Planting a seed: Sustainable education for students with Additional Support Needs

Realities of climate change make meeting Sustainable Development Goals even more urgent, not least in terms of education. In Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) these goals are promoted in the Learning for Sustainability initiative which aims to embed sustainability in education. While...

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Main Author: Don MacKeen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: European Association of Geographers 2022-09-01
Series:European Journal of Geography
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Online Access:https://eurogeojournal.eu/index.php/egj/article/view/229
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author Don MacKeen
author_facet Don MacKeen
author_sort Don MacKeen
collection DOAJ
description Realities of climate change make meeting Sustainable Development Goals even more urgent, not least in terms of education. In Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) these goals are promoted in the Learning for Sustainability initiative which aims to embed sustainability in education. While inclusion is claimed to be a non-negotiable aspect of CfE, the reality is that for many students with Additional Support Needs (ASN) (in Scottish education this term has superseded Special Educational Needs), access to a high-quality education is limited. This paper looks at a case study where urban gardening is used as a teaching tool for students with ASN. The City Works programme has grown out of nearly twenty years of work with ASN students, using urban gardening as a vehicle for developing citizenship, groupwork skills and a greater understanding of sustainability. Staff, students, and community gardeners were interviewed to ascertain their experience of the project and the value of a sustainable and inclusive education are discussed. Finally, it is argued that this educational approach should be developed further, in coordination with other educational professionals.
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spelling doaj-art-476ddd3b690148be8e2e4ff83397cc722025-01-06T06:59:00ZengEuropean Association of GeographersEuropean Journal of Geography1792-13412410-74332022-09-0113410.48088/ejg.d.mac.13.4.98.119Planting a seed: Sustainable education for students with Additional Support NeedsDon MacKeen0 City of Glasgow College, Scotland, UK Realities of climate change make meeting Sustainable Development Goals even more urgent, not least in terms of education. In Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) these goals are promoted in the Learning for Sustainability initiative which aims to embed sustainability in education. While inclusion is claimed to be a non-negotiable aspect of CfE, the reality is that for many students with Additional Support Needs (ASN) (in Scottish education this term has superseded Special Educational Needs), access to a high-quality education is limited. This paper looks at a case study where urban gardening is used as a teaching tool for students with ASN. The City Works programme has grown out of nearly twenty years of work with ASN students, using urban gardening as a vehicle for developing citizenship, groupwork skills and a greater understanding of sustainability. Staff, students, and community gardeners were interviewed to ascertain their experience of the project and the value of a sustainable and inclusive education are discussed. Finally, it is argued that this educational approach should be developed further, in coordination with other educational professionals. https://eurogeojournal.eu/index.php/egj/article/view/229Learning for SustainabilityCurriculum for ExcellenceAdditional Support NeedsCapabilites Approach
spellingShingle Don MacKeen
Planting a seed: Sustainable education for students with Additional Support Needs
European Journal of Geography
Learning for Sustainability
Curriculum for Excellence
Additional Support Needs
Capabilites Approach
title Planting a seed: Sustainable education for students with Additional Support Needs
title_full Planting a seed: Sustainable education for students with Additional Support Needs
title_fullStr Planting a seed: Sustainable education for students with Additional Support Needs
title_full_unstemmed Planting a seed: Sustainable education for students with Additional Support Needs
title_short Planting a seed: Sustainable education for students with Additional Support Needs
title_sort planting a seed sustainable education for students with additional support needs
topic Learning for Sustainability
Curriculum for Excellence
Additional Support Needs
Capabilites Approach
url https://eurogeojournal.eu/index.php/egj/article/view/229
work_keys_str_mv AT donmackeen plantingaseedsustainableeducationforstudentswithadditionalsupportneeds