VOLUME 5/ 2012
DIV E R SI T Y
IN
D UN IA
NOVEMBER 2012
PYP Dunia - The Network of IB PYP Schools in Indonesia EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
MENYOROTI PERILAKU SEPELE YANG MUDAH DITIRU ANAK
2
SEEMS SMALL, BUT WITH LONG CONSEQUENCES…
3
FUNDAMENTAL SKILL OF SUSTAINABLE EDUCATION
3
UNDESD (THE UNITED NATIONS DECADE OF EDUCATION
5
ARE WE THERE YET?
6
RINGS OF SUSTAINABILITY
7
UNESCO, ESD AND IB-PYP
89
2013 MEETING SCHEDULE PYP Job Alike on 1—2 March at Sinarmas World Academy. IB Regional Visit along with the PYP Dunia Coordinators’ meeting will take place at GMIS on 15 16 April
The theme of this edition is Education for Sustainable Development which for some time now has been a common topic of discussion. Education for Sustainable Development has strong connections with the PYP philosophy. As PYP practitioners we are familiar with the concept of sustainability, which has also for many years been promoted by UNESCO. Education for Sustainable Development allows every human being to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shape a sustainable future. Education for Sustainable Development means including key sustainable development issues in teaching and learning;, for example, climate change, disaster risk reduction, biodiversity, poverty re-
duction, and sustainable consumption. It also requires participatory teaching and learning methods that motivate and empower learners to change their behaviour and take action for sustainable development. Education for Sustainable Development consequently promotes competencies like critical thinking, imagining future scenarios and making decisions in a collaborative way.
development/) So, ESD is important! (Frida)
Education for Sustainable Development requires farreaching changes in the way education is often practised today. UNESCO is the lead agency for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014). (http:// www.unesco.org/new/en/ education/themes/leading-the -international-agenda/ education-for-sustainable-
ESD logo taken from http:// portal.unesco.org/geography/en/ ev.php-
PYP DUNIA NETWORK CALLS FOR AN EDITOR Thank you to Mimin Sri Wahyuni and we wish you all the best in the MYP. Thank you also to Ida Sriguntari who is willing to serve PYP Dunia Network in the role of treasurer. Thank you also to Mary Collins who has been working very hard to promote the sustain-
ability of our network and to ensure that it is of benefit to PYP schools in Indonesia. Thank you also to Ratna Putri our secretary, who has been working with us since the network was first established many years ago. Through this edition, I would like to open the opportunity to
anyone who is interested in becoming my co-editor. Please send me an email if you are interested in becoming the editor of our newsletter at
[email protected]. Thank you. (Frida)
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MENYOROTI PERILAKU SEPELE YANG MUDAH DITIRU ANAK Suatu sore saya berbelanja di sebuah pasar swalayan yang cukup besar. Kebetulan pasar swalayan itu menawarkan diskon untuk semua produknya, termasuk diskon untuk buah-buahan impor. Salah satu buah impor yang cukup mahal harganya, meskipun sudah didiskon, adalah buah anggur dan kelengkeng. Meskipun masih agak mahal, banyak orang berduyun-duyun mengerumuni keranjang anggur dan kelengkeng tersebut. Tiba-tiba ada satu keluarga, terdiri dari ayah, ibu, dan ketiga anaknya yang berusia anak SD, datang ikut mengerumuni keranjang anggur. Tak disangka tangan si ibu tersebut mengambil