Education for Sustainable Development: A Systemic Framework for Connecting the SDGs to Educational Outcomes
Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College London, London SW7 1NE, UK
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Sustainability 2019, 11(21), 6104; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11216104
Received: 22 September 2019
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Revised: 29 October 2019
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Accepted: 29 October 2019
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Published: 2 November 2019
(This article belongs to the Section Sustainable Education and Approaches)
The UN 2030 agenda of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) envisions a future of inclusive equity, justice and prosperity within environmental limits, and places an important emphasis on education as stated in Goal 4. Education is acknowledged as a means for achieving the remaining Goals, with sustainability as a goal for education in target 4.7. However, the interconnectedness of the SDGs and the complexity of sustainability as a concept make it difficult to relate the SDGs to educational learning outcomes, with what Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) aims to achieve, left in ambiguity. Using systems thinking, we developed a framework that redefines ESD as a tool that can deliver the transformation required for society to reach a sustainable state. Using the SDGs as end points for this state, and through a participatory approach, education stakeholders and learners work together to construct a common vision of sustainability, identify the competences needed, and develop appropriate pedagogies and learning strategies. The framework allows for the development of evaluation tools that can support educational institutions to monitor and manage their progress in transforming societies towards sustainability.
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Keywords:
sustainable development goals (SDGs); systems thinking; sustainability competences; education for sustainable development; participatory approach
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MDPI and ACS Style
Kioupi, V.; Voulvoulis, N. Education for Sustainable Development: A Systemic Framework for Connecting the SDGs to Educational Outcomes. Sustainability 2019, 11, 6104. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11216104
AMA Style
Kioupi V, Voulvoulis N. Education for Sustainable Development: A Systemic Framework for Connecting the SDGs to Educational Outcomes. Sustainability. 2019; 11(21):6104. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11216104
Chicago/Turabian StyleKioupi, Vasiliki, and Nikolaos Voulvoulis. 2019. "Education for Sustainable Development: A Systemic Framework for Connecting the SDGs to Educational Outcomes" Sustainability 11, no. 21: 6104. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11216104
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