Education for Sustainable Development Summer Institute

University of Manitoba

July 14, 2014

Learning Today to Improve Tomorrow

Overview

Share Evergreen School Division’s vision for education

for sustainable development

Provide a summary of Evergreen’s journey in enhancing

student achievement through engagement

Outline strategies implemented in Evergreen designed to

achieve our vision

Initiate dialogue regarding the development of a culture

of education for sustainability

Evergreen School Division Profile Our school community is

culturally diverse and consists of

1550 students in 8 schools

located in four communities

(Winnipeg Beach, Gimli, Arborg,

and Riverton)

extensive variety of curricular

and extra-curricular programs

safe and caring schools

exemplary student services

state of the art information and

communication technologies

outstanding curriculum and

learning supports

focus on citizenship and

sustainability

Programs and Services• Junior K, Kindergarten, Early Years,

Middle Years, High School • Aboriginal Academic Achievement

• Apprenticeship • Career and Technology Studies

• Early Literacy Intervention/ Reading

Recovery

• Student Engagement Grant

Initiatives

• English as an Additional Language • Basic French

• Band/Choir • Arts Programming

• Guidance and Counselling • Student Voice/

Evergreen Student Council

• Resource Programming • Effective Behaviour Supports

• Curriculum, ICT and Behavior

Consulting Supports

• Information and Communication

Technologies

• School Community Liaison • Fibre Optic/Broadband Network

• Speech and Language Pathology • Distributed (online) Learning

• Occupational Therapy/

Physical Therapy • Sports Programs/ Clubs

• Resiliency/Restitution Programming • International Students

Education for Sustainable DevelopmentA Division Priority in Evergreen

ESD has been a priority in division Strategic Plan from 2007-2013

and current 2013-2016 Education Plan

Division Teams attended Sustainability and Education Academy

(SEdA) in 2008, 2009 and 2010

New Division Foundations approved in 2009 grounded in

sustainability

Division Sustainable Development Board policy developed in 2010

School plans from 2010-2014 identified ESD goals

Division Sustainability Committee provides recommendations for

schools regarding practice, resources, PD for staff

ESD focused professional learning and action research

Division planning, consultation and student voice processes have

consistently identified the need for a continued focus on ESD

Signs of Trouble Youth disengagement with school;

Many of our students are leaving the system without

the skills or problem solving abilities needed to

function in today’s society;

Significant and enduring achievement gaps among

groups of students including Aboriginal peoples, some

immigrant groups and those who are poor or disabled;

Lack of coherence and little synergy between young

people’s in-school and out-of-school experiences of

learning.

Student Voice and Engagement

Evergreen initiated a High School Review process in 2006 in collaboration

with MSIP that involved a series of extensive consultations with all

stakeholders including students – two themes emerged: Relationships and

Relevance

new division foundations, new priorities and formalized

student voice structures• Evergreen Student Council

• EAGLE

• Student Representative on Evergreen Board

• Student engagement in division planning/policy development

one of the first 10 divisions in Canada involved in What Did

You Do in School Today? – national research study by the

Canadian Education Association – largest research study

on student engagement in the world.

Students have consistently identified “relevant, real world learning

experiences as being critical to intellectual engagement

What Did You Do In School Today?

Evergreen has been collecting survey snapshots of all Grade 6-12 students since 2007 (added grades 4-5 in 2011).

• Engagement data has been analyzed by our Leadership Team, Board, Student Council and schools for planning and instructional improvement efforts.

• Engagement been identified as part of our mission statement and a key indicator of success.

• Student engagement needs to be considered an important schooling outcome in its own right, siting along side academic achievement as a measure of student success

What Did You do in School Today?

Invites students to share their experiences at school

related to social, institutional and intellectual

engagement

Social

IntellectualInstitutional

Meaningful

participation in the

life of the school

Active participation

in the requirements

for school success

A serious emotional and

cognitive investment in

learning

Are Youth Engaged at School?

Instructional Challenge and Student Engagement

Flow students feel

interested

and

successful

Boredomstudents find

school work

boring or of

little relevance

Anxietystudents feel

apprehensive

or anxious

about

learning

Apathystudents feel

apathetic

towards

learning

1. Teach for Today’s World

2. Make it Mean Something

3. Assessment as Feedback

4. Build Relationships

5. Improve Teaching Practices Through

Collaboration

Five Principles of

Effective Teaching PracticesDr. Sharon Friesen, Galileo Education Network

Five Core Principles of the

Framework for Effective Teaching

Practices

Current Evergreen School Division

Supports/Initiatives

1. Teachers’ design intellectually

engaging learning environments.

Collaborative Time/PLC’s

Priorities - Citizenship, Student Engagement, Education for

Sustainable Development

Inquiry-based /problem-based instruction

Backwards design planning

Student Engagement/Innovative Project Initiatives

2. Work is personally meaningful to

student and deeply connected to

world in which they live.