segenggam anggur lalu dicicipi dan dibagikan kepada ketiga anaknya. Wow! Saya pun terhenyak dan bertanya dalam hati, kok bisa ya ibu itu membagi-bagikan anggur tadi kepada anak-anaknya padahal sudah jelas di situ ada tulisan besar warna merah dengan warna dasar kertasnya kuning bahwa pengunjung atau pembeli “Dilarang Mencicipi!” Dalam perspektif saya, tanda tersebut sudah jelas bahwa kita tidak boleh mencicipi. Tapi kenyataan yang saya lihat pada saat itu, banyak orangtua di depan anak-anaknya mengambil segenggam buah anggur atau kelengkeng untuk dicicipi di depan anak-anak mereka yang masih kecil. Tidakkah para orangtua itu sadar bahwa tindakan mereka dapat terekam oleh anak-anak? Tidakkah mereka sadar bahwa pada saat itu orangtua sedang mengajarkan nilai-nilai
kehidupan yang tidak pantas, yaitu aturan (yaitu tanda larangan atau peringatan) di tempat umum boleh dilanggar. Kalau hal ini terjadi secara berulang-ulang maka anakanak akan merekam di benak dan otak mereka sehingga mereka pada akhirnya akan menganggap bahwa semua tanda peringatan di tempat umum hanyalah pajangan dan boleh saja tidak dipatuhi. Selanjutnya bisa saja anakanak akan menganggap bahwa melanggar aturan di tempat umum itu adalah hal biasa dan pantas, seperti melanggar rambu lalu lintas, membuang sampah tidak pada tempatnya, menyerobot antrian dan sebagainya. Apalagi mencicipi di pasar swalayan, mereka akan menganggap seperti itu adalah pantas meskipun sudah ada peringat-an. Berbahayakah hal ini? Memang susah menjawabnya karena setiap keluarga punya nilai-nilai atau norma yang berbeda. Banyak sekali beberapa kebiasaan atau perilaku orang dewasa, dalam hal ini orangtua, yang tampaknya sepele dan remeh, ternyata dapat menjadi kebiasaan yang akan ditiru oleh anak-anak. Berikut ini contohnya: 1. Membuang sampah ke luar jendela ketika mengendarai mobil atau sebagai penumpang transportasi umum. Ketika makan di dalam mobil, sampahnya langsung saja di buang lewat jendela. Anak akan menganggap bahwa membuang sampah di jalan raya itu boleh! 2. Berbicara kotor. Orang dewasa sering menyapa teman akrab dengan mengguna-
kan kata-kata “misuh” sebagai bentuk dari persahabatan. Bila hal ini terjadi di depan anak-anak, maka mereka akan menganggap bahwa “misuh” kepada teman itu biasa. 3. Merokok di depan banyak orang, apalagi di depan banyak orang yang tidak merokok. Saya sering mendapati banyak pria dewasa yang merokok di ruangan ber-AC, seperti mall, restoran, bus, kereta api, rumah sakit. 4. Budaya antri dengan tertib. Saya melihat di loket-loket memang banyak orang sudah antri, tetapi tidak tertib. Seharusnya tertib diartikan dengan berdiri dan berbaris dengan tenang. Tampak susah sekali mengatur diri untuk tertib. Bahkan masih saja orang tidak malu untuk menyerobot baris-an antrian. 5. Marah di tempat umum. Ini terjadi bila orangtua tidak puas terhadap pelayanan tertentu, maka untuk meluapkan emosi mereka menggebrak meja, membanting pintu, atau benda. Dari beberapa contoh perilaku di atas, hendaknya orang tua segera sadar bahwa sekecil apapun atau seremeh apapun tindakan orang dewasa ditempat umum akan terekam oleh anak dan mereka akan menganggap bahwa perilaku tersebut benar adanya. Nilai kehidupan yang mereka dapatkan sejak kecil kemungkinan akan dilakukannya pula dalam kehidupan sehari-hari. Harus pula diingat bahwa nilai-nilai perilaku yang menjadi kebiasaan anak sebenarnya berawal dari keluarga. Bila keluarga memberi contoh
Primma Russanti Guru SD di Sekolah Ciputra Surabaya
(
[email protected]).
