Four phases in sustainability education: A design framework for learning, research and planning

Abstract

The discourse accompanying the term action competence suggests that action to serve sustainability and the competence to do so are important qualities for citizens. Yet when these citizens are ‘also’ university students and are studying courses in sustainability they might reasonably expect that opportunities will be given to demonstrate action competence within the group and among individuals. This is not always the case. The purpose of this paper is to identify issues of control over learning and planning that appear in sustainability education (SE) lessons and course design. We develop a four phase design framework for use in course planning. Specific reference to courses of study and SE refer to developments over the last decade, and particularly in the last 3-4 years, in the School of Education at the University of Iceland.