Hopes and Prospects for the Sustainability Cross-Curriculum Priority: Provocations From a State-Wide Case Study

Abstract

This article draws on research data from a state-wide case study, intertwined with three key moments that occurred in late 2014, to critically engage with the hopes and prospects of the Sustainability Cross-Curriculum Priority (CCP) in Australian schools. These key moments — theIPCC 5th Assessment Synthesis Report(Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2014), the conclusion of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, 2005–2014 (UNDESD), and the release of the Australian Government'sReview of the Australian Curriculum: Final Report(Donnelly & Wiltshire, 2014) — illuminate both the imperative of societal change towards sustainability and the difficulty associated with integrating sustainability learning into Australian schools. The research findings presented in this article suggest that while there is reasonable support for the Sustainability CCP in some Tasmanian schools, there are many concerns that may be preventing effective integration of sustainability into curriculum. Most notably, there is a limited level of teacher understanding or capability in relation to the Sustainability CCP, which is probably compounded by a distinct lack of professional learning and development. As the spotlight is increasingly focused on the CCPs, we argue for structural change to the curriculum, alongside increased support for schools and teachers, in order to see sustainability learning effectively weaved into Australian schooling.

Developing Teachers’ Environmental Literacy through Inquiry-based Practices

“…Environmental learnings should therefore emerge in multiple disciplinary contexts, enabling the development of a cumulative, coherent, and usable understanding of our environmental concerns. Hill and Dyment (2016) join our scepticism as to the future implementation successes of the CCPs. Hill and Dyment found that teachers report not to have the time, content knowledge or interest to incorporate Sustainability into their general planning, resulting in this particular CCP not living up to its title of being a priority (Casinader & Kidman, 2018).…”

Fieldwork, Sustainability, and Environmental Education: The Centrality of Geographical Inquiry

“…It should explicitly emerge in these multiple disciplinary contexts, thus enabling the student to develop a cumulative, coherent, and usable understanding of the priority. Hill and Dyment (2016) join our scepticism as to the future implementation successes of the CCPs. Hill and Dyment ask ‘Is the very concept of a cross-curriculum priority oxymoronic?…”

“…However, this requirement for sustainability education is not as explicit as some writers would have liked, for they have argued that while ‘the Australian Curriculum neither prescribes nor particularly encourages the processes and understandings underpinning commitment to sustainability, it allows ample opportunity for teachers to engage with EfS and to incorporate sustainability as a core priority in the primary curriculum’ (Kennelly, Taylor, & Serow, 2011, p. 211, emphasis in original). Although this current article does not aim to provide an in-depth content analysis of the Australian Curriculum in relation to sustainability-focused content, we do, however, provide a surface overview, as called for by Hill and Dyment (2016).…”

Sustainability Programs in Business, Universities, and K–12: Educating Students and Leaders Toward a Sustainability Mindset

“…To gain buy in, green initiatives must be practical, actionable, and promoted by forward-thinking management. Hill and Dyment (2016) described the challenges educators faced in introducing sustainability concepts in the classroom. This 2016 study reported two vital challenges teachers noted as rational for not including detailed sustainability topics in the classroom: the instructors limited understanding of embedding sustainability concepts into the curriculum (Hill & Dyment, 2016).…”

“…Hill and Dyment (2016) described the challenges educators faced in introducing sustainability concepts in the classroom. This 2016 study reported two vital challenges teachers noted as rational for not including detailed sustainability topics in the classroom: the instructors limited understanding of embedding sustainability concepts into the curriculum (Hill & Dyment, 2016). While there is a need to educate our youth, educators themselves may not be prepared to introduce sustainability topics.…”