Making Tensions in Sustainability Education Visible: Using Value Squares for Reflection and Awareness
Journal
Evidence-informed Sustainability Education (EvSusEd)
Type
digital resource
Date Issued
2024-10-30
Author(s)
Abstract
Educators are confronted with irresolvable antinomies, paradoxes, and contradictions in their respective fields of action (e.g., Helsper, 2021). This also applies to the context of sustainability education (e.g., Hedefalk et al., 2021; Laub, 2022). These tensions frequently arise from conflicting values and corresponding educational objectives and practices. One classic example of such tension lies in Immanuel Kant’s question: How do I cultivate freedom in the face of compulsion? In this text, I will use the value square model (Schulz von Thun, 2014) as a thinking tool to visualize and reflect on exemplary key tensions in sustainability education. By understanding and balancing these tensions, educators can develop a nuanced approach to sustainability education, avoiding oversimplified binaries (Tomić, 2013) and falling for potential Myths in and about Sustainability Education (MYTHSE).
Language
English (United States)
Keywords
Education
Value
Dilemma
Antinomy
Tension
Dr. Stefan T. Siegel
Educational Myth
MYTHSE
Reflection
Sustainability Education
Uncertainty
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Official URL
Division(s)
Contact Email Address
stefan.siegel@unisg.ch