Teacher Action Research Teams - Citizenship, Engagement,

Education for Sustainable Development

CTS Programming

Student Engagement Initiatives

Middle Years Experiential Learning Grants

3. Teachers’ use of assessment is

directed towards improving student

learning and guiding teaching

decisions.

Assessment Policy - Assessment for, as, of learning

Provincial Report Cards

Assessment Committee

Portfolios

Student-led Conferences

4. Teachers build strong relationships

with and between students.

Resiliency, Restitution

Evergreen School Division Student Council

Student Voice – School and Division

Student Advisory groups

Peer mediators

5. Teachers are actively engaged in

ongoing professional learning.

Collaborative Time

PLC Grants

Summer Institute

TARTs

Division sponsored PD – e.g.First Steps, Discovery Education, mRLc

Early Dismissal School PD days

Individual PD funding

Vision, Mission, Values, Beliefs“Our Foundations”

The Evergreen Board of Trustees, in consultation with stakeholders, approved new Division Foundation Statements for Evergreen School Division in 2009.

These new foundations are grounded in Education for Sustainable Development.

Vision

Learning Today to Improve Tomorrow

Mission

To engage students in learning to become contributing citizens of

a democratic society

Core Values

1. Students Come First

2. Learning is Our Core Purpose

3. Public Education Serves the Common Good

What Kind of Citizen?Personally

Responsible Citizen

Participatory Citizen Social-Justice Oriented

Citizen

Descrip

tion

• Acts responsibly in their

community

• Works and pays taxes

• Picks up litter, recycles,

and gives blood

• Helps those in need,

lends a hand during

times of crisis

• Obeys laws

• Active member of community

organizations

• Organizes community efforts to

care for those in need, promote

economic development, or to

clean up environment

• Knows how government

agencies work

• Knows strategies for

accomplishing collective tasks

• Critically assesses social,

political, and economic structures

• Explores strategies for change

that address root causes of

problems

• Knows about social movements

and how to effect systemic

change

• Seeks out and addresses areas

of injustice

Sam

ple

Actio

n

• Contributes food to a

food drive

• Helps to organize a food drive • Explores why people are hungry

and acts to solve root causes

Core

Assum

ptio

ns

• To solve social

problems and improve

society, citizens must

have good character;

they must be honest,

responsible, and law-

abiding members of the

community.

• To solve social problems and

improve society, citizens must

actively participate and take

leadership positions within

established systems and

community structures.

• To solve social problems and

improve society, citizens must

question and change established

systems and structures when

they reproduce patterns of

injustice over time.

If schools are able to teach young

people to have a critical mind and

a socially oriented attitude, they

will have done all that is

necessary.

Students will then become

equipped with those qualities

which are a prerequisite for

citizens living in a healthy

democratic society. Albert Einstein

Sustainable Development and Responsible Citizenship

Human Health

and

Well-Being

EconomyEnvironment

•Quality

of

Life

“Sustainable Development can be defined as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”

World Commission on Environment and Development , 1987

2010-2013 Division Priorities

Citizenship

Student Engagement

Sustainable Development

Citizenship

Students will become informed and responsible decision-makers, playing active roles as citizens of Canada and the world, and will contribute to social, environmental, and economic well-being and an equitable quality of life for all, now and in the future.

Participatory / Social Justice Citizenship is a key element of curriculum and pedagogy and students have opportunities to demonstrate their learning of what it means to be a contributing citizen in a democratic society.

Student Engagement

Students will be engaged in relevant

learning experiences.

Schools provide students with in and

out-of-school learning experiences

and to develop their understanding

and demonstrate examples of

citizenship.

Sustainable Development

Students will acquire and demonstrate

the knowledge, skills, attitudes and life

practices that contribute to a sustainable

future.

Operations, activities, programs and

facilities will be sustainable. Design,

construction, renewal of buildings for

management, procurement, resource use

and transportation will be informed by

sustainability principles.

2013-2016 Education Plan

PRIORITIES FOCUS AREASPILLARS OF

PRACTICE

Well Being

(Students Come First)

Resiliency

Diversity

Successful Transitions

Collaboration

Personalized Learning

Information and

Communication Technology

Innovation

Student/Staff Voice

Strength-based Practice

Capacity Building

Parent and Community

Engagement

Evidence-based Decisions

Learning

(Learning is Our Core

Purpose)

Literacy

Numeracy

Contemporary Learning Competencies

(Creativity, Critical Thinking, Collaboration,

Communication)

Sustainability

(Public Education Serves

the Common Good)

Education for Sustainable

Development

Resilience: Positive Social Capacity +

Excellence in Curriculum and Instruction =

Positive Educational Outcomes

A Strength-Based

Approach

• Focus on what is strong in youth and not what is wrong with them

• Focus on youth as resources and less on them as absorbing resources

• Focus on youth as potential – help them explore their preferences, hopes, and intentions, not what we think they need

• Focus on what is important and less on what we think is urgent

Action Area – Domain 1Governance

A systemic approach to implementing

Sustainable Development is implemented.

