Page 123 - Sustainability Communication Interdisciplinary Perspectives and Theoritical Foundations

106 I. Bormann

or ‘only’ a formal education, i.e. the development and application of competences.
When dealing with such comprehensive subjects, static learning content should not be
in the foreground nor according to Klafki should the abilities and skills trained in dis-
cussion become an end in themselves. The goal is a categorial education, i.e. education
at the same time individual and social, problem-based, problem-developing and
pro blem-solving. For this to happen, Klafki proposed that for each topic made an object
of educational processes plausible answers be given to the following five questions:

1. To what extent is the object exemplary for a general problem?
2. How important is the topic for the life of learners today?
3. How important will the topic be for the life of learners in the future?
4. How can the content of the topic be structured by means of questions 1 and 2?
5. How can the topic be clearly presented so that it is accessible to learners?
(Klafki 2007)
The problems of sustainable and unsustainable development can clearly be given a
logical theoretical framework and the danger of ESD being political misused can be
mitigated. At the same time it can be argued that education – including ESD – is more
than what can be measured by indicators as learning outcomes. A further criticism is
directed, in the context of the competence debate, at the functionalisation of ESD. This
criticism implies that ESD is a ‘means to an end’, i.e. is being used for the solution of
political problems in education. From the perspective of Klafki’s concept of education
it also becomes clear that specifying Gestaltungskompetenz as a measurable outcome
of ESD can be an orientation for the organisation and the evaluation of educational
processes, but to restrict the objective of ESD to the teaching of Gestaltungskompetenz
or to appraise its value in regard to the declarative knowledge gained is too limited. In
spite of the functionality in the concept of ESD and in the orientation to competences
and indicators, ESD should be primarily understood as a comprehensive educational
concept that is directed at the self-formation of a responsible and active personality.
As such ESD is a much broader concept than what is taught as a competence, and,
it is much more than numbers occuring in indicatorisation exercises.
Thus, communication on ESD seems a never-ending or rather: long-lasting issue,
after all. An end to communication about the concept of ESD, its implementation in
various fields of action, its ‘usability’ and legitimacy, is nevertheless not in sight. That
would also be regrettable as it would also mean an end to its critical-constructive devel-
opment. In future it will probably be more a question of how to develop ESD research
and practice and communicate it so that the object ESD is released from its niche exis-
tence and instead is recognised as putting forward its own contributions to the solution
of urgent social problems as well as addressing recent scientific research questions.

References

Agenda 21 (1992). Agenda 21, New York: United Nations. Retrieved July 30, 2010, from www.
un.org/esa/sustdev/documents/agenda21/english/Agenda21.pdf.
Anderson, J. A. (2005). Accountability in education. Paris: UNESCO.