The Ecology of Education: Knowledge Systems for Sustainable Development and Sustainability

Abstract

The Ecology of Education: Knowledge Systems for Sustainable Development and SustainabilityResearch in knowledge systems for sustainable development (KSSD) seeks to determine how science and technology can be put into effective action at a local level. Teachers in education for sustainability attempt to achieve the same goal. KSSD research has indicated that success is context driven, that panaceas are inappropriate and that knowledge systems at best provide solutions in evolution. In this paper, we describe a teaching framework that we are developing to support KSSD researchers and teachers in education for sustainability based in ecology of education. While a need for ecology in education may be apparent, there is concurrently an equally important need for ecology of education. We argue that one cannot teach ecology in education adequately without an appropriate ecology of education. This paper first explains why teachers need to know this and then describes how teachers of education for sustainability can implement and assess this approach in the classroom.

Teacher Job Dissatisfaction: Implications for Teacher Sustainability and Social Transformation

“…As functional education is a key to teacher sustainability and social transformation, continuing professional teacher development that impacts their wellbeing should not only target the academic dimension; such a programme should also be geared towards empowering teachers to engage in the self-study. Such self-intuition is necessary since it enables the teacher to actively engage in those activities that will enable the improvement of behaviour necessary for sustainability (Wensing & Torre, 2009). Therefore, Jonane (2015: 53) notes that ìeducation for sustainable development requires new ways of conceiving goals, tasks, organisation of learning, and the teacher trainingî.…”

Evolving ecosystems in education: The nature and implications of private supplementary tutoring in Hong Kong

“…Analyses of education more recent than the original works by Cremin and Bronfenbrenner, such as those by Barton, Drake, Peres, St. Louis, and George (2004) and Wensing and Torre (2009), have applied this theme, but it has received little attention in connection with private supplementary tutoring. Such tutoring, widely known as ''shadow education'' because of the ways its curriculum mimics that of regular schooling (Aslam and Atherton 2014;Bray 1999;Buchmann 2002;Kassotakis and Verdis 2013), has become a global phenomenon but is under-researched.…”

Sınıf Öğretmeni Adaylarının Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma İçin Eğitim İle İlgili Görüşleri

“…Pramling-Samuelsson (2011), erken çocukluk döneminin sürdürülebilir kalkınma için eğitimin tanıtımına yönelik kritik bir zaman olduğunu, bu dönemde küçük çocukların değer aktarımına duyarlı olduklarını ve bu konu ile ilgili mesajları içselleştirmeye hazır olduklarını vurgulamaktadır. Bu düşünceye paralel olarak sürdürülebilir kalkınma için eğitimin pek çok savunucusu, erken çocukluk döneminde, kavramların çocukların gelişimsel seviyelerine uygun olarak sunulmasıyla karmaşık kavramların bile içselleştirilebileceğini vurgulamaktadır (Bently & Reppucci, 2013;Boutte, 2008;Davis, 2008;Davis, Engdahl, Otieno, Pramling-Samuelson, Siraj-Blatchford, & Vallahh, 2009;Kahriman-Ozturk, Olgan, & Güler, 2012;Pramling-Samuelsson, 2011;Spearman & Eckhoff, 2012;Wensing & Torre, 2009). Bu bilgiler ışığında okul öncesi ve sınıf eğitimine yönelik sürdürülebilir kalkınma için eğitim ile ilgili planlamalar yapılması önem taşımaktadır.…”