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From environment to sustainable development: China's strategies for ESD in basic educationAuthor(s): Tiedao ZhangSource: International Review of Education / Internationale Zeitschrift frErziehungswissenschaft / Revue Internationale de l'Education, Vol. 56, No. 2/3, The MidwayPoint of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development: Where Do We Stand?(2010), pp. 329-341Published by: SpringerStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40928676.
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IntRev
Educ
2010)
56:329-341
DOI 10.1007/sl
159-010-9159-7
From environmento sustainable
development:
China's
strategies
or
ESD
in
basic
education
Tiedao
Zhang
Published nline:
June 010
Springer
cience+Business edia B.V. 2010
Abstract This
paper
intends o
provide
an overviewof
the
reorientationf
education
n
China
n
the
period
1998-2009 with
regard
o
development
ssues.
During
his
ime,
he
focushas shifted
radually
rom he
nvironmentnd
health o
education or ustainable
evelopment.
he article
entres n
highlighting
hemain
interventionsnd
strategiesdopted y
China's
schools o
makethis
reorientation
possible, ncluding:he ntroductionf newvisions fsustainableevelopmentnd
projectplanning;
he establishmentf
organisational
echanisms
nd
capacity-
building
measures or heir
mplementation
n
the
field;
he
ntegration
f ESD into
teaching
nd
earning rocesses;
he
maintenancef an
action-researchechanism
for
nnovations;
nd the
haring
f essonswith
oth he
national nd the
nterna-
tional
ommunity
n
order o makethe
mplementation
f ESD
more ffective.
Keywords
Education Sustainable
Development
ESD
Environment
China PRC
Basic
education
Rsum De l'environnementu dveloppementurable stratgies'ducation
de base en
Chine dans e contexte e
l'ducation
our
e
dveloppement
urable
(EDD)
-
Dans cet
article,
'auteur
rsente
ne vue
d'ensemble e la
rorientation
ducative n Chine ntre
998
et
2009
par
rapport
ux
questions
e
dveloppement.
Au cours e
cette
riode,
'accent st
pass
progressivement
e
l'environnement
t
de la
sant l'ducation
pour
le
dveloppement
urable.
L'auteur
claire les
principales
ctions t
stratgies
doptes ar
es
coles chinoises
our
aliser
ette
rforme,
savoir
l'introductione
nouvelles
isions u
dveloppement
urable t
la
conception
e
projets
ffrents;
'instauratione
mcanismes
rganisationnels
t
de mesures e
renforcementes
capacits
pour
eur
application
ur
le
terrain;
T.
Zhang
El)
Beijing
Academy
f
Educational
ciences,
Nanlishilu
outiao,
Beijing
100045,
China
e-mail:
Springer
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3/14
330
T.
Zhang
l'intgration
e
l'EDD dans les
processus
'enseignement
t
d'apprentissage;
e
maintien
'un mcanisme e recherche-actionur es
innovations;
t e
partage
es
enseignements
irs vec a communautant ationale
u'internationale,
n vue de
rendre
lus
efficacea mise en oeuvrede l'EDD.
Zusammenfassung
Von Umweltthemenu
nachhaltiger ntwicklung:
hinas
Strategien
rdie
Grundbildung
m Kontext er ESD
(Nachhaltigkeitsbildung)
Dieser
Beitrag
soll einen berblick ber die
Neuorientierung
hinas
im Bil-
dungsbereich
wischen
1998
und
2009
unter
dem
Gesichtspunktntwicklung
geben.
n diesemZeitraum at sich der Fokus nach und nach von Umwelt- nd
Gesundheitsfragen
uf das
Thema
Nachhaltigkeitsbildung
erschoben.m Mit-
telpunkt
es
Artikels tehen ie
wichtigsten
anahmen nd
Strategien
hinesi-
scher chulen, m dieseNeuorientierungu bewerkstelligen,nter nderem: eue
Leitvorstellungen
r
achhaltigentwicklung
nd
Projektplanung,
erAufbau on
Organisationsmechanismen
nddie
Erweiterung
er
Kapazitten,
m diese vorOrt
umzusetzen;
inbeziehung
er ESD
in
schulisches nd auerschulisches
ernen;
ein dauerhafter
ktionsforschungs-Mechanismus
r
Innovationen
owie die
landesweiteund
internationale
uswertung
on Unterrichtseinheitenr eine
wirksamere
msetzung
erESD.
