Learning our way to a sustainable future
Can the coronavirus pandemic be viewed as a ‘fire drill’ for what is likely to follow from the climate and biodiversity emergencies? In issue 84 of Teaching Scotland, GTC Scotland’s Ken Muir asked: “Does the [Covid-19] crisis we are enduring demonstrate sufficiently why Learning for Sustainability, essential for the wellbeing of all, is such an integral… [read more]
Forested schools: rewilding unused playing field land in Fife, Scotland
Here newly elected LfS Scotland Steering Group member, Duncan Zuill, explores the potential for Scotland’s school grounds to play their part in responding to the global climate and ecological crisis. I am part of a Bill Clinton Global Initiative team dedicated to the rewilding project described below. We have two aims: to enable parts of… [read more]
Learning for sustainability: What’s maths got to do with it?
LfS Scotland member Corinne Angier has been sponsored by the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science and Scotdec in Edinburgh to undertake a research PhD at The University of Stirling. The focus is on teaching for global citizenship in secondary mathematics classrooms. In this blog Corinne wonders whether the question from the General Teaching Council… [read more]
Joy: Why is the natural world worth saving?
The air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat all rely on the natural world, but right now it is in crisis. In a landmark recent UN Report (May 2019) nature is found to be declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history and the rates of species extinctions accelerating with… [read more]
Learning for Sustainability – Beyond the Elevator Pitch
‘Learning for Sustainability’ – it’s a broad, embracing term. An umbrella, a basket, a bag of concepts and practices that LfS Scotland member Rob Bushby’s brief elevator pitch tried to capture. As something that all learners in Scotland are entitled to, and with its role as a policy driver in Scottish education re-asserted this summer,… [read more]
Learning for Sustainability: Elevator pitch
“Ok, give me your elevator pitch for Learning for Sustainability”. I floundered. “First floor, ding”, my challenger prodded. I trotted out something about being equitable and compatible with a sustainable future. Put on the spot, I defy you to come up with an off-the-cuff response that’s not riddled with earnest cliché and jargon. “Figuring out… [read more]
Pete Higgins: ‘Citizens in waiting’ – climate strikes and caring for our planet
Peter Higgins, Professor of Outdoor & Environmental Education, Director of the Global Environment & Society Academy and Director of Learning for Sustainability Scotland shares his views on education and the recent school climate strikes. On Friday, as she did the Friday before and will do the Friday after, 16-year-old school pupil Greta Thunberg stood outside the Swedish parliament… [read more]
What is Learning for Sustainability?
You’ve heard the name… you might even be a member, but what does it actually mean? LfS Scotland member Sarah Ford-Hutchinson delves into the jargon to discover what’s underneath and gives us an understanding of what being a member of LfS Scotland means to her. Dear Reader, I hear you care about sustainability. You recycle…. [read more]
Climate Change Impacts on Tertiary Education – Reflecting on the Impressions Project
Rebecca, Scotland Programme Manager for EAUC shares her experiences and reflections on the Impressions Project.
Blog: It’s Not Just About Learning – We Need Better Sustainability Careers Advice
Rebecca Petford lives in Fife and works for the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges’ Scotland Office, based in Queen Margaret University in Musselburgh. EAUC support universities and colleges to meet their sustainability obligations and push further to make their environmental and social impacts increasingly positive, through training and networking events and development of tools… [read more]