.

1. Contributions of transdisciplinary teaching
and learning strategies supported by GIS
to ESD:
the point of view of the teacher
Vânia Carlos (University of Aveiro) | vania.carlos@ua.pt
António Moreira (University of Aveiro) | moreira@ua.pt

2.  Example of a cycle..
The Action/Research Project
Given, 2008

3.  Geographical Educational (competences, spatial
dimension and geospatial technologies) can promote
learning agglutinating and foster transdisciplinarity,
essential in ESD
Hypothesis
http://327sustainability.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/logo20omep20suecia.jpg

4.  What are the main principles to implement ESD?
 Do teachers consider transdisciplinary planning beneficial
for ESD goals?
 What characteristics of GE promote transdisciplinary
approaches in ESD?
 What are the main difficulties of integration of specific
subject contents?
 How to promote Transdisciplinarity?
 Does GIS help to support a more holistic teaching of ESD?
Research questions…

5.  Literature Review (ESD, transdisciplinarity, geographic
education, geospatial technologies)
 Seminar (Spatial Thinking and Transdisciplinarity - Curriculum,
Strategies and Technology, with teachers and researchers)
 Surveys (teachers)
 Focus Group (before and after practice)
 Individual assignments
 Reflection on critical incidents
Methodology

6. - “to focus on problems, to evaluate alternatives, to calculate risks
- to perceive complex cause-effect relations and dynamics
- to reflect about side effects and consequences that are to be expected from an action
- to think in systems and complex networks
- to find, evaluate, process and use information with appropriate methods
- to respect other views and opinions
- to think about and evaluate one’s own personal motives
- to give one’s own life sense and an ethical basis
- to contribute to common tasks with one’s own competencies
- to commit to environmental planning and projects
- to evaluate one’s own actions and their results
- to perceive life-long learning as an enrichment of one’s quality of life
- to perceive problems and phenomena from different perspectives
- to flexibly apply different methods to solve problems
- to relate local and regional experiences to global phenomena”
Lucerne Declaration: Interdisciplinary
competencies to enhance SD
Lucerne Declaration, 2007, pp. 245-246

7.  “to acquire up-to date knowledge easily
 to compare contradicting information
 to look at things from different, multi-perspective points of views
 to gain direct insight into the attitudes and perspectives of people
who are personally affected by issues of sustainability
 to analyze the world and its mental representations
 to better understand the conceptualizations and attitudes concerning
issues of sustainability of people from different cultures
 to visualize multi-dimensional environmental issues related to SD
 to promote higher thinking skills like synthesis and evaluation
 to develop understanding, skills, attitudes and values, necessary for
sustainable behavior”
Lucerne Declaration: Importance of
ICT in Geography for ESD
Lucerne Declaration, 2007, pp. 248-249

8. Matrix of transformative
sustainability learning (TSL)
objectives
 Head
- Cognitive engagement
- Transdisciplinary curriculum
- Critical thinking
- Systems thinking
- Understanding of sustainability
- Understanding of global citizenship
Sipos (2008, P. 78-80)
 Hands
Personal
- Experiential learning
- Applied learning
Classroom
- Democratic and participatory learning
- Conflict resolution
Community
- Collaborative
- Service learning
 Heart
- Empowering
- Creative
- Fun
- Values-focused thinking
- Inclusive
- Place-based

9.  GE and transdisciplinary approaches in ESD
- Space as Geography lab, but not exclusive
- Enhancement of spatial thinking in other fields, and outside school
- Active and Interventive
 Difficulties of integration of specific subject contents
- Curriculum documents praise but not potentiate Transdisciplinarity
(disarticulated curriculum, stricted content and objectives)
- Teacher´s work (burocratic, instable, lack of teacher training and leadership
project´s positions)
- Projects not truly educational and/or significant
 Promotion of Transdisciplinarity
- Teachers need time and space to think, share and articulate
- Disciplinarity as a condition to Transdisciplinarity
- Teacher training
Seminar results (Spatial Thinking and
Transdisciplinarity - Curriculum,
Strategies and Technology)

10.  Expectations
- Pedagogical
innovation
 Needs
- Environment
- Location
 Skills in ESD
- Sustainable
lifestyles
- Civic Participation
- Values
- Entrepreneurship
- Critical thinking
- Environmental
responsability
Surveys: Teacher´s
representation in ESD

11.  Expectations
- Technological
skills
 Needs
- Attitudes /
Practice
Surveys: Teacher´s
representation in GIS

12.  Transdisciplinarity and ESD (curriculum articulation)
- is beneficial for ESD goals, except if it takes time to teach curricular
contents (if curricular articulation is possible)
- Spatial thinking as transversal…but how to promote?
- Think and act at local and global scales (impact of one´s choices)
- The ability to cross space and time / easier in some disciplines
 Geospatial technologies and Critical Spatial Thinking
- access to immediate information
- Use of the same technology in every discipline (PDAs with GPS)
- Student-centered learning (problem-solving and fieldwork strategies)
Focus Group
(before practice)

13.  Conceptual T/L process
- Teaching: fundamental concepts of CST , discussion of inter-and
transdisciplinary issues, spatial-oriented issues
- Learning: everyday problem situations with CST, usable in day-to-day (less
focused on CST process)
- Conception on fieldwork: enquiry and geographical research as guides for
CST and information to identify problem situations (not solutions)
 Procedural T/L process
- Strategies: questioning and Geographic enquiry and embedded in real
environments
- Resources/materials: GIT as cognitive tools (low level), materials designed in
a transdisciplinary perspective (not the discussion of ESD spatial issues)
- Environment: predisposition to be geographically informed and reflection
and questioning (not interrelationships Environment-Economy-Society)
Focus Group
(after practice)

14.  How can ST promote learning in your discipline, considering content and
skills to be acquired by the end of this school year?
- Mathematics: understand and recreate the real world, even in the absence
of physical stimulation (calculate real distances from various types of
representations such as plans, maps and diagrams). Geometry and the
development of students´ spatial perspective
- Technological education: GIT as a new way of interpreting the world
- Geography: analysis, interpretation and application to practical situations of
everyday life, to analyze the phenomena at different scales, to understand
the environmental, political and socio-economic aspects of the territory.
Location skills
- Sciences: learning experiences such as observation and questioning of the
environment
Individual assignments

15.  Global appreciation
- Tasks completed as planned and on schedule
- Enthusiastic and motivated students
 Critical incidents
- Reflection and debate of ideas (choosing the routes)
- One student guiding the group, within the natural reserve
- Limited autonomy of the equipment (PDA)
- The time of the routes was not recorded
Reflection on
Critical Incidents

16. Conclusions
 What are the main principles to implement ESD?
Transdisciplinarity, Collaborative, Critical Thinking, Place-based,
Experiential learning
 Do teachers consider transdisciplinary planning beneficial for
ESD goals?
Yes, but with a lot of “BUT”!
 What characteristics of GE promote transdisciplinary
approaches in ESD?
Fieldwork (yes), Spatial thinking (not so convinced…)

17. Conclusions
 What are the main difficulties of integration of
specific subject contents?
- Curriculum
- Teacher´s work and competences
 Does GIS help to support a more holistic teaching of
ESD?
- Agree, with reservations…
- Need concrete examples…

18. Further development
 Examples of transdisciplinary strategies
 Conceptual framework simplified… a taxonomy for
critical spatial thinking in ESD
http://cms.mun-
aljustrel.pt/upload_files/client_id_2/website_id_2/Actividade_Municipal/Ambiente/Educacao%252520Ambiental/Educacao_Ambiental
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19. Thanks, Danke, Obrigada!