• Priority in Division Plan

• Board Policy Development

• Division Committee

• Budget

• Democratization of Decision Making

• Evaluation and Monitoring

Action Area – Domain 2Education for Sustainable Development

Students will acquire and demonstrate the

knowledge, skills, attitudes and life practices that

contribute to a sustainable future.

• Cross-curricular focus of ESD in all subjects

• ME scope and sequence is implemented

• Inquiry-based learning focused on ESD

• Pedagogy focused on systems thinking, inquiry, active

learning, futures thinking, problem solving from a local

and global perspective

• Inclusion and Diversity are focus areas

Action Area – Domain 3Human Resources

Human resources policies, practices and development

plans are aligned with sustainable development principles.

• System and school–based leaders demonstrate commitment to

ESD

• Professional development is provided for professional and

support staff

• HR practices for all system staff support ESD capacity building,

mentoring, collaborative and lifelong learning.

• Education for Sustainable Development practices are profiled

and recognized

• Succession Planning/Leadership Development

• Staff Wellness plan is developed and programs are implemented

at each work site

Action Area – Domain 4Facilities and Operations

Sustainability principles are applied to the design, construction

and renewal of division buildings and all aspects of facility

management, procurement, resource use and transportation.

• Facilities and operations assessment

• Facility renewal plan developed based on LEED or

equivalent standard

• Operations plan developed that includes actions in

procurement, energy efficiency, water conservation and

waste reduction.

• Schools structures and outdoor spaces are “facilities that

teach” sustainability practices

• Sustainability principles are incorporated in transportation

decisions.

Action Area – Domain 5Partnerships

The community is actively engaged to address local

sustainability issues through community projects and/or

partnerships.

• Parents and community are engaged with the school in ESD

initiatives and understand the importance in student

success.

• Community Reporting profiles ESD

• Career and Technology Programming and Internships

• Active and Safe Routes to School

• Responsible citizenship is demonstrated by partnerships

with community organizations and agencies that support

volunteerism and cooperative learning opportunities.

Policy – Sustainable Development

To implement strategies to ensure that operations, activities,

programs and facilities are sustainable without compromising the

ability of present and future generations to fulfill their own goals.

To implement a systemic approach to sustainable development.

To equip students with the knowledge, skills, attitudes and life

practices that will contribute to a sustainable future.

To align human resources policies, practices and development

plans with sustainable development principles.

To apply sustainability principles to the design, construction and

renewal of division buildings and all aspects of facility

management, procurement, resource use and transportation.

What we have accomplished over the past 5 years…

New Board Policy – Sustainable Development

A culture of ESD as a priority in our division

Student Engagement Grants focused on ESD

Outdoor Learning spaces at all schools

Social Justice initiatives at all schools

ECO-GLOBE status at all schools (5 schools at Action level, 1

school at Transformation level)

Teacher Action Research focused on ESD

Teacher collaborative time provided during school day

Student Voice embedded into all decision making

Resiliency initiative designed to address student well being

Energy Management Initiative

• ESD identified as one of our 3 Priority Areas in 2013-2016

Education Plan

Sigurbjorg Stefansson Early School achieves

ESD Transformation Status

http://lifeatsses.blogspot.ca

How can Schools Get Started?

Systems View of ESDLearning for a Sustainable Future

Sustainable Development should

not be viewed as an “extra” to be

built into an already overcrowded

curriculum.

The scope of ESD embodies the

very purpose of education itself

and must be modeled by all in the

system.

Questions for Self-Assessment

Are all school wide activities governed by ESD principles?

Has your school culture been transformed by an active commitment to ESD?

Is student voice included in ESD planning, initiatives, decision-making and

learning?

Do school wide ESD activities include both a local and Global focus?

Has teaching and learning changed in order to put ESD into daily practice?

Has school infrastructure changed to implement ESD principles?

Does your school have an ESD growth and self evaluation plan or Sustainable

Schools Plan?

Does your school share ESD leadership initiatives and innovative practice with

other educators and school communities?

“In times of change, learners

inherit the Earth, while the

learned find themselves

beautifully equipped to deal with

a world that no longer exists.”

Eric Hoffer

“Children are the living

messages we send to a

time we will not see”Neil Postman

How are we preparing them?

Questions?

Contact:Paul Cuthbert

Superintendent and CEOEvergreen School Division

pcuthbert@esd.mb.ca