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Abstract

With reference to Tasmania's new state curriculum - the Essential Learnings
Framework (ELs) - this research explores the merits and practical relevance of
Education for Sustainability (EfS). The work considers the contextual nature of
sustainability in the application of an integrative approach to EfS in two public
primary schools. The first section identifies EfS as an integrative educational
principle that is conceptualised at the global level, yet accessed through very specific
means of delivery at the local scale. Particular attention is given to the potential for
place-based education, school/community partnerships and collaborative leadership
to facilitate the shift from EfS as a global ideal to a powerful local practice in
individual schools. I examine the strategies through which architects of the
Australian education system translate the global demands ofEfS into educational
policy and curriculum standards. The ELs framework is then explored to map its
conceptual foundations as an integrative approach to learning and its links to the
principles ofEfS. The second section reports on case studies from two primary
school communities attempting to implement EfS through the ELs :framework in
specific practical projects. Using a mixed method investigation inspired by a whole
systems methodology, each case study was explored through adaptive and locally
grounded investigations. The case studies reveal that EfS is subject to individual and
group interpretations, local community politics, and different capacities, all of which
affect the extent to which EfS can be successfully translated through the ELs. I
discuss the varied interpretations of sustainability exhibited by stakeholders in each
case study, and consider the parameters these place upon school communities
attempting to integrate curriculum, place, partnerships and leadership through a
common curriculum framework. The research suggests that in order to maximise the
potential for the ELs :framework to address EfS through integrative learning
approaches, individual school communities must engage in open and responsive
debates about what it means to create a sustainable future.

Item Type:	Thesis - Unspecified
Authors/Creators:	Pedersen, KL
Keywords:	Essential Learnings Framework (Tas.), Environmental education, Sustainable development, Curriculum planning, Education
Copyright Holders:	The Author
Copyright Information:	Copyright the author - The University is continuing to endeavour to trace the copyright owner(s) and in the meantime this item has been reproduced here in good faith. We would be pleased to hear from copyright owner(s).
Additional Information:	Embargoed until 2008. Thesis (MEnvSt)--University of Tasmania, 2006. Includes bibliographical references.
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