What’s the benefit of adopting an ESD approach?

In the rapidly changing world of the 21st century, many educational structures are still surprisingly 19th century. Many young people feel that what education has to offer is not relevant to their lives. Teachers often want to bring in new ideas or forms of learning but feel they do not have the time or support.

In his book ‘Sustainable Education’ (Green Books 2001) Stephen Sterling looks at the need for a ‘new educational paradigm’, and the differences between first, second and third order change and learning.

“First order change and learning takes place within accepted boundaries; it is adaptive learning that leaves basic values unexamined and unchanged… the stress is on information.
By contrast, second order change and learning involves critically reflective learning, when we examine the assumptions that influence first order learning; this is sometimes called ‘learning about learning’ or ‘thinking about our thinking’. At a deeper level still, when third order learning happens we are able to see things differently. It is creative, and involves a deep awareness of alternative world-views and ways of doing things. It is, as Einstein suggests, a shift of consciousness, and it is this transformative level of learning, both at individual and whole society levels, that radical movement towards sustainability requires.”

This shift from second to third order learning is difficult within current educational structures. Teachers who do arrive at such personal and professional transformation need to build a critical mass of ‘fellow travellers’ to avoid becoming burnt out or frustrated by the complexities of trying to teach and to change the system. They need to build alliances in order to devise effective strategies for engaging teaching institutions in such transformative learning (See Section 6 Whole School Activities).