Textbooks For Sd: Social Responsibility Of Authors

Abstract

Achievement Goal 4, that formulates, as is known, “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” - deal with transforming the entire school environment for sustainable development. SDG Target 4.7. - providing the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve sustainable development - is based on transforming the entire school environment through education for sustainable development. Incorporating education for sustainable development into mainstream curricula is most efficient way to achieve goal 4.7. This requires the creation of new generation textbooks. According to the Global Education Monitoring Report 2016, the content and methodology of school textbooks often falls short of expectations. Still updating the content of textbooks is relevant for all countries. The article raises the problem of social responsibility of the authors of textbooks for embedding the fundamental concepts of sustainable development in educational materials in order to develop knowledge, skills and behavioral results necessary for sustainable development. The article presents an analysis of Russian textbooks from the point of view of terminological, semiotic and cultural approach. The ways of improving school textbooks to achieve sustainable development goals, taking into account the characteristics of culture and the national education system, are proposed. Key questions for authors have been developed to test their textbooks for ideas on sustainable development.

Keywords: School textbookeducation for sustainable developmentsustainable development goalssocial responsibility

Introduction

Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development - seeks to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and to foster lifelong learning opportunities for all. Education for Sustainable Development is a leading area of educational transformation worldwide. SD goals and targets are universal, meaning they apply to all countries around the world, and people everywhere have a role to play.

People must learn to understand the complex world in which they live. They need to be able to collaborate, speak up and act for positive change (UNESCO, 2015).

Textbooks represent a largely untapped opportunity to integrate peace, global citizenship and sustainable development issues into formal education. However, even in our increasingly digital age, school textbooks remain "the most visible part of the curriculum" and they are the most "authoritative sources for the transfer of knowledge and social values" (Georgescu, Bernard, & Peterson, 2007, p.5).

Textbooks present a largely untapped opportunity to integrate peace, global citizenship and sustainable development into formal education. Clearly, textbook-led curriculum development alone is not sufficient to foster the skills, dispositional and behavioral learning outcomes called for by ESD. But even in our increasingly digital era, school textbooks remain ‘the most visible part of the curriculum’ and they are the most “authoritative sources for the transfer of knowledge and social values” (Georgescu, Bernard, & Peterson, 2007, p.5-7).

Problem Statement

The UNESCO issue named “Global Education Monitoring Report Education for People & Planet: Creating Sustainable Futures For All” (UNESCO, 2016) noted that education is the foundation of global well-being. It calls for these core values to be incorporated into national guidelines used in textbook revisions and taught in workshops for textbook authors and illustrators. Policy Paper Global education monitoring report “Textbooks pave the way to sustainable development” mainly draws on new analysis for the 2016 GEM Report (UNESCO, 2016). It stressed that few instruments shape children’s and young people’s minds more powerfully than the teaching and learning materials used in schools. However, “textbooks in many countries still fail to deal comprehensively, clearly and fairly with concepts that are crucial for social cohesion, political stability and the future of the planet, including human rights, environmental protection, peace and non-violence, and cultural diversity” (Sinicrope, Norris, & Watanabe, 2007; UNESCO, 2018). It was concluded that all governments should urgently review and revise their textbooks to ensure that the content covers these ideas, which are integral to SDG Target 4.7. The issue named “Textbooks for Sustainable Development - A Guide to Embedding” (UNESCO, 2017) provide specific guidance for textbook authors in mathematics, science, language and geography on how to “embed” peace, sustainable development and global citizenship in textbook content. The embedding concept was further developed by Chapter 6. PISA 2018 Global Competence Framework, 2019 (OECD, 2019). In early 2017, a group of international scholars and practitioners came together to promote the integration of SDG Target 4.7 topics and related social and emotional skills (SEL) into textbooks. With the help of the International Society for Education (CIES), UKFIET 2017, UCL Institute of Education (2017) and George Washington University (2018), a soft start was given to the Network for Integrating SDG Target 4.7 and Socio-Emotional Learning into Teaching Materials (NISSEM) as a resource for promoting action on SDG Target 4.7 (Textbooks, 2017).

Research Questions

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is to substantiate the key questions that the authors of textbooks should ask themselves in order to analyze their compliance with the content of task 4.7.

