Sustainable Schools - Curriculum

Free Workshops | Sustainability Priority | Curriculum Programs | Useful Websites

Developing a School Environmental Management Plan (SEMP)

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The workshop shows how the development of a SEMP can be a simple process.

The workshop will:

outline the processes involved in developing a SEMP,
present examples of SEMPS developed by ACT schools, and
commence the development of a SEMP with each participant.

When: Date and location to be advised

Time: 4pm - 6pm

RSVP: Jenny Dibley on 6207 6430 or jenny.dibley@act.gov.au

ASSI ACT will be organising workshops on the Sustainability Priority and is in the process of completing a scope and sequence of the priority. This will link the priority organising ideas to learning areas.

Sustainability Priority Organising Ideas

The organising ideas of the Sustainability Priority reflect the essential knowledge, understandings and skills required to achieve the priority effectively. The organising ideas focus on:

· Systems

· World views

· Futures

Systems

Some people refer to sustainability as an integrated, interrelated and complex system, made up of many different parts all governed by the Earth’s natural systems, such as the biosphere. Sustainability is about how humans interact with those systems and impact on them, in particular how humans manage natural resources. Sustainable systems of living rely on the interdependence of healthy social, economic and ecological systems.

World views

World views are formed by experiences at personal, local, national and global levels, and are linked to individual and community actions for sustainability. Culture, beliefs and attitude influence the way people see, use and think about the natural and built environments. World views that recognise the dependence of living things on healthy ecosystems, and value diversity and social justices are essential for achieving sustainability.

Futures

This requires students to critically reflect on current and past practices in order to make informed decisions about the future. In developing a vision for a preferred future, students need to assess the impact of scientific and technological developments on projected economic, social and environmental systems and investigate viable solutions. Actions for a more sustainable future reflect values of care, respect and responsibility and requires an understanding of environments.

Components of Sustainability

The environment is the foundation for three components of sustainability. These components are:

Environmental (e.g. natural, built, ecological considerations, habitat)
Social (e.g. wellbeing, quality of life, human impact
Economic (e.g. opportunity, cost, income generation, employment, standard of living, distribuation of incomes and equity)

These components interrelate to each other, but environmental factors and the Earth are the foundation on which all these components depend.

Overview Statement

The overview statement for sustainability in the Australian Curriculum focuses on:

Present generations......future generations
Individual and collective actions
Local and global perspectives
Balanced approach
Critical reflection of current practices
Futures
Informed action
‘Big picture’
Environmental, social, cultural and economic systems

All schools in the ACT have received copies of the following curriculum programs:

ACT Aboriginal Curriculum program – currently being aligned to the Australian Curriculum
ACT Wetlands Curriculum program (Later Childhood 3-5 and Early Adolescence 6-8) (LINKS)

AuSSI ACT curriculum units (ten week programs) on water, energy, biodiversity, waste and climate change contain local information and supporting resources from local experts.

Scootle

Scootle opens up a whole new world of online resources, programs and information to teachers!

The Scootle website contains a extensive range of objects, images, interactice websites, teacher resources and assessment tools that will change the way you develop your next program. The links to the Australian Curriculum, search function of the many resources, plus the ability to export your chosen resources into an excel spreadsheet will all make planning a progam easy and enjoyable.

Make sure you take some time to get familiar with the resources found on Scootle.

http://www.scootle.edu.au/ec/p/home

The EfS Learning Hub

The Education for Sustainability Professional Learning Hub (the Hub) is an interactive online learning network that supports sustainability professionals who use Education for Sustainability (EfS) to create change. The Hub is a platform for learning and exchange, working to connect, equip and motivate people who work in EfS.

The Hub is designed to support ongoing, demand-based professional learning – connecting EfS practitioners with relevant resources, learning and training providers.

The Hub is underpinned by the innovative EfS Learning Capabilities which describes the professional learning areas of Education for Sustainability (EfS). The EfS Capabilities Framework informs an online self-assessment tool that enables EfS practitioners to identify and address their priority professional development needs and a catalogue of quality sustainability and community education based resources.

http://www.efslearninghub.net.au/