French Sustainable Development Schools (E3Ds) to Promote Awareness and Commitment

Abstract

In this chapter we describe how the introduction of environmental education and education for sustainable development (ESD) has affected the French education system in terms of changes to formal curricula and teaching practices. In France, these two new types of education have disrupted traditional teaching and the relationships between the different disciplines, and triggered the creation of Eco-Schools, School Agendas 21 and Sustainable Development Schools (E3Ds). Posing a challenge to teachers and educational researchers alike, they promote particular educational aims, such as critical thinking, complex thinking or citizen engagement, mainly through project pedagogies and partnerships. In the first part of this chapter, we look at how international issues have influenced the formal curriculum, showing how the French education system has gradually taken these new educational issues on board. In the second part, we describe the debates and studies that have taken place in France on ESD. The third and final part explains how these educational issues translate at the level of individual schools, many of which now have Eco-School or E3D status. We then discuss the levers for implementing these approaches in schools, as well as the obstacles and particular points to bear in mind.