ETBI Journal of Education - Vol 2:1 - June 2020 (Sustainable Development Goals 2015 -2030)

Journal of Education 

Volume 2 Issue 1 June 2020 

Produced by Education and Training Boards Ireland

ETBI Journal of Education June 2020 

© 2020 Education and Training Boards Ireland. 

Education and Training Boards Ireland (ETBI) is a national association established to collectively 

represent and promote the interests of the sixteen education and training boards 

Published by Education and Training Boards Ireland, Piper’s Hill, Kilcullen Road, Naas, Co. Kildare. 

This publication may be accessed at www.etbi.ie 

PAGE 2


Contents 

Volume 2 Issue 1 2020 

Foreword 5 

Michael D. Higgins, President of Ireland 

5*S: Space, Surveyors, Students, STEM & the Sustainable Development Goals 9 

The 5*S team 

Embedding the SDGs in Transition Year, a challenge 15 

Dr Gerry Jeffers 

Teaching and Learning about all the Sustainable Development Goals 21 

Valerie Lewis 

The importance of key skills for sustainable development 27 

Mella Cusack 

Sustainable Development Goals: Our Journey so far 35 

Helen O’Connor 

The Sustainable Development Goals - A Student’s Perspective 39 

Jack O’Connor 

Author Biographies 44 

PAGE 3


PAGE 4


Foreword 

Michael D. Higgins President of Ireland 

This current volume of the Education and 

Training Boards Ireland Journal focuses 

on the importance of the Sustainable 

Development Goals from a pedagogical 

perspective, with articles on a range of 

experiences relating to the goals across the full 

gamut of policy dimensions to which they relate. 

The Sustainable Development Goals that emanate 

from the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda are the 

blueprint to achieve a more sustainable future for 

all, addressing the international contemporary 

challenges we face, including those related to 

poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental 

degradation, prosperity, peace and justice. No 

other international organisation surely could have 

achieved this tour de force, a moment of global 

solidarity and empathy. The strength of the 

United Nations lies in the collective commitments 

it fosters, such as the 2030 Agenda, and reminds 

us of the critical importance of a multilateral 

approach to dealing with global challenges. 

Such challenges that face the international 

community today – interconnected, 

interdependent and truly global as they are – are 

numerous, and none is more urgent than the 

existential threat of climate change. 

Climate change is moving so much faster than the 

efforts we are expending or enlisting to address it. 

NO OTHER INTERNATIONAL 

ORGANISATION SURELY COULD 

HAVE ACHIEVED THIS TOUR DE 

FORCE, A MOMENT OF GLOBAL 

SOLIDARITY AND EMPATHY. 

Climate action – both mitigation and adaptation 

– is essential if we are to achieve the Sustainable 

Development Goals. The cost of inaction is 

catastrophic, far greater than what it will cost 

us to set out on a truly meaningful, corrective 

path. With the Paris Agreement, we have both the 

framework and the foundations to move forward 

on a sustainable path. 

The debate on climate action in some respects 

has not only provided, and continues to provide, 

hope for those of us who place our faith in the 

multilateral system. It has been revelatory in 

demonstrating how global issues can be inclusive, 

how the voices of the small and less powerful can 

hold sway and can provide a powerful lead. In 

this regard, the role being played by, for example, 

Small Island Developing States is exemplary. 

But of course the Sustainable Development Goals 

go far beyond climate action, reaching across 17 

important policy areas. The goals are an urgent 

PAGE 5


call for action by all countries – developed and 

developing – in a global partnership which 

recognise that ending poverty must go hand-inhand 

with strategies that improve health and 

education, reduce inequality, and spur sustainable 

economic growth – all the while tackling climate 

change and working to preserve our oceans and 

forests within a circular economy. 

The Goals build on decades of work by countries 

under the stewardship of the United Nations, 

beginning in 1992 with the Rio Earth Summit. 

The agreement of the 2030 Agenda by 193 

nation-states in New York in September 2015 was 

a significant moral milestone, and a departure for 

our planet, representing the shared resolution of 

the nations of the world to attempt again through 

shared action to end poverty and hunger, combat 

inequalities in income and opportunity, to build 

peaceful, just and inclusive societies, reverse 

environmental degradation and create conditions 

for a shared prosperity. 

2015 was undoubtedly a moment of hope, one 

that proved that, despite the cynicism that too 

often mars international relations, the nations of 

the world could discern a global common good 

and, in doing so, re-dedicate themselves to the 

founding principles of the United Nations. 

However, the shadows gather. Regrettably, 

we have already begun to see many nations 

back down from their commitments, including 

some of the wealthiest and most powerful. 

This is unacceptable, morally outrageous and 

irresponsible in the extreme, condemning future 

generations to a more hostile and volatile planet, 

to yawning inequality and further avoidable 

conflict, to regression rather than progression. 

