Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship through Philosophical Enquiry: Principles and Practices

Abstract

In this paper I argue that at this time of ecological crisis, ethics should infuse all teaching and learning, and Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship (ESDGC) should be an overarching planning tool. I make the case for Philosophy for Children (P4C) to be integrated into the whole curriculum rather than be a stand-alone lesson. I show how a thematic approach that connects ESDGC to real life issues and incorporates all school subjects can connect the different areas of study to each other and support critical thinking by introducing controversial issues. The study is located in Wales in the UK to show how national curriculum requirements can be satisfied through careful planning. In this paper I discuss a teaching pack for the 8-13 age range, 'Arctic Stories' (Lyle, 2010) to illustrate how the four C's of thinking: critical, creative, collaborative and caring can be integrated into the curriculum.