Research Methods

Analysis of the textbooks content was quantitative, semantic, linguistic and pedagogical. Quantitative analysis determined the percentage of textbooks that contain the terms "sustainable development", " sustainable development goals". Semantic analysis was qualitative. It aimed at identifying ideas of environmental and moral imperatives; environmental determination of socio-economic development; green economy; sustainable development goals; human rights; global problems of humanity; peace and values of all cultures; natural and cultural heritage in their relationship; environmental, social, economic and cultural ties; connections of the present with the past and future; global citizenship; United Nations. Linguistic analysis was aimed at revealing the hidden meanings of the relationship between man and nature. Pedagogical analysis inspected pedagogical design (construction of content) of textbooks based on the cultural model of V.V. Kraevsky, M.N. Skatkin, I. Ya. Lerner. This model, developed in the 70-90s of the XX century, provides for the combination of the cognitive, social-emotional and behavioral components of education as a whole. School textbooks of elementary school (Environment), basic and high school (Social studies, Geography) were analyzed.

Findings

A policy paper by the “Global Education Monitoring Report” (UNESCO, 2016) has called on governments to review and revise the content of their textbooks urgently, in line with the core values of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It calls for these core values to be built into the national guidelines used during textbook review and taught in workshops for textbook writers and illustrators. Sustainable development concept should gradually become the value centre and common point of reference for all school subjects, structures and activities. The orientation of the whole school towards this principle should find ways into new textbooks. More than any other education target, Target 4.7 touches on the humanistic and moral purposes of ESD, and their reflection in curricular contents and teacher preparation. The target also acknowledges the important role of culture and the cultural dimensions of education: “By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s” (SDG, 2014).

NISSEM notes that integrating the SDGs and socio-emotional competencies into textbooks ideally should start at a young age (Sinclair, 2018).

We analyzed federal textbooks for elementary, basic and secondary schools. It is important that one of the conditions for the approval of a textbook at the federal level is its compliance with the state educational standard. A quantitative analysis showed that none of the primary school textbooks contains, like the standard, the words “sustainable development”, “sustainable development goals”.

A conversation with one of their authors of the textbook revealed the author's conviction that the mention of sustainable development in school textbooks of all levels is premature, since "nobody knows what it is." The Geography textbooks, like the standard, contains the term "sustainable development" for certain years of study, in contrast to the Social Studies textbooks, in which such a mention is absent.

Semantic analysis of textbooks showed that the idea of the ecological determination of socio-economic development is not formed at any level of education. The mention of a green economy is only found in the textbooks Geography, not Economics. The topic of human rights is covered in Social Science subject. All textbooks contain themes of global problems of humanity, but the role of the United Nations in solving them is not presented, as well as the goals of sustainable development.

Meanwhile, the problems of climate, biodiversity, environmental pollution, natural heritage are present in Geography and are considered there, as a rule, in the mainstream of science. Social studies textbooks pay much attention to the issues of peace, the values of all cultures, but the issues of global citizenship are not mentioned. Environmental, social, economic and cultural ties are poorly represented, as well as the theme of the future. Awareness among the authors of textbooks about the concept of sustainable development and SDGs is superficial, most of them are convinced that this topic is "minor", not a priority.

Some teachers consider SD ideas as foreign, not suitable for our country; do not understand that the foundations of sustainable development were created by brilliant Russian scientists - V.I. Vernadsky, N.N. Moiseev and many others.

A linguistic analysis of pedagogical discourse textbooks for elementary, basic and senior schools showed the high (40%) quantity of educational metaphors, indicating the militarization of environmental consciousness. They reflect dread, confrontation, struggle with nature. It is disturbing because such attitude can torpedo actions for achievement SDG Target 4.7. The anthropocentric, utilitarian view of nature dominates, although the ideas of value of all living beings are formally proclaimed. In the lower grades, environmental education continues to be conducted by eyes of writers - hunters. Global problems are analyzed in the context of diverse academic subject, without connection with each other, mainly within the natural sciences. The humanitarian deficit in textbooks is of great concern. The ideology of sustainable development and global citizenship he is represented poorly. Pedagogical analysis of textbook texts showed that they are science-centered. The content is mainly represented by a cognitive component; the cultural socio-emotional component is minimal, unsystematic and not continuous (Ivanova, 2018).

