EDU20005: Sustainable Education and Perspectives
Word limit: 1500 (+/- 10%)
Assignment details
This assignment has three parts:
Part A: Educating for sustainability
Discuss the scope and purpose for educating for a sustainable future. You’ll need to:
- include a definition of sustainability
- summarise key reasons sustainability has become a focus point in recent years and key principles of Educating for Sustainability (EfS)
Note: Use your readings from weeks one to five to support your discussion.
Part B: Reflection
In this section, you’re asked to critically reflect on your attitudes toward sustainable perspectives and articulate what your core values are. You might consider the following areas:
- Your ecological footprint from week one.
- What you feel to be the most important issues around environmental sustainability.
- What you find challenging.
- Your doubts, concerns and questions.
Part C: Teaching/practice position
After reflecting on your personal beliefs and values, and the rationale behind educating for a sustainable future, you need to consider how your understandings impact your role as a teacher.
- How do your personal values conflict or align with principles of EfS?
- How and why do sustainable education perspectives impact upon the professional responsibilities of teachers?
- How could you prepare children and young people to think and act for sustainable futures?
Assignment criteria
- Understanding of the purpose of educating for a sustainable future.
- Autobiographical writing, critical self-reflection and analysis.
- Understanding of the professional role of the teacher for educating with sustainable futures in mind.
- Academic expression.
| Grade | Descriptor |
| Pass [P 50–59%] To be awarded a Pass for this task, all aspects of the task must be completed, and the work must be the author’s own except where cited works of others have been used. The requirements of all criteria must be met at a satisfactory level as described by the standards statements. | The ecobiography, demonstrates an emerging awareness of: the purpose of educating for a sustainable futureyour personal attitudes and values in relation to sustainable perspectiveshow your attitudes and values impact your growth as a developing teacher.how you could prepare children and young people to think about sustainable futures.The ecobiography is clearly structured and coherent. It’s written in first person and original. Attention to professional communication (spelling, grammar, punctuation, word choice, sentence structure and headings) is evident. The assignment is supported with academic literature to analyse issues with attention to APA referencing and includes a reference list. |
| Credit [C 60–69%] To be awarded a Credit for this task, the work must fulfil the requirements of the Pass grade but at a higher standard, as described by the standards statements. | The ecobiography demonstrates an insightful understanding and awareness of: your personal views and values with consideration of potential challengeshow to apply knowledge of environmental sustainability to practicehow children and young people can think and act for sustainable futures in an educational context.The ecobiography demonstrates a mature capacity for critical self-reflection and is written in a distinct voice.The ecobiography is mostly free from grammar, spelling and punctuation errors. APA referencing is generally correct throughout. |
| Distinction [D 70–79%] To be awarded a Distinction for this task, the work must fulfil the requirements of the Credit grade but at a higher standard, as described by the standards statements. | Examples from your ecobiography highlight a thorough awareness and understanding of: the relationship between your personal values and principles of EfS and how this impacts your role as a teacher how the concept of sustainable futures can be explored in an education contexthow ideas from scholarly literature and philosophical underpinnings apply to the understandings of sustainable perspectives, analysis and teaching practice. |
| High Distinction [HD 80–100%] To be awarded a High Distinction for this task, the work must fulfil the requirements of the Distinction grade but at a higher standard, as described by the standards statements. | It demonstrates a sophisticated awareness and understanding of: your growth and development as a developing teacher with considerations for how to integrate environmental sustainability within teaching and learninghow to communicate personal and professional ideaswhy and how sustainable futures are an integral part of teaching, learning and beingthe use of literature as an additional tool for reflection beyond the prescribed texts.The ecobiography is well-structured, has a distinct voice and is insightful. It is thoughtfully written, honest, well-articulated, well-balanced, and care and attention have been paid to eliminating spelling, punctuation grammatical, and referencing errors. |
