Learning Ecological and Ethical Perspectives in Education Paper Example

Background and Context

This report has been prepared by Green Education Inc., which is a group of environmental sustainability leaders who advocate education which contributes to environmental sustainability. The members of this group have adequate knowledge and experience in the area of environmental sustainability leadership.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Highfields Preparatory & Kindergarten School located in Lindfield in Sydney, Australia. It is a coeducational primary school that serves years K-2. The school teaches pupils in early years and grade six such as those in 12 years.

The school offers subjects areas such as Literacy Foundations, Mathematics that Counts, Inquiry-Based Learning, Creative Arts, ICT & The Library, Physical Education, Personal Development, Health & Wellbeing, and Home Learning. It has over 400 pupils and can hold over 700 children. The school promises to offer a safe, secure, and supportive learning environment for all children in their early and matures as at 14 years.

Executive Summary

This report entails the vision of Green Education Inc. in enhancing the environmental sustainability of K-2 children and young people. Green Education Inc is a group of environmental sustainability leaders who advocate education which contributes to environmental sustainability. Children and young people need to be knowledgeable about the ecological perspective as this will enable them to become aware of how to promote sustainable interaction with other living things. The four pillars of education for sustainability have been found to be cultural, social, economic, and environment pillars. The ethical perspective in the context of environmental justice can help individuals become active citizens of change.

Introduction

Education can be defined as the act of the senior transferring what they have learnt in the years to the juniors (Beebe, S. A., & Masterson, 2014). Education is hence said to be the key to success as it plays a significant role in the society that we are living in today. It is thus a journey that prepares someone by equipping you with knowledge so that you can be able to make the right decisions about your future. Education has greatly influenced modernization. The subject or concept of environmental sustainability needs to be integrated into school to support and develop a responsible citizenry capable of applying skills and knowledge of ecologic, economic, as well as socio-cultural systems to meeting the current and future needs of the society. In this case, the pupils acquire education which will enhance sustainable development by conserving the environment and coming up with ways to strengthen the sustainability of resources and systems. The pupils get to learn the leadership skills of championing the viability of the environment. For instance, integrating environmental sustainability in education assist students to determine ways in which they can take initiatives in conserving resources, materials, and projects for the betterment of the future. Moreover, the environmental sustainability in education assists children in acquiring skills and knowledge appropriate for handling the social and ecological changes which may occur in the future.

Green Education Inc. has a vision for instilling effective leadership skills to the pupils of Highfields Preparatory & Kindergarten School to adopt innovative solutions to the enhancing the environmental sustainability. Green Education Inc. aims to ensure that the pupils of this school have a concrete educational foundation in the area of environmental sustainability which will enable them to take initiatives to conserve the environment and make the world a better place to live in for all people and other living things. The philosophy which Green Education Inc. is advocating for is for the pupils to realise that people depend on the environment for their living and, therefore, ensuring that there is environmental sustainability is key to the better living of all people. As such, if people fail to make the ecological sustainable, then their life will be full of problems or can be shortened. This paper presents a report on the vision which Green Education Inc. on the pupils of Highfields Preparatory & Kindergarten School to helping them embrace environmental sustainability skills to making the world a better place to be, and this vision run from 2020 to 2030.

Learning Ecological Perspectives in Education

Definition of ecological perspective

An ecological perspective is a scientific concept which refers to the study of organisms and how they interact with the environment. The organisms, both plants and animals, depend on the environment for their living. For instance, the food and water which the man consumes to live come from the environment.

Furthermore, the air which people take to survive is the product of the environment. For this reason, the living things need to follow proper procedures and rules to ensure that their interaction with the situation does not cause damage but instead bring about sustainability. In this sense, human beings are the most enlightened living things with the responsibility for ensuring that there is the sustainability of the environment. The education on the area of environmental sustainability is, therefore, important in ensuring that the human beings have what it takes to conserve the environment and control the interaction of other living things in the background to maintain this sustainability.

