Rethinking the Curriculum in the Context of Education for Sustainability: Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

In considering the current COVID-19 pandemic as a moment of reflection on a wide variety of issues, this paper discusses the need to rethink the curriculum, in regard to its priorities and in the context of education for sustainability. It does so by revisiting some ideas that have received, or have begun to receive, attention in the field of education. More specifically, the paper focuses on the development of global awareness as an educational goal, the notion of hope and the future dimension of the curriculum, the value of systems and ecological thinking, as well as the value of decision making and the role that knowledge of the nature of science can play in decision making. Given that the world will most likely face in the future complex global issues and problems, just like the COVID-19 pandemic, all the aforementioned ideas deserve particular attention, especially if the curriculum is to promote and foster the idea of sustainability.

Keywords

• sustainability
• education
• global awareness
• hope
• future
• ecological thinking