Sustainability humanistic education: a new pedagogy for a better world

Abstract

Sustainability is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity, yet current educational system perpetuates rather than alleviates the threats. The history of the emerging area of sustainability education is reviewed, including brief discussion on educational discourses, namely: humane education, environmental education, ecopedagogy, education for sustainable development, education for a culture of peace and sustainability, participatory education and humanistic education. Drawing on their strengths and using examples related to climate change, sustainability humanistic education is described as an educational paradigm shift that releases individual potential to participate in a sustainability revolution. Three case studies showcase practical outcomes of this educational approach which empowers students to challenge the status quo, reject dominant practices and rather than assume existing positions in society, take the lead in creating a better world. Sustainability is probably one of the most complex educational areas. Firstly, there is the academic challenge to understand the interconnectedness and the compounded effects of human behaviour and actions. Secondly, there is the pressing urgency to provide answers to practical problems, such as climate change and socio-economic equity. Thirdly, the existing intertwined array of practices, policies and institutions direct human behaviour towards outcomes often detrimental to social and environmental health. Sustainability has been described as the 21 st century equivalent of a new grand narrative replacing the modernist grand narrative of progress (Myerson and Rydin, 1996). Education needs to adequately reflect this at all levels. Thus this paper analyses theoretical pedagogical discourses to date and offers a new perspective employed at university level. KeywordsThe first part defines the field of sustainability education outlining existing major challenges and discusses the main theoretical frameworks in this field: humane education, environmental education, ecopedagogy, education for sustainable development, education for a culture of peace and sustainability, participatory education and humanistic education. The second part puts forward a new educational approach (termed sustainability humanistic education) and the lessons learned during its application. The paper concludes that the most prominent feature of education is to empower students to challenge the current economic development narrative and create a better, more sustainable world.