ESD Curriculum Framework for School Development in Europe

Abstract

The development of students' and teachers' competences is seen as a prerequisite for responsible behaviour that promotes sustainable development. The framework draws on relevant UNESCO and European Commission documents to provide a strategic context and conceptual background and to set out the learning outcomes to be developed in schools. The desired learning outcomes are in the cognitive, social, emotional and behavioural domains, all of which are important for a holistic education. The transdisciplinary themes associated with the SDGs provide a suitable ground for the development of competences - both in the way they are understood in different school subjects, and in the way they pursue the goal of promoting authentic, value-based behaviour. To assess the development of such competences, the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy can be used, which describes progressively increasing levels of learning outcomes achieved by students, with an emphasis on increasing complexity. The Framework presented here is intended to be a flexible guide that can be used to transform the curriculum towards competence-based and transformative learning according to the country's context.