ENGL ISH K INGDOM
INTEGRATING SUSTAINABILITY by J ade B l ue i m ages by Li l i a Luj án
Teachers and educators play an important role in helping learners develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they need to flourish as citizens of the world, and many of these skills relate to sustainability. In this article, we take a deeper look at what the transformation and innovation dimensions of this topic involve and how to help learners develop their skills.
WHAT DO WE MEAN BY TRANSFORMATION? UNDERSTANDING AGENCY To address sustainability issues, we need to be able to take action and make choices about what action to take: we call this agency. By recognising our own agency, we can identify ways in which we can make positive changes on our own or as part of a group. Part of understanding agency is about recognising the relationship between agency and outcome. Comparing the impacts and outcomes of both individual and collective actions can help us understand how working together can not only make positive change more possible, but also more effective. By understanding agency, we can also inspire agency in others.
Classroom Tips Encourage learners to think about their own individual agency and collective agency, by asking questions such as: l
What can I do alone?
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What can we do together that I can’t do alone?
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How will the outcomes be different if we work together?
Lilia Luján, Delivery, 2017. Courtesy of the artist.
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