“Keluarga adalah tempat belajar nomor satu dimana anak belajar pertama kali tentang nilainilai kehidupan.”
sopan, maka tutur kata sopan akan menjadi nilai kehidupan yang berharga dan malu bila melanggarnya. Maka dari itu sebagai orang tua mesti hatihati dan selalu mengontrol tindakan-tindakannya agar anak-anak meniru hal-hal yang baik. Ladang yang kita tanam dengan biji yang baik dan perawatan yang baik, akan membuahkan hasil yang sempurna. Jadi, keluarga adalah tempat belajar nomor satu dimana anak belajar pertama kali tentang nilai-nilai kehidupan.
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SMALL THINGS WITH BIG CONSEQUENCES…
A simple observation during shopping at a department store has triggered this reflection. A family with three young children was in an imported fruits section of a department store. There were imported grapes and longan with discount offers. Although the price was still quite high, this section was quite crowded with people wanting to buy. A small sign said: “Dilarang Mencicipi” (This fruit is not to be consumed before buying). However, the mother of the family just took a handful of grapes and gave them to her children. A reflection of what happened here led back to the title above. It seemed that it was only a small gesture but could it lead to big consequences? The children could see and read the sign clearly, but the action their mother took could have an impact on their attitudes towards rules in the long run. There are other small habits adults do that might serve as a negative role-model for children, such as:
Throwing out rubbish from car windows
Courtesy of www.sahara.blogspot.com
Saying bad words Public smoking in the presence of non-smokers, even worse in an air-conditioned room Cutting the line when queuing Displaying anger or aggressive behaviour in public, such as banging the table, slamming the door, etc. Those are only some examples of how children see adults go about negative habits. As educators, we believe that attitudes form who we are. As educators and as adults, we have the responsibility to educate and act as role models to children so they have positive experiences on which to model their own attitudes. Primma Russanti
“The family is the first place where children
UNDESD (The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, 2005-2014) Purposes of ENDESD: The United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development is a complex and far-reaching undertaking. The environmental, social, and economic implications are enormous and touch many aspects of life of the world’s population. The overall goal of the DESD is to integrate the principles, values, and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning. This educational effort will encourage changes in behaviour that will create a more sustain-
able future in terms of environmental integrity, economic viability, and a just society for present and future generations. The basic vision of the DESD is a world where everyone has the opportunity to benefit from education and learn the values, behaviour and lifestyles required for a sustainable future and for positive societal transformation. The primary goal for the DESD is laid out in the United Nations General Assembly resolutions 59/237
in which the General Assembly “encourages Governments to consider the inclusion … of measures to implement the Decade in their respective education systems and strategies and, where appropriate, national development plans”. Furthermore, the General Assembly “invites Governments to promote public awareness of and wider participation in the Decade, inter alia, through cooperation with and initiatives engaging civil society and other relevant stakeholders, especially at the beginning of the
learn the values of life.”
Decade”. (UNESCO, 2005, International Implementation Scheme) (Source taken from http:// portal.unesco.org/geography/ en/ev.phpURL_ID=14131&URL_DO=DO_T OPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html)
By Frida Widjaya,
[email protected] PYP Workshop Leader, Deputy HOS Fairview International School, Malaysia
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FUNDAMENTAL SKILL OF SUSTAINABLE EDUCATI ON Aristotle said 'Education is the best provision for old age'. In an attempt to justify this statement, it is first necessary to define what is meant by education. Collins Oxford dictionary defines education as the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment and generally of preparing oneself intellectually for mature life. These works appear to agree that the core element of education is preparing one for adult life. If we take this view, it is necessary to ask two questions. Firstly, what is required to be successful, or at least to be in possession of those faculties, one would expect to find in an average adult? Secondly, how does one ensure that education is beneficial in equipping a person with those abilities that help to sustain one throughout life? The answer lies in making provision for a sustainable education; one that will continually provide opportunities for furthering one’s attributes and gaining new skills. The acquisition of knowledge is not in itself of great importance. Few people, if any, can remember much of what they learnt in school. What lasts through life and might therefore be so called sustainable are: the skills introduced during the formative years and developed throughout school life; the ability to think critically and logically, the ability to look objectively at situations and view problems from varying perspectives; the ability to analyse materials and apply relevant knowledge in solving problems. How, then, do we teach and nurture the development of
