scholarly journals A Holistic Approach to Education for Sustainability: Ecofeminism as a Tool to Enhance Sustainability Attitudes in Pre-service Teachers

2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-21
Author(s):  
Yolanda Echegoyen-Sanz ◽  
Antonio Martín-Ezpeleta

Abstract To achieve an effective Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), teachers should possess appropriate sustainability attitudes to transmit those values to their future students. In this article, a holistic educational intervention around the ecofeminist movement is described and its impact on the sustainability attitudes of 188 pre-service teachers is assessed. The quantitative results with a validated questionnaire reveal an initial high level of sustainability awareness and a statistically significant increase in the environmental dimension after the educational intervention. In addition, the qualitative analysis of the stories and activities for children prepared by the students in a process of didactic transposition confirms their ability to effectively integrate different competencies around a topic. Due to their status as future educators in the early stages of the system, pre-service teachers are relevant to disseminate a holistic view of ESD and we can conclude that ecofeminism is a thematic node that integrates key concept and attitudinal content to achieve that goal.

The United Nations (UN) has identified 17 Sustainable Development Goals aimed to end poverty, hunger and inequality, act on climate change and the environment, improve access to health and education, and build strong institutions and partnerships. A style of leadership, ingrained in an altruistic and holistic approach that acknowledges the interrelationships of all beings, is a pre-requisite to achieve sustainable development. The projects undertaken by Amrita Institutions, under the guidance and leadership of its founder, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, are in tandem with the Sustainable Development Goals identified by the UN. Results of a survey conducted to unravel the observable components of Spiritual Intelligence (SI) and Transformational Leadership (TL) of Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, suggest a classic blend of SI and TL. Emulation of the convergence of SI and TL is projected to be an approach for mankind to transcend the differences of race, culture, and ideology, and regard one another as entities of a single all-encompassing consciousness. This prospective is predicted to promote fulfilment, purpose and meaning to life of individuals, communities, nations, and the world at large. The preliminary study illustrating this concept needs to be explored as recommendation for a future research, encompassing qualitative and quantitative analysis, to yield a holistic view of leadership characteristics. Longitudinal studies could also be pursued to deduce their trajectories over longer periods in time.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-130
Author(s):  
Yolanda Echegoyen Sanz ◽  
Antonio Martín-Ezpeleta

Aim. The aim of this work is to present a qualitative analysis of the movie proposals prepared by preservice teachers in the context of an educational experience around the ecofeminist movement. The responses to a final questionnaire about sustainability awareness are also analysed. Methods. The participants were 47 alumni of the Grades of Early Childhood Education and Primary Education at a Spanish university. After a lecture about ecofeminism and reading a series of fragments of the young literature novel Yabarí by Lola Robles (2017), preservice teachers had to prepare the proposal for an ecofeminist movie, with a synopsis, plot, characters description, cast, and the script for a key scene. To assess the experience the students completed a questionnaire about different aspects of the proposal at the end of the semester, along with a validated questionnaire about sustainability awareness. Results and conclusion. The analysis of the ecofeminist movies prepared and the responses to the questionnaires shows how the students were able to assimilate the ecofeminist thesis and incorporate them to their reflection about sustainability. This is also manifested in the results of the “Attitudes toward Sustainable Development scale”, which indicate a high level of sustainability attitudes in these preservice teachers, with no differences between genders. The creativity of these preservice teachers is evident in the variety of approaches to the topic in the different movies proposed. We can conclude that the ecofeminist topic is relevant in the classroom because it contributes to enhancing the ethical debate and driving the teaching-learning process in an interdisciplinary manner, perfectly aligned with the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 306
Author(s):  
Willibald Loiskandl ◽  
Reinhard Nolz

The aim of this review is to present a holistic view on irrigation with respect to local environmental and social conditions. Future irrigation development is addressed with a focus on sustainable development. However, technical irrigation aspects are included and references are provided for further reading and completeness. An irrigation intervention is always a combination of feasible technical, social and environmental aspects. This review provides an overview of the various fields of expertise involved in irrigation interventions and contributes to cross-discipline discussions and understanding. The selected cases demonstrate the bias of human developments and they serve to raise awareness of the impact of human interventions. The practical examples refer mainly to the authors’ project experiences and were selected so as to support pathways for sustainable irrigation development. Placing modern irrigation in relation to sustainable development goals needs a sophisticated holistic approach.


Think India ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 972-978
Author(s):  
Manisha Jetly ◽  
Dr. Nandita Singh

Education for sustainable development (ESD) enjoys a huge momentum worldwide in which the role of teachers for making sustainable development goals a reality has been recognized significantly. Teachers through their knowledge, attitudes and skills can bring the learning about these concepts to the curriculum and class room interaction and are in a position to influence their students. Therefore it is pertinent, that teachers are sensitised towards these issues, so that they prepare and nurture their students for making appropriate and responsible choices which contribute to a sustainable future. At this juncture it becomes crucial to understand their priorities and awareness level in context of the sustainable development. The present research paper aims to analyse the perception of forty post graduate pre-service teachers of the Chandigarh region, towards ESD through the dimensions of economic sustainability, environmental sustainability, social sustainability and cultural sustainability. For this researchers have adopted qualitative content analysis methodology for an in-depth study of the subjective responses through an open ended question. The findings suggest that most of the respondents associated the perception of ESD strongly with environmental sustainability. It is noted that the pre-service teachers lack a holistic approach towards ESD. On the basis of the findings it is recommended that there is an urgent need of integrating the concept of ESD consciously and conscientiously in India’s teacher education programmes.


