The 3rd Session of AEL 2024 Summer Course Pre-study Series (July 19, 2024, 16:30-18:30): ESD
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as a well-known approach for promoting sustainable development has been widely recognized and promoted by the global society in recent decades. Towards 2030 and post-2030, there is an emerging discussion on how to further promote ESD for a more sustainable world.
On July 19, 20204, we were pleased to invite Prof. Fuangarun Preededilok, Associate Professor and Head of Department of Education Policy, Management, and Leadership, Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University, to give us a lecture on Education for Sustainable Development. In the lecture, Prof. Preededilok introduced the basic concept and history of sustainable development in global society and Thailand. Then, she explained the ESD, including its concept, contents, policy and practice in Thailand. In the last part of the lecture, Prof. Preededilok explained teacher and student competencies, which are related to sustainability. 33 students from five member universities of the Asia Education Leader Course took part in this session.
In the 2nd half of the session, students were divided into six groups to discuss the following questions.
- Are there any examples where education for sustainable development has successfully promoted sustainability in your country?
- What are your perspectives on education for sustainable development in the future, both globally and in your country?
In the group presentations, students reported the outcomes of their discussions. These include multidimensions of ESD, teacher education for ESD, localization of ESD, and partnership for ESD. After the presentations, Prof. Preededilok provided comments on the presentations. Her comments addressed 1. geographic contact; 2. diverse discourses (languages) on SDGs; 3. comprehensive foci rather than environment-focused; 4. usage of technology for promoting ESD; and 5. diverse channels for fostering the competencies of teachers and students.
This session allowed us to deepened our understanding of ESD. Moreover, it enabled us to identify similarities and differences of promotion of ESD between countries in Asia.
We look forward to welcoming all participants at Tohoku University for the summer course in August, 2024!