these skills before we see them come to fruition? Teaching critical thinking at an early age is done through elicitation, probing, and questions involving answers which require some level of thought. Why? How does it happen? What should you do when......? These kinds of questions help students build their thinking skills. As their ability to think critically develops, so does the level of their ability in answering questions that requires analytical thought and the justification of ideas. You can create a story or take a problem that happens somewhere in the world and ask students to analyse the situation. What has happened? What will happen and how could they avoid the most severe consequences of such situation? How might they connect it to their real life? The justification of ideas or the defending of one’s opinion can be rehearsed through games, writing persuasive letters, or creating interactive campaigns, for example. In the past and indeed still in many curriculums, the acquisition of knowledge is considered of primary importance and, therefore, a great deal of time is dedicated to this pursuit. This is usually done by a so called teacher standing in front of the class with a textbook and essentially spoon feeding the students with a large amount of information which they will then regurgitate in an exam. An exam which tests merely memory and cares little about actual comprehension of material. The detriment of this kind of education is blatant. However, it is not fair to say
that the pursuit of knowledge is an entirely futile endeavour. The challenge is to do it in the right way. If students are asked to find information for themselves and are taught how to do this, they will gain research skills and learn how to do things in a practical way— learning through trials and errors while at the same time picking up the required relevant knowledge. The understanding and concepts that the students acquired through the employment of such activities will last longer in the students' memories because of its challenging aspect and because they are actively engaged— learning through doing, learning through experiences. It would seem, then, that essentially a sustainable education is one that prepares students to face the life ahead of them as best as they can. For this purpose, the most important skill they need is critical thinking. Some ideas on how this skill can be developed have been discussed earlier. How teachers put this to practice will depend from one person to another. The point is, I believe it is fair to say that the PYP taught well provides what might well be referred to as a Sustainable Education. Everyone needs critical thinking to gain deeper knowledge and to solve problems. Now, how are we supposed to teach critical thinking? Asking questions—such as: Why? How does it happen? What should you do when...? - will help your students develop their critical thinking. You can create a story or take a problem that happens somewhere in the world.
“The PYP taught well provides what might well be referred to as a Sustainable Education.”
Then, have your students analyse the situation, predict what will happen and connect it to their real life. When they analyse a situation, they are supposed to learn how to defend their opinion. As teachers, we can encourage parents to develop their children's critical thinking as well. For example, while driving they can ask their children how many shapes they find, what signs they see, or when they are watching TV together they can discuss what happens in that film and how it is related to real life situations. It is impossible to live without problems, but as long as our children have good critical thinking skills they can solve a lot of problems creatively. Having students work in groups can help them analyse how others think and that there are more than one way to solve a problem. Give your students a chance to make a decision. Give them freedom to express their ideas. Don't be easy to judge whether their argument is right or wrong. Encourage them not to be afraid of expressing their thoughts. Giving wrong answers is better than not giving any answer at all. Intan Andriani Grade 2 Homeroom Teacher at Sekolah Ciputra, Surabaya
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KETERAMPILAN DASAR DALAM PENDIDIKAN YANG BERKESINAMBUNGAN Salah satu kutipan Aristoteles menyatakan bahwa “Pendidikan adalah bekal terbaik di masa tua”. Dalam Kamus Collins Oxford, pendidikan didefinisikan sebagai suatu tindakan atau proses penyampaian atau mendapatkan pengetahuan umum, mengembangkan kekuatan penalaran dan penilaian, dan umumnya mempersiapkan diri secara intelektual untuk kehidupan dewasa. Pernyataan-pernyataan di atas nampaknya menggarisbawahi bahwa elemen inti dari pendidikan adalah mempersiapkan seseorang untuk kehidupan dewasanya. Dari sini muncul dua pertanyaan, yaitu:
Apa saja yang dibutuhkan seseorang untuk mencapai sukses atau paling tidak untuk dapat memiliki atribut-atribut sebagai seorang dewasa pada umumnya?
