativecommons.org /licenses /by/3.0 /au

Copyright owner: Crown in right of the State of South Australia 2016