Resumen
Del medio ambiente l desarrollo
ostenible:
strategias
e la RP de
China
para
a educacin
sica en el contexto e la EDS
-
Con este
rabajo,
l
autor
se propone resentarna visingeneralde la reorientacinducacional ue ha
tenido
ugar
n a
RP
de China
durantel
perodo
e
1998
a
2009
en cuanto temas
de desarrollo.
urante sta
poca,
l nfasis
e ha do desviando el medio mbiente
y
la
educacin acia
el desarrolloostenible.
n
este
artculo,
l autor
e concentra
en realzar
as
principales
ntervenciones
estrategiasdoptadas
or
as escuelasde
la RP de China
que
han
posibilitado
sta
reorientacin,
ales como: introducir
nuevas miradas
obre el desarrollo
ostenible
y
la
planificacin
e
proyectos;
establecermecanismos
rganizativos
medidas readoras e
capacidadespara
su
implementacin
n esta
rea;
integrar
a EDS en
procesos
de enseanza
y ap-
rendizaje;
mantener
n mecanismo
nvestigacin-accinara promover
nnovaci-
ones;y compartiras lecciones prendidasanto on la comunidad acional omo
con la
comunidad
nternacional
ara que
la
implementacin
e
la
EDS sea
ms
efectiva.
Pe3K)Me Ot
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From nvironment
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evelopment
331
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Introduction
The notion f education or
sustainable
evelopment
ESD)
has resulted
rom
increasinglobal wareness fthedecisive otentialoles hat he ducationystem
could
play
in
preparing
itizens,
nd the
younger eneration
n
particular,
or
sustainable
uture.
ollowing
heofficial
equest
f
China's State
Council
n
1978,
environmental
rotection
as been a selective
ubject
n
secondary
ducation
ince
the
1990s,
and a
teachers'
guideline
n
teaching
nd
learning
or sustainable
development
as
published
1996
by
the
People's
Education
Press,
the most
authoritative
extbook
ublisher
n
China.
Promotion f
the
flagship
ducation
project
Environment,
opulation
nd
Development
EPD)
was initiatedn
1998
by
the
BeijingAcademy
f
Education
Sciences
BAES)
under he
eadership
f
the Chinese
NationalCommission
or
UNESCO. From1998 to 2002,tentativectionswereadvocated n suchcritical
issues as
environment,
opulation,
ealth nd
development
n
response
o the
Chinese national
genda
for sustainable
development.
nitial
areas of
action
included
ublicity
or new
concept
f
ESD,
and
nformationbout
good practice
in
environmentalducation o advocate for
school-based
edagogical
ction to
address uch issues across the
curriculum.
eijing Municipality
ook the
lead,
introducing
he
project
with 110 local
schools involved n
curriculum nd
pedagogical
nnovation. he
overall
EPD
mission was to
provide youth
nd
childrenwith
common
knowledge
and basic
skills about
the
environment,
population
nd
sustainable
development,
hus
promoting
heir
readiness to
participatensustainableevelopment.
The
major
EPD
thrusts ere o
integrate
SD elementsnto
ubjects
cross he
curriculum;
o
develop
local
textbook eries on
environmental
rotection
nd
sustainable
evelopment
o be taken s
a
separate
ourse;
to build
up
relevant
approaches
and
methodologies
or effective
SD;
and to
develop
relevant
methodologies
or
teacher
raining rogrammes
Shi
2003;
Qian
2003).
Another
nine
provinces
ncluding hanghai,
iangsu,
handong,
uangdong,
nner
Mongo-
lia, Hubei,
Hebei
and
Zhejiang,
oonbecame
project artners.
p
to
2003 more
han
1,000
primary
nd
secondary
choolsfrom 4
provinces,
utonomous
egions
nd
municipalities
n China
were nvolved. n
light
f
theUN
Decade of
Education
or
Sustainable
Development,
PD was renamedESD and became an innovative
project
f national
ignificance
Zhang
2003).
Over the
past
10
years,
China's
EPD/ESD endeavours
ave
undergone
wo
stages.
During
the
first
tage
(1998-2003),
the
initial
chool-level
ntervention
Springer
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332
T.
Zhang
focused on
development
ssues such as environmental
rotection,
ealth and
population
rowth
s
well
as
issues of natural
esources,
ith enewed urriculum
content
r cross-curriculum
eaching
nd
learning
ctivities.
Along
with the
international
mplementation
f the United Nations Decade of Educationfor
Sustainable
evelopment
DESD),
since
2003
there as been a rather
ragmatic
educational eorientation
o react
onstructively
o a
series f fundamentalssues
n
search or
ustainableocial and economic
evelopment.
hese nclude
rotection
of the environment
nd natural
resources,
ransport,
ifestyle
nd consumer
behaviour.More
importantly
as been the
engagement
f
youths
nd childrenn
applying
SD valuesto their
aily
ives,
both n
campus
nd
n
the
ommunity.