Author(s):  
Savitri Goonesekere

The chapter analyses children’s human rights as universal norms and standards incorporated in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) that are relevant in diverse national contexts. Discussing national experiences and the quasi-jurisprudence of treaty bodies, the chapter argues that understanding the interrelated nature of the different groups of rights in the CRC is essential for effective implementation of these rights. It is suggested that the concept of the indivisibility of human rights and the global agenda of sustainable development reinforce the need for this approach. The chapter also discusses the interdependence, compatibility, and conflict between children’s rights and the human rights of other groups, such as parents, women, and a community with which a child connects as he or she grows to adulthood. The chapter argues that incorporating children’s rights in national constitutions, rather than ad hoc legislation, encourages this holistic approach to implementing children’s rights.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 392
Author(s):  
Estibaliz Sáez de Cámara ◽  
Idoia Fernández ◽  
Nekane Castillo-Eguskitza

Since the United Nations (UN) approved the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development in 2015, higher education institutions have increasingly demonstrated their commitment by supporting several initiatives. Although a great deal of progress has been made, there is still a lack of integrative approaches to truly implement Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in higher education. This paper presents a practical case that illustrates how to design and articulate SDGs within an institutional setting adopting a holistic approach: EHUagenda 2030 plan of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). It is based on empirical inquiry into global and holistic sustainable transformation and a real experience to move towards a verifiable and pragmatic contribution to sustainability. This plan describes the contribution to 12 of the 17 SDGs, along with three sectorial plans (Equality Campus, Inclusion Campus and Planet Campus), as well as the refocus of the UPV/EHU’s Educational Model and the panel of sustainable development indicators, which addresses the technical aspects of monitoring the SDGs. The methodology (mapping; mainstreaming; diagnosis and definition and, finally, estimation) is systematic and replicable in other universities yet to embark upon this integration. This case study makes a contribution towards the understanding of the complexity of the changes in Higher Education and the ways to approach it.


2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-22
Author(s):  
Bernhard Ohlmeier

Abstract Education for sustainable development (ESD) often fails to consider the political dimension. To address this gap, this paper focuses on a specific political approach to ESD. The model presented is derived from the four sustainable growth targets of German Development Policy. Instead of relying on a neo-classical or neo-liberal economic paradigm, however, the goals of social justice, environmental sustainability, economic productivity and good governance are interpreted using a sustainability model. This model is anchored in a steady-state economy that has overcome the myth of unlimited material growth and seeks to stay within the limits of the planet's resources. The preconditions of good governance are outlined, and it is described how the state and civil society can contribute to this normative goal. In addition to social, ecological, economic and political components, the presented model for civic education for sustainability considers conflicts between different development components and the need for horizontal and vertical coherence. In conclusion, the paper shows that civic education for sustainability must aim to produce informed and empowered global citizens. Citizens should have the ability to employ their knowledge and skills responsibly through local and global civic involvement while also remaining aware of their own interests. Furthermore, it falls to educational policy makers to create national as well as international organisational structures that facilitate civic ESD.


2013 ◽  
Vol 448-453 ◽  
pp. 4445-4448
Author(s):  
Ming Chong Gu ◽  
Hong Liu

Along with the development of society and economy, domestic tourism activities is rapidly increased, accompanied by increasing environmental problems brought by the tourism activities is becoming more and more brought to the attention of the people, if our country want to realize the sustainable development of tourism industry, we must replace the old development model to Eco-tourism to meet the needs of tourism and environment. Through qualitative analysis, this paper analyzed the characteristics of the Eco-tourism, and the classification of domestic ecological tourist resources to comb, and put forward some suggestions on developing Eco-tourism, hoping to provide a reference for the development of the domestic Eco-tourism.


Author(s):  
Kathryn Hegarty

Contemporary universities in the developed world face a plethora of increased – and changing – responsibilities. We are the global university, responsible for the production of worker citizens who will be 'prepared' for an extraordinarily diverse set of challenges across all facets of their lives. Much of our research concentration in the academy necessarily requires a plural, diverse approach to developing the appropriate capabilities for our students. Multidisciplinarity is the simple reality of the professional world. Universities have at their disposal sophisticated self-aware multidisciplinary practitioners. Or do they? How is multidisciplinarity perceived and understood in university departments and research teams? What are the tangible measures of successful multi-disciplinary practice? Drawing on a cultural studies framework, this paper will consider the challenges to academic identity and collegiality which reside in the assumed move to multiple ways of knowing in discovery and scholarship. How do we open to, and learn from, each others' disciplinary tools, traditions and epistemologies? How are such collegial approaches – concrete collegialities – embedded in our starting discipline? What are the understandings and limitations we face in seeking to move to a rich meaningful inter disciplinary practice? I will explore these questions in relation to the UN Decade on Education for Sustainability and Sustainable Development.


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