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  • Orana Sandri is a doctoral candidate in sustainability education, with a focus on good practice learning and teaching for sustainability in higher education. Her undergraduate degree was a Bachelor of Social Science (Environment) and her honours thesis explored sustainability discourses in rural Victoria. She currently loves to teach into undergraduate sustainability and socio-economic courses at RMIT and is passi... moreedit
Creativity, innovation and divergent thinking are routinely expected to help people envision and implement alternative practices to the status quo. However, these do not feature strongly in the literature on education for sustainability... more
Creativity, innovation and divergent thinking are routinely expected to help people envision and implement alternative practices to the status quo. However, these do not feature strongly in the literature on education for sustainability in higher education (HE), and especially graduate competencies or capabilities for sustainability. The paper makes the case for the importance of creativity in education for sustainability (EfS), and argues that innovation is at the heart of moving societies towards more sustainable paths. In other words, creativity is an essential part of learning for sustainability. A critical perspective is offered, by highlighting the effects of the theoretical roots of sustainability and environmental education in the ecological sciences, the traditional and still dominant construction of learning and teaching in HE and EfS, and the challenges and rewards that supporting creativity presents for learners and teachers in this field.
The complex social and ecological challenges that we face in the 21st century are calling for an unprecedented reorientation in the ways that we interact with each other and the physical world. Such a reorientation demands imagination,... more
The complex social and ecological challenges that we face in the 21st century are calling for an unprecedented reorientation in the ways that we interact with each other and the physical world. Such a reorientation demands imagination, creativity and innovation. Social and ecological challenges like climate change and poverty alleviation require us to think outside disciplinary boundaries and address complex and messy problems systemically, in line with principles of sustainability. Universities play a critical role in this process, equipping graduates with the capabilities, knowledge and values to respond to issues in increasingly complex local and global systems. Education for Sustainability (EfS) in higher education (HE) is about teaching students to be capable of responding to complex sustainability challenges and building a more socially and economically just, and ecologically responsible society. A body of evidence on the most effective ways to develop capabilities for sustainable development in the university learning environment is yet to be developed, as is certainty of the capabilities learners require. It is important to understand what key capabilities graduates require for sustainable development and how educators can best develop these through learning and teaching practice. In response, this paper will present a rationale for capability development in the context of EfS and outline a number of key capabilities identified in sustainability and systems theory literature. I will explore one important learner-centred approach to capability development called problem-based learning, drawing on my own experience teaching into a first year undergraduate sustainability course at RMIT University. The value of this approach to capabilities development will then be presented.