Sustainability Education Handbook

Evaluation Criteria Chart:

"Education in our time should aim at nothing less than the renewal of wisdom, the rebirth of gratitude, and the recovery of a sense of beauty large enough to embrace esthetics and justice." --David Orr

Evaluation Criteria for Sustainability Standards

The following thirteen points are basic guidelines to help you evaluate whether or not your curriculum embraces sustainability concepts. This tool is designed to simplify the complex process of incorporating sustainability content into your curricula by breaking down sustainability into its essential, but not inseparable, components. Some curricula may not fit "yes" or "no" completely or absolutely, but evaluate the main thesis or main activity.

The Goal:

to answer 7 or more "yes" for your curriculum. If you discover your curriculum does not fulfill 7 of the evaluation points, choose 2 points to focus on incorporating into the curriculum and use this guide as a teaching tool.

Key Evaluation Points

Yes

No

1) Sustainability: emphasizing renewable, regenerative processes to help create a healthier, more humane and equitable world

2) Problem Solving: highlights complexity of problems & does not reduce problems to "quick fix" solutions

3) Equality: seeking best solutions for all beings

4) Values: all beings deserve the highest quality of life possible while no being is placed above another

5) Interdependence: all living beings and life processes are connected

6) Multiple Learning: does not give weight to one learning process over another (i.e. rational, analytical, reductionist, linear, intuitive, holistic, non-linear)

7) Active Learning: embraces direct involvement with & exploration of all subjects

8) Complex Issues: employs cross disciplinary learning to explore a topic from multiple perspectives

9) Community: encourages group learning skills, cooperative collaboration, and creating inclusive, local communities

10) Time: acknowledges the short and long term effects of human activity on the planet (from local community to throughout the world)

11) Trust: practicing conflict resolution to create best solutions

12) Ethics: behaviors are nested within values which emphasize mutual respect

13) Action: attitude & behavior move beyond sharing information to effective action resulting in positive change

 

Click here to continue to the next section: "Sustainability Topics"

 

Sustainable Education Handbook Table of Contents:

List of Contributors, Acknowledgments, Terms of Use
Introduction
Sample Activities
Teaching Tools
The Benefits
The Approach
Customize Your Curriculum
Evaluation Criteria Chart
Sustainability Topics
Web Sites
Curriculum
Sustainability / State Standards
Standards Quick Guide
Renewable Energy and Efficiency Success Stories