The main aim of the Teach for ESD programme is Namibian teachers acquiring the knowledge and practical skills to implement ESD activities at their schools. The key is action learning where teachers look at the needs of their learners & school community to identify real areas of concern where they can create awareness, brainstorm solutions, or develop action plans. Aligned with the Toolkit, teachers put into action ESD activities. Monitoring activities are embedded throughout all aspects of the programme, engaging teachers in their own continuous development and being accountable to further expanding their environmental knowledge to effectively plan, implement, and evaluate a variety of ESD activities aligned with NaDEET’s 10 Areas of ESD Implementation.
ESD activities at school is the heart of Teach for ESD
Teachers determine which activities are relevant to their own setting, identify needs, and plan based on their own goals. The Teach for ESD Toolkit outlines a variety of ESD activities and teachers can receive an ESD Badge for each completed activity in any of the areas. Through the badge system teachers are part of their continuous assessment, can monitor their progress, and celebrate their successes. For NaDEET, it reflects our approach to learning and evaluation.
“Applying for ESD Badges motivates me as a facilitator to teach and empower my learners on taking care of their surrounding environment.”
Here a glimpse at some of the badges:
Teaching about the Sustainable Development Goals
‘Teach an ESD Lesson Plan’ guides teachers in introducing learners to the Sustainable Development Goals. This sets a good basis for many other ESD activities.
Promoting Learner Well-being by starting food gardens
Inspired by NaDEET’s food garden, many participants are determined to address the issue of food security (and reducing food miles), so they start food gardens. This activity gets learners outdoors, connected to their food, encourages the school to set up a composting system, and can provide nutritious vegetables to School Feeding Programmes.
Reducing Resource Use
‘Reduce Resource Use’ includes activities that raise awareness about these issues, such as green nudges, “Remember to recycle!”, together with an upcycling activity. Other activities include auditing resource use and adapting infrastructure to be more resource efficient, such as using fuel-efficient stoves, fixing leaking taps, or setting up a recycling system.
Celebrating the Environment
As EE/ESD educators, it is important not to just focus on environmental problems, but to instil a love and appreciation for nature. In ‘Celebrating the Environment’ teachers celebrate environmental days and inspire a love for the environment by using the arts (poetry, drama, music, and painting.) A popular activity idea is to “green” Valentine’s Day.
“An ESD Badge makes me feel like I am implementing what I have learnt at NaDEET.”