INTRODUCTION to

EDUCATION for
SUSTAINABILITY
02 OCTOBER SciEd 227
2022 Environmental Education
and Management
VILLA, CHRISTINE L.
Discussant
7:30-10:30 AM
ACARA's definition of Education for Sustainability is:

“Education for sustainability develops the knowledge, skills,

values and world-views necessary for people to act in ways that
contribute to more sustainable patterns of living. It enables
individuals and communities to reflect on ways of interpreting and
engaging with the world.  Sustainability education is futures-
oriented, focusing on protecting environments and creating a more
ecologically and socially just world through informed action. Actions
that support more sustainable patterns of living require
consideration of environmental, social, cultural and economic
systems and their interdependence."
Source: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), viewed on the Australian
Curriculum website on 21/10/2015.
People, Sustainability: Global Equity

Transformation and change

involves equipping people with skills, capacity and
motivation to plan and manage change towards
sustainability within an organization, industry or
community.
Education for all and lifelong learning
is driven by a broad understanding of education and
learning that includes people of all ages and backgrounds
and at all stages of life and takes place within formal and
informal learning places, in schools, workplaces, homes and
communities.
Systems thinking

aims to equip people to understand connections between

environmental, economic, social and political systems.

Envisioning a better future

engages people in envisaging diverse, sustainable
futures.
Critical Thinking and Reflection

encourages individuals and groups to reflect upon personal

experiences and worldviews, and challenges accepted ways
of interpreting and engaging with the world.
Participation
recognizes community participation as critical to the
collective shift towards an environmentally sustainable
society.

Partnerships for change

focuses on partnerships to build networks and relationships,
and improve communication between different sectors of
the community.
HOW TO COMMUNICATE FOR CHANGE

According to the Center for Research on Environmental Decisions (CRED), there are 5 key aspects
for science information to be fully absorbed by audiences:

1. Communicate with appropriate language, metapor

and analogy
2. Combine with Narrative Story telling
3. Make vivid through visual imagery and experiential
scenarios
4. Balance with Scientific information
5. Deliver through trusted messengers in group setting
HOW TO MOTIVATE FOR CHANGE

“Alone we can do so little, Together we can do so much.” Helen Keller.

1. Equip people with (the right) knowledge

2. Help people process information
3. Leverage the leaders
4. Make actions easy and enjoyable
5. Allow participation
6. Take one step at a time.
7. Pause rewards
CURRENT BEHAVIORAL CHANGE THEORIES

1. Lewin’s Change Theory

 Kurt Lewin
 He theorized a three-stage model of change that
requires prior learning to be rejected and
replaced.
 Lewin’s definition of behavior in this model is “a
dynamic balance of forces working in opposing
directions.”
The Change Theory has three major concepts:
driving forces
restraining forces
equilibrium.
There are three stages in this theory:
Unfreezing
 There are three methods that can lead to the achievement of unfreezing.

 increase the driving forces that direct behavior away from the existing
situation or status quo.

 decrease the restraining forces that negatively affect the movement from
the existing equilibrium.

 finding a combination of the first two methods.

 Change “moving to a new level” or “movement,”

Refreezing.
2. The Transtheoretical Model of Health Behavior
Change (or Stages of Change Model)
 Prochaska and DiClemente
 sees behavior change as a process of six different stages of
change that an individual must go through for lasting behavior
change (Prochaska and Velicer)
 Bamberg adds that people can proceed from one stage to the
next based on varied intentions and suggests different
variables that contribute to forming the intention of each
respective stage (2013).
3. Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations Theory
and Model (2003)
 Everett Rogers

 integrates the impact of social networks and interactions

within the networks to develop more effective behavior
change programs.

 the diffusion of innovation refers to the process that

occurs as people adopt a new idea, product, practice,
philosophy, and so on.
Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations Model (2003)
 'Tell me and I will forget. Show me
and I may remember. Involve me and
I will understand.' ~Chinese proverb