<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p> Education for sustainable development (ESD) has become so crucial that we have tried to smear it on anything and everything that's teachable. The consequence is that almost everything we do may be said to contain weak attributes of ESD even if we know nothing significant about it. This paper attempts to reveal an understanding of ESD that is informed by an exploration of policy language and agenda and recent literature in the field. The exploration of policy reveals the possible cause for previous inadequate implementation of ESD. An exploration of policy and literature reveals some key competencies that are advocated for through ESD. Insight into how policy has shifted from an ecological to a development focus and substantiation for why this shift is important in addressing current sustainable development issues serves to inform the interpretation of ESD. Finally, the analysis of policy and literature is triangulated to develop a framework that may assist ESD stakeholders in identifying ESD competencies in policy and practice. It is hoped that through this engagement with selected texts a more informed and complex insight into ESD and its features may be developed</p></abstract>

Education for sustainable development (ESD) has become so crucial that we have tried to smear it on anything and everything that's teachable. The consequence is that almost everything we do may be said to contain weak attributes of ESD even if we know nothing significant about it. This paper attempts to reveal an understanding of ESD that is informed by an exploration of policy language and agenda and recent literature in the field. The exploration of policy reveals the possible cause for previous inadequate implementation of ESD. An exploration of policy and literature reveals some key competencies that are advocated for through ESD. Insight into how policy has shifted from an ecological to a development focus and substantiation for why this shift is important in addressing current sustainable development issues serves to inform the interpretation of ESD. Finally, the analysis of policy and literature is triangulated to develop a framework that may assist ESD stakeholders in identifying ESD competencies in policy and practice. It is hoped that through this engagement with selected texts a more informed and complex insight into ESD and its features may be developed

Clearing the path that has been laid: a conceptualisation of education for sustainable development

Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Norway

Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability

Education for sustainable development (ESD) has become so crucial that we have tried to smear it on anything and everything that's teachable. The consequence...

Clearing the path that has been laid: a conceptualisation of education for sustainable development

Published Online: Mar 12, 2014

Page range: 25 - 41

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jtes-2013-0009

Keywords
education for sustainable development, sustainable development, competencies, action competence, sustainability literacy

This content is open access.

Clearing the path that has been laid: a conceptualisation of education for sustainable development

Published Online: Mar 12, 2014

Page range: 25 - 41

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jtes-2013-0009

Keywordseducation for sustainable development, sustainable development, competencies, action competence, sustainability literacy

This content is open access.

Keywords
education for sustainable development, sustainable development, competencies, action competence, sustainability literacy