Emotion and Technology Education

Abstract

Both the concept of sustainable development and the nature of education for sustainable development (ESD) are highly contested. ESD can be construed as a part of sustainable development policy as governments attempt to bridge the 'value-action gap' between what we know we should be doing (e.g. to combat climate change) and what we actually do. Alternatively sustainability can be construed as a 'frame of mind'; within this paradigm ESD is seen as a way of bringing to the surface underlying values and beliefs through the exploration of contradictions and arguments. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education is equally contested. At one end it is seen as a pre-vocational learning or even training to encourage students to pursue science and maths in particular en route to professional work in engineering and technology. 'Successful' STEM is then measured in take-up of certain subjects Post-16 or at tertiary level, or in terms of attitudes towards engineering and technology. Conversely, STEM can be seen as an entitlement to learn in a different way, in which the boundaries between the component subjects of STEM become blurred and learners are encouraged to develop transferable skills and knowledge and the metacognitive skills that enable this transfer to be used creatively. In this paper the author examines how teachers can plan for a creative interaction between ESD within the 'frame of mind' approach, and STEM education as a metacognitive entitlement. It argues that current curriculum reforms in England 1 offer unprecedented opportunities for design and technology teachers to extend student engagement and learning beyond the prescribed Design and Technology (D&T) curriculum thereby enhancing creativity and critical reflection. Using sustainability contexts for STEM activities might provoke critical discourse within schools and their wider communities, thereby creating new opportunities for ESD. Key words Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), STEM, Curriculum development, values in design and technology Introduction This paper is based on the premise that using the context of sustainability within STEM projects will enable teachers to plan creative interactions and engage in critical discourse within schools. Focusing on the secondary curriculum in England, the paper discusses the theoretical framework for sustainable development, education for sustainable development (ESD), initiatives for ESD and the development of STEM which is both problematic and contested. It then introduces other recent curriculum initiatives such as the concept of personal, learning and thinking skills (PLTS), the extended schools agenda, the new National Curriculum for pupils aged 11-14 and diplomas for pupils aged 14-19 years, which it argues can provide a framework for both the ESD and PLTS agendas. It concludes that 'fitting the jigsaw together' will help break down barriers and introduce into the curriculum a willingness to encourage controversy and debate.