Bagaimana cara memastikan bahwa pendidikan memberikan manfaat dalam memperlengkapi seseorang dengan kemampuan-kemampuan yang dibutuhkannya untuk menjalani seluruh hidupnya?
Jawabannya terletak pada adanya pendidikan yang berkesinambungan (lestari), yang secara terus-menerus menyediakan kesempatan bagi seseorang untuk mengembangkan kualitas-kualitasnya dan memperoleh keterampilan-keterampilan baru. Perolehan pengetahuan semata-mata bukanlah menjadi hal yang sangat penting. Hanya sedikit orang yang dapat mengingat apa yang dipelajarinya di sekolah. Hal yang bertahan dalam kehidupan dan dapat disebut lestari adalah keterampilan-keterampilan yang diperoleh selama tahun-tahun pembelajaran dan dikembangkan sepanjang kehidupan sekolah, seperti misalnya: kemampuan berpikir kritis dan logis, keterampilan untuk menganalisa situasi secara obyektif dan melihat permasalahan dari berbagai sudut pandang, keterampilan untuk menganalisa materi dan menerapkan pengetahuan yang relevan dalam memecahkan permasalahan. Bagaimana agar keterampilan-keterampilan tersebut di atas dapat terus dikembangkan dan dipertahankan? Mengajarkan cara berpikir kritis sejak usia dini dapat dilakukan melalui pertanyaan-pertanyaan yang membutuhkan pemikiran dalam menjawabnya, seperti pertanyaan-pertanyaan: ‘Mengapa?’, ‘Bagaimana terjadinya?’, ‘Apa yang seharusnya dilakukan ketika…?’ Pertanyaan-pertanyaan demikian membantu siswa membangun keterampilan berpikirnya sehingga tingkat kesulitan pertanyaan dapat terus ditingkatkan sampai mencapai pemikiran analitis dan kemampuan untuk mempertahankan pendapatnya. Konteks pertanyaan dapat diambil dari cerita karangan sendiri ataupun mengangkat permasalahan yang terjadi di sekitar kita, di mana siswa diminta untuk melakukan analisa dengan pertanyaan-pertanyaan ‘Apa yang sudah terjadi?’, ‘Apa yang mungkin terjadi dan bagaimana agar terhindar dari akibat yang terburuk dalam situasi tersebut?’, ‘Bagaimana hal ini dapat dihubungkan dengan situasi mereka sendiri?’. Kemampuan mempertahankan ide atau pendapat dapat dilatih melalui permainan, menulis karangan persuasive, mengadakan kampanye interaktif, dll. Di masa lampau dan bahkan saat ini, banyak kurikulum yang menempatkan pengetahuan sebagai yang paling utama sehingga banyak waktu dihabiskan untuk menghafal dan kemudian mengulangnya lagi dalam ujian atau tes. Kurikulum semacam ini justru merugikan arti pendidikan itu sendiri. Hal ini bukan berarti pengetahuan dianggap tidak penting, melainkan harus disikapi secara agak berbeda. Apabila siswa belajar untuk menemukan informasi secara mandiri, maka mereka akan menguasai keterampilan melakukan riset praktis dengan mencobanya sendiri, dan pada saat yang bersamaan mereka memperoleh pengetahuan yang memang dibutuhkan pada saat itu. Pemahaman dan konsep yang diperoleh melalui mengalami dan melakukan sendiri akan lebih bertahan lama dalam ingatan siswa. Dapatlah dikatakan bahwa pendidikan yang berkesinambungan (lestari) adalah yang dapat mempersiapkan siswa untuk menghadapi kehidupan di masa mendatang sebaik mungkin. Pernyataanpernyataan di atas menunjukkan pentingnya pembelajaran berpikir kritis. Implementasi PYP secara benar dapat disebut sebagai suatu pendidikan yang berkesinambungan (lestari). Translated by: Diana Sumadianti PYP Coordinator at Sekolah Ciputra, Surabaya
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ARE WE THERE YET? How we can develop ourselves to be a steward of a home that we call Earth. On its page about Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), UNESCO writes that ESD allows every human being to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shape a sustainable future. Under this big umbrella you will find categories such as: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Cultural Diversity, Indigenous Knowledge, Disaster Risk, Poverty Reduction, Gender Equality, Health Promotion, Sustainable Lifestyles, Peace and Human Security, Water, and Sustainable Urbanisation. Those words will look like giants for our early childhood students; even the ones who sit in primary grades will need time to digest those terms carefully. They may be familiar with certain categories such as Climate Change, Cultural Diversity, Health Promotion, and especially Water. But the rest sounds as though it comes from a far faraway kingdom. As educators we have been trying to incorporate certain values that align with the ESD categories into our Units of Inquiry. Furthermore we hope to see those values translated into an action component as the result of a new acquired learning. So, let’s be childlike, and chop those giant words into bite-able sizes to chew on. Then, begin with a common ground we all agree upon that we need to sustain our earth and what in it in order to live, even more so... to live well. Below are some thoughts which can be reinforced in the classroom or school community from the unpopular categories. Biodiversity Re-learn the importance of being the earth’s stewards;