In the
remaining years
of the
DESD,
the
following
ctions are seen
as
necessary
n
China,
nd serve
s
startingoints
or his
paper:
1. To conduct n overallevaluation f practice ver thepast 10yearsand to
document
seful essons nd
expertise
or ffective
mplementation
hroughout
the ducation
ystem;
2. To documentnddisseminate
uccess tories ndrelevant
trategies
s
part
f
a
training
urriculumor
apacity-building
urposes
or
rofessionalearning
nd
sharing mong
SD
actors;
3.
To
improvemplementation
erformance,
articularly
t school evelto
provide
leadership
or
more reative
pproaches;
4. To
expand
ESD to
higher
ducation,
ocational nd technical
ducation nd
adult earning,
s a critical
omponent
f
ifelongearning;5. To involve
governmentgencies,
NGOs and
communityrganisations
n a
consortium
or ustainable
mplementation
f
ESD; and,
6.
To maintainntensive
echnical
upport yprofessional
nstitutions
n
planning,
staff
raining,
onitoring
nd
dissemination.
The remainderf
this
paper
reviewsChina's
approach
o
EPD and then
ESD,
which
had the
following
trategies.
Operational
planning
nd facilitation
mechanism
Similar
to other
Member
States,
environmental
ssues were first ncluded
n
China's school
curriculum
n
1970s
due to
recognition
f the
factthatnational
development
nd
individual ivelihood
reatly ependupon
the environment
nd
natural esources.
owever,
he ntroduction
f EPD/ESD
in
China
was
strongly
influenced
y
increasing
nternational
ampaigns
n
environment
nd sustainable
development,
articularly
ith he
mpact
f theUN Conference
n
Environment
and
Development
n
1992.
The
Chinese
Government
lso
gave
official ommit-
ment o
adopt
a
long-term
ational
trategy
or ustainable
evelopment.
n this
context,
he Chinese
NationalCommission
or UNESCO entrusted
he
Beijing
Academyof EducationalSciences (BAES) to start new pilot projectfor
promoting
hildren's wareness
f environmental
nd
population roblems
nd
engaging
hem
n hands-on
earning rocesses
o
acquire
knowledge
nd skills
for
sustainable
evelopment.
Springer
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From nvironment
o sustainable
evelopment
333
The
general
bjectives
f the
proposed ilotproject
wereto
develop
hildren's
knowledge
nd
encourage
aily
behaviour
n line with ustainable
evelopment;
o
develop
their
ense of
responsibility
nd
readiness
o act
positively
orthe best
interestsfsustainable
evelopment;
o reorienthe chool
ystem
o
prepare ouths
andchildren
o act
consciously
or ustainable
evelopment
oth s individualsnd
as members
f the
community.
long
with uch
guidelines, project
ramework
was drafted.
long
with he BAES
working
eam,
n
operational
etworkwas
formed ith ducational
eaders t different
evels nd school
lusters,
ith cross-
cuttingoordinating
echanismo maintain
mplementation.
An
efficient
rganisational
tructure
nd
operational
mechanismre
key
factors.
Atthe nitial
tage,
PD was
mplemented
s an
ndependent
ction esearch
roject
with
voluntary articipation
mong
ocal schools.
When
more schools became
involved rom ifferentarts fChina, national roject ommittee as setupto
plan
and co-ordinate
rogramme
ctivities.
rganisational
echanisms ere also
created
hrough
he
onsortium
Fig.
1).
For effective
peration
or
rogrammemplementation,
he
following rinciples
were dhered
o:
1. To make use
of currentdministrativenstitutionsnd
appropriateeople
to
assume
esponsibility
or
programme
xecution;
2. To
delegateresponsibilities
nd resources
mong
related
takeholders,
hus
ensuring
rogramme
mplementation
s a shared
enture;
nd
3.
To establish
mechanismhat s conducive o
oint
ffort
n
thebest nterestsf
schools.
For efficient
roject peration,
he
BAES
project
eamhas severalmethods o
facilitate
rogress,
ncluding
nnual
planningmeetings
nd
progress
review
meetings;
ntensive
ield
supervision
nd
monitoring;ompetitive
electionof
ESD resource
chools;
nnual wards nd incentives or
utstandingerformance
and
publicity;
nd
disseminationf
good
practice
ia
meetings,
SD
publications
and
the nternet.
Fig.
1
Organisational
tructuref ESD
in
China
Springer
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H__J
China
EPD
Steering
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n
^ ^
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Working
ommittee
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&
h V
ChinaEPD
Working
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