Expected Outcomes
Multidisciplinary
Understanding
Equip students with a capacity for the complexity and interconnected nature of the climate crisis
CKP endeavours to equip students with a capacity for the complexity and interconnected nature of the climate crisis. To achieve this, students must draw upon the sciences, history, politics, communication and media, and the arts. Fostering the ability to think about the wide-reaching systems that impact society and climate requires students to embrace a truly interdisciplinary mindset (Stevenson, Nicholls, & Whitehouse, 2017; Schreiner et al., 2005; McKewon & Hopkins, 2010; Selby, 2017; Vongalis-Macrow, 2010).
Shift in perspectives
and behaviors
Emerge with new perspectives about positionality within the community and the larger context of climate change
CKP shifts the focus of education away from student mastery of content and towards a change in behaviour spurred on by a shift in perspectives (Mochizuki & Bryan, 2015, p. 16). Students engaging with CKP inspired courses should emerge with new perspectives about their positionality within their community and the larger context of climate change. Students should feel empowered and be equipped with competencies that enable them to take action to address real-world issues.
Student Agency
Develop a mindset of control over one’s own future, as well as the future of the planet
climate emergency, global politics, modern technology, and the complexity of 21st century society paralyzes some young people with feelings of hopelessness and eco-anxiety (Leger-Goodes, 2022). It is a primary goal of CKP courses to establish that individuals have power over their own actions, and that these actions can make a difference. Students should develop a mindset that they have control over their own futures, as well as the future of the planet.
Self-Reflexivity
Become critical thinkers capable of seeing personal positionalities and biases, and can incorporate new ideas
a major goal of CKP-inspired courses is to teach students to be critical thinkers who are capable of seeing their own positionality and biases and can incorporate new ideas when presented with compelling evidence. This is crucial as our society needs to be willing to work together, compromise, engage in dialogue and challenge assumptions to navigate our current climate emergency. By demonstrating the value of humility and the willingness to learn, something achieved through honest, self-reflection, students will be equipped with the mindset needed to navigate incredibly complex issues.
Competencies
Gain key competencies required to tackle the most urgent challenges of our time
in addition to self-reflexivity, agency, shifting perspectives, and multidisciplinary understanding, students gain key competencies required to tackle the most urgent challenges of our time. However, there is no agreement on a common set of competencies that support sustainability learning and development or on the approach of competence acquisition (Wiek, Withycombe, & Redman, 2011; Barth, Godemann, Rieckmann, & Stoltenberg, 2007), United Nations recently endorsed and proposed a set of eight competencies associated with achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The following eight key competencies are generally seen as crucial to advance understanding of sustainable development concepts, processes, and actions (see de Haan, 2010; Rieckmann, 2012; Wiek et al., 2011; UNESCO, 2017):
1. Systems thinking competency: “the ability to recognize and understand relationships, to analyze complex systems, to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales, and to deal with uncertainty”
2. Anticipatory competency: “the ability to understand and evaluate multiple futures – possible, probable and desirable, to create one’s own visions for the future, to apply the precautionary principle, to assess the consequences of actions, and to deal with risks and changes”
3. Normative competency: “the ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions, and to negotiate sustainability values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interests and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions”
4. Strategic competency: “the ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield”
5. Collaboration competency: “the ability to learn from others, to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy), to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership), to deal with conflicts in a group, and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving”
6. Critical thinking competency: “the ability to question norms, practices and opinions, to reflect on own one’s values, perceptions and actions, and to take a position in the sustainability discourse”
7. Self-awareness competency: “the ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society, to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions, and to deal with one’s feelings and desires”
8. Integrated problem-solving competency: “the overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the above-mentioned competencies” (UNESCO, 2017, p. 10).