Thus, the content of school textbooks remains far from the SDGs, their authors broadcast their own, sometimes destructive view of the relationship between man and nature. The results of the study lead to the conclusion that textbooks need updating in accordance with SDG 4.7, this task should be considered a priority for the authors of school textbooks and included in the social responsibility as the task of their education and self-education. In higher education, we see the opposite, positive trend. About 100 universities implement SD courses in the country. Do they cope with the problem of re-education, persuasion of students, SD values formation? In any case, the spread of SD principles in the population minds has not yet reached a critical mass.

What kind of textbook content updating is needed?

Systematic and vector. This does not mean the rejection of subject teaching, a depreciation of subject knowledge and skills. The textbooks content updating means their orientation to a new target setting, adding new values to the existing content without compromising the quality of subject learning, but with an increase in this quality, since new values are opened in educational topics – how to “live together on the planet with common respect for human dignity, understanding global peace and building our own future” Georgescu, Bernard, & Peterson, 2007). Such textbooks don’t moralize, but create conditions for students to search for their own meanings, form beliefs and awareness of decision-making (Willingham, 2008).

The issue “Textbooks for Sustainable Development - A Guide to Embedding” (UNESCO, 2017) aims to support textbook authors and publishers in preparing a new generation of textbooks that integrate ESD.

According to this Guidebook, “we need education that empowers learners to take informed decisions and responsible actions for environmental integrity, economic viability and a just society, for present and future generations, while respecting cultural diversity “(UNESCO, 2014). This guide builds on the work of ESD and related areas such as global citizenship education, peace education, human rights education, environmental education, global education, and others.

ESD is not a bolt that is artificially screwed to the subject content, it is an embedding exactly (UNESCO, 2015).

According to this Guidebook, “while being critical of the ‘bolt-on’ approach, embedding can be seen as long-term goal achieving ‘whole-system redesign’” (Textbooks…, 2017). The ultimate goal is to integrate ESD into all forms of education so that it becomes an undeniable, fundamental value and social norm. Embedding is the reorientation of the content of academic subjects so that they serve a global purpose.

This deep embedding of ESD content will contribute to the achievement of good learning outcomes, not only in the areas defined by SDG target 4.7, but also in familiar school subjects. Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship must be the main driver of change in education.

Interdisciplinary and integrated approaches to ESD are necessary because the challenges of sustainable development are holistic, cross-cutting and interrelated.

ESD content should be the foundation of each subject, not an addition to the curriculum (ESD goes far beyond education ‘about’ sustainable development)

As Huber & Reynolds says, “schools and their teachers need various forms of support to promote cross-curricular activities: cross-referencing between textbooks of different subjects, developing supplementary materials focusing on key ESD issues that can be used across subjects, instituting a scheme or programme to invite experts to school, curating online clearing houses on useful interdisciplinary teaching and learning resources, and so on” (Huber & Reynolds, 2014).

However, there are problems. They are not about informing about sustainable development, but about changing values, attitudes, and behaviors. Let's name the main problems. First, the mandatory content of the curriculum is usually structured around the key concepts of academic disciplines (Rakhkochkine, 2011). This may be a problem for textbook authors and publishers who want to create a new generation of textbooks that integrate ESD. Secondly, the time resources of each subject have already been exhausted. Third, and this is very important, the inclusion of integrated content in the subject requires special didactic approaches, since the structures of scientific and cultural-centered content are different. Promotion of an interdisciplinary approach needed to establish a TRANS-substantive theory. In addition, each country should take into account the historical features of the national education system in solving this problem.

Indicative list of acquiring ESD competencies is well known. However, their formation is very delicate, even if all the textbooks are aimed at it. In what sequence and in what combination should cross-cutting competencies be developed? How to distribute this process between different subjects, taking into account their specifics? How to distribute between them "explanation", "fixing", "application", if the authors of textbooks do not interact with each other either "horizontally" or "vertically"? But the brain, the child's psyche develops consistently, according to its own laws. "Jumping"over age-related opportunities is harmful.

The promotion of an interdisciplinary approach requires not only special methods (problem-oriented educational situations, for example), but also didactic support - specific models of content construction, pedagogical language, appropriate criteria for selecting content sources, etc

Presenting only the key ideas of SD, SDGs, and ESD competencies to the authors of textbooks is not enough if all of them are not united by deep connections that reflect not only the social demand, but also the peculiarities of national thinking and values.

It is not enough to present to the authors of textbooks only the key ideas of ESD if they are not all united by deep connections that reflect not only social demand, but also the peculiarities of national thinking and values.We are talking about a cross-cutting content, its semantic cross-linking, understandable in the languages of all academic subjects .