Geographical Association

School geography and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) are closely intertwined. Existing Think Pieces explore ESD with reference to PGCE student qualities and the KS1/2 curriculum. In this Think Piece, Nick Hopwood (Oxford University) discusses issues of ESD focusing on pupils' perspectives.

• Introduction
• Key questions
• Illustrating pupils' views on ESD in geography
• Where next? Resources for pupils and teachers
• Suggested activity for PGCE students
• References and links

ESD has gained presence in the context of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-14). It is not an issue confined to the geography classroom, but it does seem intuitive to many geography educators that they have a crucial role to play in supporting young people's learning about, and acting for, a more sustainable future.

The importance of this theme is reflected in the fact that two additional Think Pieces are available, providing valuable resources for those wishing to think through ESD from a teacher's perspective (Maggie Smith), or more specifically in relation to the KS1/2 curriculum (Freda Eyden). These refer to a growing literature which explores relationships between geography education and ESD.

A notable gap in this literature relates to pupils' perspectives on ESD. This Think Piece draws on research based in geography classrooms and highlights some thought-provoking issues which emerged.


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Maggie Smith identifies four key questions that should be considered when introducing PGCE students to ESD. This Think Piece presents further questions to stimulate the minds and practices of the next generation of geography teachers:

• How do pupils perceive the role of geography with respect to ESD?
• How do pupils' views influence their learning?

In relation to ESD we have devoted much of our attention to adult viewpoints, and ways in which we could lead pupils towards understandings and actions which adults deem valuable. If this text convinces anyone of anything, it should be of the importance of considering how pupils might view and experience ESD.

Maggie Smith lists several qualities that may help beginning teachers effectively teach about ESD, including an ability to interrogate the discourse of ESD and to reflect on their own views of ESD. To these might be added a further quality: the ability to think beyond official and personal discourses or views about ESD, and to consider the starting points, values, and experiences of learners. PGCE students might develop a habit of asking themselves the following sorts of questions when planning learning experiences in relation to ESD:

• What different viewpoints might my pupils have in relation to sustainable development?
• How might the agendas and beliefs that my pupils bring with them to the classroom influence what and how they learn?

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The following section can be downloaded as a Word Document to use with PGCE students in a seminar session or to inform the activity suggested below. It illustrates the ways in which some pupils think about ESD in relation to geography lessons and how these views influence their learning. It draws on findings from a classroom-based study of Year 9 pupils' conceptions and experiences of school geography (Hopwood, 2007)

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Given the emphasis on curriculum or teacher practices in the literature, there is not a large body of resources relating to pupils' perspectives on ESD to draw upon. A small number of directly relevant texts are referenced below; others that relate to ESD more generally are cited in the two related Think Pieces mentioned above.

Also provided here are descriptions of the websites which offer sources of information about ESD, often with accompanying suggestions or resources for lessons.

A good place to start thinking through pupils' perspectives and their role in learning is chapter two of Margaret Roberts' (2003) book Learning Through Enquiry. This considers constructivist understandings of teaching and learning, and the need to take pupils' viewpoints into account.

Mark Rickinson (1999) describes a study which explored differences between teachers' and pupils' interpretations of environmental learning experiences in Key Stage 3 geography. This is one of the few existing empirical studies that paints a picture of ESD from the perspective of both the learner and teacher.

Alan Reid (1996) presents a useful framework which can be used to help understand both pupils' and teachers' views on ESD. He describes several continua along which contrasting views can be situated (e.g. 'supports the preservation of the natural environment' through to 'encourages the exploitation of the natural environment and human needs').

Summers, Corney and Childs (2004) offer a tri-partite model to which trainee geography teachers' views on ESD are compared (do they incorporate environmental, social, and/or economic dimensions?). This model is similar to the three components of sustainable development discussed on the Defra website: a better environment and sustainable resource use; thriving economies and community; and economic prosperity. These could serve as useful starting points for analysing the views of trainee geography teachers, or those of pupils.

The Natural England website hosts an extensive section entitled 'Nature for Schools' which includes 100 lesson plans, activities and information to help pupils understand nature and human impacts upon it, and over 500 links to other relevant websites. Resources for both primary and secondary schools are available and clearly labelled, and suggestions include lessons on a sustainable lunchbox (primary) and sustainable shopping (secondary).

Action for Nature is an organisation which encourages young people to take personal action to nurture and protect a healthy environment. Its website has a section for adults including a teachers' guide on developing pupils' environmental literacy. The bulk of the site however is suitable for a pupil audience, and includes information about their Eco-Hero awards, which attract applications from many countries. This site is explicitly oriented towards an environmental agenda and are thus does not cover all the dimensions of what one might consider a balanced approach to ESD. This said it is a colourful and easily navigated site with well-presented information and interesting activities.

Treehugger is an American-hosted website which includes text, radio, and video/TV, suitable for teachers interested in developing their ideas, particularly in relation to carbon footprints. Resources include videos on how to host an eco-party, reviews of computer games aimed at teaching ecological values, book reviews, and articles (a recent example explored the carbon footprint of a burger). There is a strong interactive element to the site, with online discussion forums, and open debate in response to many current environmental and development issues.


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This activity would require two separate sessions with an opportunity for PGCE students to talk to pupils in between. The aim is to get them to consider their own views on ESD and to find out about those of their pupils.

In the first session students are asked to write down how they think sustainable development can be defined, and what it involves. This is not to test their ideas against official views, but to provide a starting point for further reflection and discussion. They are then introduced to the three-component frameworks used in relation to ESD (environmental, social, economic dimensions). Students get into groups and try to place the different statements of their peers on an overlapping Venn diagram (in which each circle represents one of the three dimensions; see Summers et al 2004). This should help students situate their own views and appreciate the diversity of opinions people hold.

Students are asked to go into school and talk to pupils about ESD. This could involve planning a lesson in which pupils' different opinions on sustainable development are discussed by the class, or it could be conducted through a mini research project. Part of the first session can be used to help students think about the best ways of soliciting pupils' views.

When students get together again, they share their findings in small groups. Together they use the same three-component framework to analyse and map out pupils' ideas about sustainable development. These can then be compared and contrasted with the PGCE students' own ideas. They might explore whether pupils' views seem to vary with age, gender, or school location (urban/rural areas). In the plenary a whole-group discussion is held in which students are asked to consider how what they have found out might influence their lesson planning, pupils' learning, and/or assessment in relation to ESD.


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Hopwood, N. (2007) 'Pupils' conceptions of geography: issues for debate'. In Halocha, J. & Powell, A. (Eds) Conceptualising geographical education, London: International Geographical Union Commission on Geographical Education / Institute of Education.
Hopwood, N. (forthcoming) 'Environmental education: pupils' perspectives on classroom experience'. Environmental Education Research, 13(4).
Reid, A. (1996) 'Exploring values in sustainable development'. Teaching Geography, 21(4), pp.168-171.
Rickinson, M. (1999) 'People-environment issues in geography classroom: towards an understanding of students' experiences'. International Research on Geographical and Environmental Education, 8(2), pp.120-139.
Roberts, M. (2003) Learning through enquiry: making sense of geography in the KS3 classroom, Sheffield: The Geographical Association
Summers, M., Corney, G. & Childs, A. (2004) 'Student teachers' conceptions of sustainable development: the starting-points of geographers and scientists'. Educational Research, 46(2), pp.163-182.

Action for Nature
Defra
Natural England
Treehugger


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