ask students to read the label of their food carefully. Be choosy of things that they will use. Primary teachers can be a role model as they use both sides of paper. While early childhood students can be an advocate of an earth-friendly play ground (a.k.a don’t abuse the plants, don’t trash where your feet can play). Educate parents to co-teach their children about allowing species to play their role. Extreme example may include: do not eat shark’s fin—no matter how heavenly it may taste... so I’ve heard, watch Lion King and connect the Circle of Life song with its true meaning. Indigenous Knowledge Mostly, our students live in cities whose populations are comprised of different indigenous groups. Each group brings its own flavor to a community. Help your students to have a heart with empathy, ears that are quick to listen and a mouth that is slow to comment. Your input will feed your students with understanding of why certain cultures think differently to what they usually think. Build an awareness by telling stories that amaze them how rich their culture is, and how poor it will be if they only have one culture group. Showcase the beauty of local language and seek similarities within language groups. I am sure students will be fascinated when you create learning engagements relevant to this category. Disaster Risk Every big thing starts with something small, so the proverb says. The same goes with this category. We often hear how disaster-hit areas reacted differently, which then caused a completely different outcome. And we all know that when
disaster happens, human will be at the top of the list to suffer, especially children. So how can we instill in our students, a frame of mind that holds a resilience spirit? Introduce them to the most likely disaster that your area might experience, be it earthquakes, floods, drought, fire or road accidents. Your school may already practice some of the following learning engagements that will start your students’ preparedness; swimming lessons, emergency fire drills, storytelling with myths that some cultures believe have something to do with disaster; consistently be a safety cautious school. But bear in mind, as I wrote at the beginning, we all start with something small, and with this goes another word of wisdom; preparedness shall be built over time, not when disaster happens. Poverty Reduction During my hibernation time in Houston, I saw how communities involved their young ones to have first hand experience in Poverty Reduction. Although this term had never been heard by most of the owners of little hands and little feet, it does not stop them to work wonder in their effort to make others live a little happier. This last three words “a little happier” become a trigger of many movements. One story was how a five year old child ended up donating more than one thousand warm blankets, only because one of her classmates couldn’t join her slumber party for not owning a proper blanket, and she just spread the word. What is the big idea behind this category? Allow me to use this sentence “To humanize human.” My story wasn’t intended for you to start a donation motion. It is just to
“ESD allows every human being to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values necessary to shape a sustainable future.“
show how education has a straight link to this category. An uneducated person won’t even be aware of his/ her capacity to take part in Poverty Reduction. Sustainable Urbanisation It is not an easy task to define this last category but we can convey a message to our students that as we live side by side in a city we are called its inhabitants. We are supposed to have the same access to facilities and share the city’s privileges. Talking about equal access will need another article by itself. So here’s a cool link that you might want to check out. I found it encompassing what we want to develop as a result of learning about Sustainable Urbanisation; http:// www.imacitychanger.org/ imacc/about/ Alexandra Silitonga Workshop Leader Alexandra _silitonga @yahoo.com
