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Integrating Art and Education for Sustainable Development: Student Seminars in Context of a Transdisciplinary Cooperation Project
Curriculum innovation in higher education institutions (HEIs)
Teaching
Education for Sustainable Development, Art and Aesthetic Approaches, Problem Oriented Learning, Transdisciplinary Cooperation, Elementary School, Global Change
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Integrating Art and Education for Sustainable Development: Student Seminars in Context of a Transdisciplinary Cooperation Project
Leuphana University of Lueneburg - Institute for Integrative Studies
In the centre of this paper will be a project that has been designed on the basis of a transdisciplinary research paradigm. It brings together art, practical contexts of higher education and Sustainable Development as its leitmotif. Different perspectives and imparted forms of specific knowledge of the participating players will be analysed. How can cultural perspectives of Education for Sustainable Development contribute to its implementation and effectiveness? What distinguishes working concepts and processes in the context of ESD from others? Which further research interests and working processes may ensue such a project? We will discuss these questions focussing on student seminars in contexts of teacher education and realized ESD projects in a primary school.
Even if there is a widespread discourse on Sustainable Development (SD) in Germany and most German people know about the problems of global change, they do not transfer their knowledge into rational behavior and courses of action (Umweltbundesamt 2008) – an issue that has to be considered also by educational concepts. The mentioned study of German Environmental Agency also revealed that in the perception of the interviewees the problems of global change have a strongly ecological background rather than a cultural or social origin. These issues are reflected in the scope of the implementation of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) as a study of Rode and Wendler shows. It is appellatively titled “In the past we named it environmental education” meaning that ESD for most teaching institutions and initiatives is only another labelling for environmental education (Rode/Wendler 2009). Programmes on an official level have to face different challenges. ‘Transfer-21’ based on decisions of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs was developed by a transdisciplinary programme commission in order to implement ESD nationwide in German schools. The closing report of Transfer-21 pointed out that there was little willingness and candidness in schools towards innovation and additional concepts. (Transfer-21 2009) The Insitute for integrative Studies (infis) at Leuphana University of Lueneburg aims to meet these challenges with an integrated ESD learning concept for students in teacher education to sensitize them before they start their teaching profession. We are exploring innovative learning concepts in cooperation with elementary schools and other partners. The best-practice project we would like to present on the International Conference on Higher Education is based on cooperation between infis, the artist George Steinmann, the cultural scientist Hildegard Kurt and an elementary school in Lueneburg.
With our art-cooperation project we intended to sensitize students, teachers, pupils and parents in terms of global change. The first step consisted of establishing adequate possibilities of implementation by strengthening the awareness and openness of teachers, students, pupils and parents. We focused on specific methods and central aspects of ESD like participation, cooperation and developing key competencies in regards to shaping a common future. Through a cooperation of university, a primary school, artists and the town of Lueneburg we compassed an opening of institutions and transdicilpinary exchange. Art should function as subordinate impetus in this context.
With the cooperation project that started in March 2009 we intended to involve an internationally known artist and a cultural scientist as key change agents in ESD learning processes – to employ aesthetics as particular approach and integrative moment (Dielemann 2007). The comprehensive and tangible objective of the project consists of the creation of a sustainable school environment in order to enhance learning and social processes with an integrated global view. Three different threads and activities have been crceated up to this moment: (1) the design of an architectural intervention concerning the school building by George Steinmann, (2) workshops with parents and teachers to redefine and appreciate social structures by Hildegard Kurt and (3) four student seminars in the context of the project as well as two ESD learning projects for the pupils of the primary school by infis/Verena Holz and students in teacher education. Via the project, a public dialogue should start on innovative forms of education, it’s connections to aesthetics and to appropriate learning environments. That implies an opening of school towards the city of Lueneburg, its region and beyond. In a conference talk we would like to present the practical work in context of the student seminars. The aim of the student seminars was to develop ESD projects for the pupils with a particular perspective on aesthetic and socio-cultural questions, concerning pupil’s classroom environment and further off. The student seminars followed an open conception with highly participative dues. That means students could develop the contents and forms of the ESD projects for the children. It implied also a closed cooperation of our seminar student group with the teachers of three classes at Heiligengeist elementary school, where the entire project was realized. The children were between the ages of 7 and 10. One of the classes accommodated only children with speech impediments, children of all classes participated together in the learning projects with students. Three seminars were only opened to students studying teacher education, another course was attended by students of various disciplines. The seminars were based on each other, they focused on the cooperation project and the artists work in contexts of SD. Nevertheless we approached by using different topics:
Art and aesthetic as approach to SD
Working methods and contents of ESD
George Steinman and the cultural dimension of ESD and
“Global learning and classroom aesthetics”.
The project – including the student seminars – is part of transdisciplinary and innovation research processes in the context of ESD. Therefore we described the processes by participant observation and could transfer made experiences into our teaching conception. Since the courses were held in two phases during the cooperation project, we had the chance to improve processes concerning contents, approaches and project communication in the second period. The first project period was mainly financed by Altner-Combecher-Stiftung for ecology and peace. The project was honoured by German UNESCO agency. Next steps will be the realization of the architectural intervention and the implementation of a public dialogue with different transdisciplinary partners.
We will present specific challenges concerning the relationship of aesthetic approaches and ESD. On a methodological level regarding the student seminars, we found out that it was useful to leave aside the ESD context in the beginning. Instead we examined a wider range of suitable art works and let learners find their own access. In the next step ethical questions and ideas of shaping society made subject by several artworks were discussed, also in terms of SD. The challenging open participative seminar form – even the lecturer didn’t know how the pupils projects would look like in the end – turned out to strengthen responsible behaviour, creativity and self-confidence of students as they described in their closing reports. This is an important aspect as most German teacher students have only a theoretical idea of their future classes. Concerning the pupils projects: students made the experience that pupils competences do not only rely on their age but on an adequate learning setting and possibilities to follow their interests. Pupils showed an elaborative understanding of complex relationships in terms of global change. Art and sensual experience functioned in a way as meta-language to formulate conflicting questions and express personal feelings towards a future.
The project turned out to increase the acceptance of learning and implementation processes – considering the fact that neither participating students nor teachers had an idea of modern art and its conceptions. The approach could be described as effective. Especially the innovative quality of questions by artists and artworks towards future societies seem to advance and enhance discussions and the willingness to get in touch with the problematic of global change. The second innovation consists in the application of problem-oriented learning environments on an academic level as well as in school contexts aiming at complex understanding of development processes.
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