Course Details

1. Understand the complexity of Sustainable Development (SD) issues, their environmental, social and economical dimensions and their impact on nature and man’s quality of life.
2. Explain and discuss the role of education for the achievement of a sustainable future.
3. Become familiar with the Education for Sustainable Development principles, characteristics and pedagogical techniques (with emphasis to experiential learning techniques, e.g. outdoors activities) and consider these for lesson planning for ESD.
4. Become familiar with the ESD curriculum for pre-primary education and be able to use appropriate pedagogical approaches and techniques to plan their lessons.
5. Identify within the pre-primary education curriculum and use cross-curricular opportunities for ESD.
6. Become familiar with basic values education theory and teaching approaches, and use age appropriate values development techniques for pre-primary education.
7. Be familiar with designing and implementing a whole school EE/ESD program.
8. Be familiar with the term sustainable school and the steps to be taken for their school to become sustainable
9. Be aware of the importance of evaluation processes for ESD and become familiar with appropriate evaluation tools for pre-primary education.

Education for the environment and sustainable development

A historic review of environmental education and the pathway to Education for Sustainable Development.

Critical approach to the similarities and differences between the different evolutionary stages of EE/ESD.

Principles, philosophy, aims, objectives and characteristics of ESD Different curriculum approaches for its integration in pre-primary education (interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary models – pros and cons).

ESD Pedagogical Techniques for pre-primary Education

-       Discussion techniques (debate, role play, etc)

-       Outdoor study techniques

-       Problem solving

-       New technologies for ESD

-       Action research, Case-study, Survey – as approaches to ESD

-       Etc.

Critical review of the approaches with respect to the children’s age. Adopting the activities’ level to pre-primary education.

Students become familiar with the techniques and use them for planning effective ESD lessons for pre-primary education.

Environmental Ethics, Values and education.

Introduction to environmental ethics and values education through SD issues. The importance of pre-primary education in raising awareness.

Exploration of different approaches to values education in pre-primary education.

ESD policy making – development of Sustainable Schools.

• Whole school approach to ESD
• The sustainable school
• Whole school ESD programs in Cyprus kindergartens and pre-schools
• School – community collaborations for becoming sustainable.

• Flogaiti E. (2005) Education for the Environment and Sustainable Development. Ellinika Grammata
• Georgopoulos A. (2006) Environmental Ethics. Gutenberg
• Dimitriou A. (2009) Environmental Education: Environment, sustainability. Theoretical and educational approaches. Epikentro.

• Athanasakis A. (2004). Environmental Education in all levels of education. Gutenberg.
• Georgopoulos A., & Tsaliki E., (2003). Environmental Education: Principles, philosophy, methodology, games and exercises. Gutenberg.
• Georgopoulos Α. (2006) Earth, a small and fragile planet. Gutenberg, Athens.
• Zachariou A., Kadis K., Nicolaou Α., (2011) Sustainable Development issues in Education. Politistiko idrima trapezas Kyprou.
• Module notes