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RINGS OF SUSTAINABILITY I’ve been thinking a lot about mother tongue support recently partly because when writing this article, I was about to lead a session about this important issue at the PYP Dunia Coordinators’ meeting at Global Jaya International School. In February 2012 one of our teachers, Mary Gilleece, delivered a thought provoking session about mother tongue support at our EARCOS sponsored weekend workshop which was on the topic of Supporting Mother Tongue and English Language Acquisition. Mary’s session considered why mother tongue development is so important, seen in the context of rings of sustainability. We looked at examples from BIS children successfully developing their mother tongue, and through focusing on everything we were already doing, we generated further ideas for supporting mother tongue development at our school. Mary had attended the PYP Sustainability as international mindedness workshop at Bali International School in October 2011. She came back from the workshop committed to the idea that sustainability means more than ‘reuse, reduce and recycle’. It nurtures international mindedness when it considers the environment in context of our social, personal and technological developments. Besides exploring practical environmental action in schools, the workshop also looked at school and student leadership, motivational factors and the place of sustainability in all of the transdisciplinary themes. During the workshop participants looked at a definition of ‘rings of sustainability’: Natural sustainability - All aspects of sustainability depend on the natural environment. Do we understand biodiversity and the biogeochemical cycles of nature? Do we value indigenous ways of understanding nature?
“Sustainability
Personal sustainability – Are we healthy in mind, body and spirit? Can we communicate in more than one language, including English? If our mother tongue is English, can we communicate in another language? Can we communicate through mathematics and the arts? Have we developed ‘joyous’ activities that can sustain us in difficult times such as sport, craft, art, music, drama, dance?
means more
Socio-cultural sustainability - Do we understand our own culture and the cultures of others? Do we understand the relationship between language and culture? Do we understand that every political, economic or legal decision has a cultural basis and bias?
reduce
Urban / Technology – What does it mean to be a responsible urban citizen? Technology is integral to the development of cities. Do we use technology responsibly? As consumers, do we buy and dispose of technology in a responsible manner? Do we consider the environmental impact of the technology that we use? Mother tongue maintenance then is part of personal sustainability and also socio-cultural sustainability. Mother tongue is important because it affirms identity and also contributes to social development. If mother tongue is not maintained and sustained, this can lead to feelings of alienation and lack of belonging. It is important that we educate our parent communities about the importance of mother tongue maintenance. We are part of the sustainable education process which is more than just environmental sustainability. If you are interested in the issues of language and culture I suggest that you look at the work of Canadian anthropologist Wade Davis. Davis warns that half of the world’s seven thousand languages are set to disappear within a generation and explains why this threatens our survival. You may like to consider the following questions in the context of personal sustainability and socio-cultural sustainability. What do you think about parents talking to their children in English and not their mother-tongue? Have you ever asked your students what language they usually speak at home as a family? How often do you let your students use their mother tongue in the classroom? And for what purpose? I enjoyed discussing these issues with PYP Coordinators at Global Jaya International School in September! Mary Collins PYP Coordinator/ Elementary Principal at Bandung International School
[email protected]
Personal
Socio-cultural
Urban/ Technology
Cultural Natural
than ‘reuse, and recycle’.”
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UNESCO, ESD AND IB-PYP "We are running out of time to tackle climate change. Time to ensure sustainable, climateresilient green growth. Time to generate a clean energy revolution." (Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the World Economic Forum in Davos (2011), Switzerland).
act upon these decisions.
