Sustainability Pedagogies - Words of Wisdom

About

Sustainability pedagogies refer to educational approaches that support learners and educators in understanding and responding to climate change and sustainability in its broadest sense—encompassing environmental, societal, and economic dimensions. Rather than relying on fixed methods, sustainability pedagogy encourages the integration of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) across curricula by fostering not only knowledge, but also values, skills, and attitudes.

In higher education, teaching specific values can present a unique challenge as it raises concerns about neutrality (McCowan, 2022). One solution is the use of constructivist, experiential, and active learning pedagogies that support learners to develop their own orientations toward sustainability, rather than prescribing a fixed set of beliefs.

There is broad consensus in the ESD field that transformative pedagogies—which are student-centred and engage learners cognitively, emotionally, and behaviourally—are essential. These approaches make learning participative and impactful, helping students not only understand sustainability issues but also feel empowered to act on them. The goal is to create learning experiences that are meaningful and relevant, enabling students to critically engage with complex global challenges and contribute to sustainable futures

References:

Ahmad, N. Et al. (2023). ‘CoDesignS Education for Sustainable Development: A framework for embedding education for sustainable development in curriculum design’, Sustainability, 15, 16460 https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/23/16460

Kukulska-Hulme, A., Wise, A.F., Coughlan, T., Biswas, G., Bossu, C., Burriss, S.K., Charitonos, K., Crossley, S.A., Enyedy, N., Ferguson, R., FitzGerald, E., Gaved, M., Herodotou, C., Hundley, M., McTamaney, C., Molvig, O., Pendergrass, E., Ramey, L., Sargent, J., Scanlon, E., Smith, B.E., & Whitelock, D. (2024). Innovating Pedagogy 2024: Open University Innovation Report 12. Milton Keynes: The Open University. Available at https://iet.open.ac.uk/files/innovating-pedagogy-2024.pdf.

McCowan T (2022) Teaching Climate Change in the University, Transforming Universities for a Changing Climate (PDF), Working Paper Series No. 8 

UCL (2023). Embedding sustainability into your teaching and learning. [online] Teaching & Learning. Available at: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/teaching-learning/publications/2023/apr/embedding-sustainability-your-teaching-and-learning#Adopt%20pedagogies%20and%20assessments.

Creating a free sustainable pedagogies course

A pan-university group was created in 2021 to discuss different themes and associated papers/publications and look at opportunities for co-creation and collaboration. One of the outcomes of this group was the development of a free course titled Sustainable pedagogies which was first published in 2024. The course is aimed at all educators who want to develop their professional practice to prepare their students to become agents for sustainability in a world that urgently needs to become sustainable. 

The course focuses on the central role that education can and should play. It helps to enact what being sustainable means, no matter the subject, and is focused on how to do this through pedagogies – ways of facilitating learning – to help position students to grow the skills, attitudes and ways of being in the world to contribute to a globally sustainable future. Sustainable pedagogies is an educational response to international recognition that finite resources, economic development and population growth will challenge current and future generations.  Participants are encouraged to participate and bring the learnings to their own context through reflection, forums and 'explore' activities.

Author: The Open University's Responsible Futures Audit 2024

Bringing sustainability into the Art History curriculum at Level 2 and beyond

A236 is a level 2 module worth 60 credits. It introduces students to the art and visual cultures of the modern period (c.1750 the present day), drawing on a wide range of media and practitioners.  Sustainability was identified as a key topic early on in the production process and this module was the first of several new modules in the Art History pathway (R27) to engage with new art historical research on this subject. Block 5 of A236 is called ‘Visions of the Anthropocene’ and contains a week’s learning (‘Constructing Co-existence’) dedicated to sustainability, as it pertains to historic and contemporary architecture and design. Students engage with a variety of material from across the world, from nineteenth-century wallpaper designs in Europe to twenty-first century ecocities in Asia. Students also work through different types of activities in their learning. For example, one reflective activity encourages students to consider if the images they are reviewing are an effective way of raising awareness of environmental issues. An interdisciplinary roundtable discussion between art historians and members of the OU’s Design Group – prepares them for an innovative exhibition-based assessment where students can consider and explore the concept of sustainable art, architecture and design. 

Author: Samuel Shaw, Open University, Senior Lecturer in Art History.

Helping students to reflect on their beliefs and understanding using a Venn diagram interactive

T213, is a Level 2, 30 credit Environment and Development course. In the first week of the module students are asked to use a Venn diagram interactive to mark where their current thinking is in relation to growthist, peakiest, environmentalist perspectives of energy systems. The interactive also allows them to see where other (anonymised) students on the module have placed themselves. To conclude the activity students are directed towards the discussion forum to share their views with the other students. A forum moderator encourages discussion between the students and provides further input as/when required. 

At the end of the course students revisit the interactive Venn diagram. Their previous answer from the start of the course is re-shared and students are invited to reflect on their decision and consider whether their perspective has changed and why.

Author: The Open University's Responsible Futures Audit 2024

Innovation Landscape Matrix: Redefining Design to Shape Sustainable Narratives

'T317 Innovation: Designing for Change', launched in 2014 and attracts 400–600 students annually. The module includes experiential project-based learning, culminating in a detailed design concept as the final assessment. A core tool is the Innovation Landscape Matrix (ILM) (Dewberry et al, 2024), created to help students explore the design ecologies of products, services, and systems through a sustainability lens.

The ILM encourages students to consider where innovation might best be focused, moving beyond conventional product-based responses. Students undertake independent research to address questions across nine areas of the matrix. The bottom left emphasises product and material explorations, while the top right expands to systemic issues: ecological impacts by location, ethics of resource use, regulatory systems, cultural norms, and technology trends. This shift in perspective enables students to challenge established design norms and develop new narratives to support sustainable transitions (Dewberry, 2018).

Over the past decade, thousands of design-for-sustainability projects have used the ILM, with associate lecturers also applying it in professional contexts. The exercise aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly 'SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production', demonstrating its impact on both learning and practice.

Author: Emma Dewberry, Open University, Senior Lecturer School of Engineering and Innovation.

References
Dewberry, Emma; Boehnert, Joanna and Sinclair, Matt (2024). Design Ecologies Exercise: The Innovation Landscape Matrix. In: Egenhoefer, Rachel Beth ed. Routledge Handbook of Sustainable Design, 2nd ed. London: Routledge, pp. 618–623

Dewberry, Emma (2018). Eco-literacy in Transition: the role of design ecologies in developing our capacity for radical change. In: Can Design Catalyse the Great Transition? Papers from the Transition Design Symposium 2016 (Kossoff, Gideon and Potts, Ruth eds.), The School of Design at Carnegie Mellon University, Schumacher College and the New Weather Institute. pp. 127–136.

Sustainability is a global challenge with global solutions

D113 is a 60 credit, level 1 interdisciplinary module which explores Global challenges through a social science lens. For Block 2 of the module (equivalent to 20 credits of study) students are split into three strands dependent on their degree and qualification.  

Week 17 of the Geography and Environmental Studies strand contains innovative teaching which demonstrates what we can learn from the Global South. It also helps students to consider the difference geography can make to understanding the climate crisis and what it means to be a geographer in the 21st century. 

Students undertake a ‘virtual fieldtrip’ where they engage with six case studies featuring videos which present a range of 'voices from the Global South'. The videos were co-produced with the Royal Geographical Society. Activities support students to critically review key elements of the case study videos and guide reflection. The approach supports students to recognise and reflect on why listening to and engaging with diverse voices are key to addressing global challenges such as the climate crisis. 

Author: The Open University's Responsible Futures Audit 2024