The concept of ecology in environmental education relates to things such as habitat, adaptation, and survival for the fittest. Habitat refers to the social place where people stay, work, and spend their time. The individuals who are in the same habitat share similar values and perspectives. For instance, the people living in rural environments have certain types of influences from the spaces they inhabit and that they have casual relationships and impacts based on how they earn their living. Adaptation is an ecosystem perspective regarding the environmental, social, as well as cultural factors which lead to changes. In the modern world, the adjustment is related to things as new technologies. Here, people continue to adapt to the advancement of new technologies as they look to make their lives more comfortable. When embracing new technologies, individuals have to consider the effects of such techniques in the environment. The aim, in this case, is to ensure that new technologies enhance the sustainability of the situation rather than destroying the environment.

On the other hand, the survival for the fittest relates to the manner in which individuals try to fit in historical, social, as well as cultural context. The environment keeps on changing concerning its resources and hardships. For this reason, living things with desirable characteristics survive while those with unfavourable traits get extinct. For instance, education is power in that it makes individuals enlightened in approaching life most knowledgeable. In a world that is continually changing, individuals need to become creative and innovative to survive in the environment. When one is not original and innovative, they are said to have unfavorable characteristics which prevent them from progressing. It is, therefore, essential that the individuals adapt features which would help them be part of the sustainable environment. Participating in the sustainability of the situation is an excellent way of building a place which would guarantee the survival of many people. On the other hand, when people engage in the destruction of the environment through their efforts to survive, the rest of people are likely going to suffer losses, and this brings about deaths and sufferings.

Benefits of becoming eco-literate

Children and young people need to be knowledgeable about the ecological perspective as this will enable them to become aware of how to promote sustainable interaction with other living things in the environment. The knowledge about environmental aspects can allow individuals to become aware of the roles they need to play to ensure that they adapt well to survive in the environment and also that there is the sustainability of the resources and materials for other living things. From 2020 to 2030, Green Education Inc hopes to ensure that the pupils of Highfields Preparatory & Kindergarten School learn and practice the knowledge about ecological perspectives to ensure that they become part of promoting the co-existence of all the living things in the environment. In this case, the children and young people will be taught about conserving resources by reducing wastes, recycling, and re-using the materials to ensure that the environment is sustainable. The pupils will learn how to interact well with other living things to enhance the co-existence.

Understanding that all the living things depend on the environment for survival will enable young people to embrace a culture of promoting sustainability efforts. The aim is to make sure the individuals take initiatives which ensure there are better ways of doing things that are eco-friendly. For instance, the pupils will learn to come up with innovative projects which enhance the efficient use of resources and ensure that renewable sources of energy are adapted. By 2030, Green Education Inc aims to provide that the children and young people who have gone through Highfields Preparatory & Kindergarten School will champion efforts of providing that the environment is greener to promote the life of all the living things. In this case, Green Education Inc has the goal of ensuring that there will be fewer or no usage of non-renewable sources of energy. The ecosystem can support the life of living things by having adequate fresh air and resources for their survival.

Learning an Ethical Perspective in Education

Definition of ethical perspective

The ethics is an area of study which deals with determining what is right and wrong (Sorokin, 2017). The moral aspect deals with understanding the proper way individuals need to act in different situations (Healey, 2008). The ethical perspective applies heavily in the area of environmental sustainability since it has to do with the responsibility the individuals have to conserve the environment. Here, individuals are supposed to act most properly to ensure they contribute to improving the areas where they live in. The ethical perspective relates to the acting in a way which conserving the rights of others. It is essential to understand that ethics has to do with what is right or wrong concerning the welfare of the other people. It means, therefore, that what is right to one individual may be illegal to other people. For this reason, the ethical perspective is what is right or wrong about the cultural, religious, environmental, as well as different social situations concerning the majority of people (Sor...