UN has a big concern to respond to the climate change. That is why in December 2002, the United Nations General Assembly, through its Resolution 57/254, declared a Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (20052014).
live in a world where all people have sufficient food for a healthy and productive life;
It also designated UNESCO as the lead agency for the promotion of this decade. UNESCO as the lead agency, seeks to integrate the principles, values, and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning, in order to address the social, economic, cultural and environmental problems we face in the 21st century. ESD is education that allows learners to acquire the skills, capacities, values and knowledge required to ensure sustainable development. It aims to help people to develop the attitudes, skills and knowledge to make informed decisions for the benefit of themselves and others, now and in the future, and to
According to UNESCO, ESD is about learning to: respect, value and preserve the achievements of the past; appreciate the wonders and the peoples of the Earth;
assess, care for and restore the state of our Planet; create and enjoy a better, safer, more just world; be caring citizens who exercise their rights and responsibilities locally, nationally and globally. Principles of ESD: Transformat ion change
and
ESD is not simply about providing information but involves equipping people with the skills, capacity and motivation to plan and manage change towards sustainability within an organization, industry or community. Education for all and lifelong learning ESD is driven by a broad understanding of education and learning that includes people of all ages and backgrounds and at all stages of life
and takes place within all possible learning spaces, formal and informal, in schools, workplaces, homes and communities. Systems Thinking ESD aims to equip people to understand connections between environmental, economic, social and political systems to achieve the people’s wellbeing
“Our biggest challenge in this new century is to take an idea tha t see ms abstract— Sustainable development – and turn it into a reality for all the world ’s people.”
Envisioning a better future ESD engages people in developing a shared vision for a sustainable future. Critical thinking and reflection ESD values the capacity of individuals and groups to reflect on personal experiences and world views and to challenge accepted ways of interpreting and engaging with the world. Participation ESD recognizes participation as critical for engaging groups and individuals in sustainability. Partnership for change ESD focuses on the use of genuine partnerships to build networks and relationships, and improve communication between different sectors of society. (continue on page 9)
“ESD engages people in developing a shared vision for a sustainable future.”
UNESCO, ESD AND IB-PYP (CONT’D) Looking at the principles of ESD, here are some implications for education: Learning teaching
rather
than
focusing on making students learning individuals rather than passive recipients of information ESD is not only about learning individuals but also learning institutions and societies ESD is to be seen as a multi-disciplinary approach and not a single new discipline Real world problems are not isolated in sectors or components. They need integrated multidisciplinary solutions ESD must help to break the barriers and highlight the linkage
and interconnections If we notice these implication has correlation with what we have been doing in IB- PYP: The inquiry-based learning is a very powerful learning to lead the students to take actions. Collaborative learning has led learners to work with others inside and outside the classrooms. The transdisciplinary learning through transdisciplinary themes makes the learners able to perceive problems from different perspectives.
development of ESD, as mentioned by Kofi Annan. Our biggest challenge in this new century is to take an idea that seems abstract— Sustainable development – and turn it into a reality for all the world’s people. MM. Isti Handayani IB PYP Workshop Leader, Independent School Consultant and Indonesian Teachers Trainer,
[email protected] and
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In fact, the PYP is the ESD (Education for Sustainable Development) itself. If we continue to implement the PYP, it means that we support the implementation of ESD which is declared by UN. We have to continue giving our support for
Check this out!
http://blogs.ibo.org/sharingpyp/
Websites about ESD:
http://www.unesco.org/education/tlsf/
http://portal.unesco.org/geography/en/ev.phpURL_ID=14131&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/education -for-sustainable-development/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_for_Sustainable_Development
http://www.esdtoolkit.org/
http://web.usm.my/education/ESD/index.html
http://www.pgce.soton.ac.uk/IT/Curriculum/ICTAC/ESD/
http://education.staffordshire.gov.uk/Curriculum/Subjectareas/esd/SustainableDevelopment/ esd1.htm
