A Phronesian Strategy to the Education for Sustainable Development in Swedish School Curricula

Abstract

The concept of sustainable development is a foundational concept in educational contexts which seems to be interpretable in various terms. With reference to four syllabuses in the Swedish curriculum, our aim is to identify possible ways of conceiving how the concept may be developed in relation to perspectives bringing forth the relation between knowledge about and knowledge for sustainable development.In the analysis, Bernard Williams's distinction between thin and thick concepts is applied. With this analysis, a phronesian strategy is suggested to bring world-guidedness and the action-guidingness together within a holistic interpretation. The phronesian strategy will require action of the pupils and sensitivity to the individual and society as a whole.The four syllabuses in social science seem to combine theoretical perspectives with more or less explicit implications of practical and action-oriented educational methods and goals. However, an individualistic attitude and approach to problems and solutions in our world seems to be favoured, which pedagogically could be questionable.

Challenging the Teaching of Global Ethical Unity: Religious Ethical Claims as Democratic Iterations within Sustainability Didactics

“…For example, in the Swedish syllabus in RE, the concept of sustainability is referred to, though in a sense that is vague and imprecise (Lgr11). Furthermore, these references, conceptualized in individualistic terms (Grice & Franck, 2014), do not make it clear what the relationship is between sustainability issues and religious life-views.…”

Education for Sustainable Development and Multidimensional Implementation. A Study of Implementations of Sustainable Development in Education with the Curriculum of Upper Secondary School in Sweden as an Example

“…Much has happened since then, but the research on different comprehensions of sustainable development in curriculum is not extensive. Grice and Franck (2014) found a variation of possible interpretations of the concept in the new curriculum of secondary school in Sweden, but without exploring the interpretations further. Hillbur (2013) says that five syllabuses are central in the implementation of ESD in the new curriculum of Swedish compulsory school, but without any further discussion of how.…”