WE MUST CONTINUE TO PROMOTE 

THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 

GOALS, ALLOWING FOR 

INCREASED AWARENESS OF THEIR 

POTENTIALLY TRANSFORMATIVE 

ROLE ON NATIONAL AND 

INTERNATIONAL POLICIES. 

Our hopes can only be realised if we stay true 

to the commitments we made to one another 

in the last months of 2015. This will require a 

convergence of vision between the institutions 

of the United Nations, the Member States, 

organisations of regional co-operation and the 

World Trade Organisation. It is authenticity of 

the word, respect for diversity, gender equality, 

equality in all its forms – these are the gifts our 

world needs more than ever as we emerge from 

the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

We must continue to promote the Sustainable 

Development Goals, allowing for increased 

awareness of their potentially transformative 

role on national and international policies. 

By focusing the content on the Sustainable 

Development Goals in this volume, the Education 

and Training Journal of Ireland is doing a great 

service to the citizens of Ireland, and I hope the 

many fine articles that will be published in this 

volume receive widespread attention and are the 

source of stimulating debate, sharing of ideas and, 

ultimately, form the basis for consensus regarding 

our shared future. 

Michael D. Higgins 

President of Ireland 

24th June 2020 

PAGE 6


PAGE 7


PAGE 8


5*S: Space, Surveyors, Students, STEM & the 

Sustainable Development Goals 

An SFI Discover Award Project - By the 5*S team 

As students become increasingly interested 

in and concerned about climate change, 

teachers are looking for ways not only to 

teach about the UN’s Sustainable Development 

Goals (SDGs) but to engage with practices that 

help to fulfil them. The 5*S project has recently 

been created to support teachers to do just that. 

The 5*S project was awarded a prestigious 

Discover Award from the Science Foundation 

Ireland (SFI) in January 2020. As its full title 

shows (Space, Surveyors, Students, STEM and 

the Sustainable Development Goals) a number 

of scientists, surveyors and educators have come 

together to share their expertise with teachers 

and students in second level schools. The project 

aims to promote STEM education and careers to 

students, particularly to girls and will support 

teachers to make links from the curriculum to 

real-world technology and ‘big’ data sources such 

as the Copernicus Satellites from the European 

Space Agency. The project will also prioritise 

schools in remote and/or disadvantaged areas. 

Although the 5*S project was developed prior 

to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, our 

preparatory work continues with a view to 

providing workshops and mentoring online. The 

5*S team will be ready to link with schools in the 

coming academic year and we would like to hear 

from schools interested in becoming involved. 

WITH THE ACCESS TO 

INTERNATIONAL SATELLITES, 

5*S WILL QUITE LITERALLY TAKE 

TEACHERS AND STUDENTS TO 

NEW HEIGHTS. 

As the past few months have shown, technology 

can support social and educational connections 

very effectively. With the access to international 

satellites, 5*S will quite literally take teachers and 

students to new heights. It is a project where you 

could say the sky is the target not the limit! 

Satellites are often thought of as tools suitable 

only for large-area mapping of the environment. 

But satellite data informs so much of our daily 

lives. It is used in agriculture, forestry, marine 

activities and other industries, business, urban 

and rural planning, monitoring health and 

education and other services provision. Very few 

people know how exactly this works and fewer 

still understand how the data can be used to 

shape new practices that are more sustainable, 

kinder to the environment and promote equality. 

In other words how can big data help Ireland 

meet the commitment to the SDGs? 

The overall 5*S project has a number of 

PAGE 9


dimensions including the development of citizen 

science events as well as an augmented reality 

app. The project is based in Maynooth University 

(MU). Project leader Dr Conor Cahalane from 

the Geography Department (MU) is working in 

association with colleagues from the Education 

Department (MU), the Faculty of Engineering and 

the Built Environment at Technological University 

(TU) Dublin, the Environmental Systems Research 

Institute (Esri) Ireland, Ordnance Survey Ireland 

(OSI) and the Society of Chartered Surveyors 

of Ireland (SCSI). The first phase of the project 

will interest teachers in ETB Schools across 

the country. We will be organising a series of 

professional development workshops for teachers 

and creating a panel of GeoMentors that schools 

can link in with to tap into the incredible satellite 

imagery and other forms of GIS data and avail 

of the scientific expertise to interpret it and 

understand how it is applied. 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS 

The 5*S team of geographers, scientists, chartered 

surveyors, teacher educators and other expert 

partners will collaborate to create teacher 

professional development materials for schools. 

These workshops will be available for teachers 

from August 2020 to help tailor content to the 

curriculum. In them, interested teachers will 

learn how space data, particularly the Copernicus 

satellite imagery, can be accessed and used to 

help address the SDGs. 

Links to learning outcomes of the Junior Cycle 

curriculum will also be explored. For example in 

Geography satellite data would sit well within 

both ‘Exploring-’ and ‘Interacting with Physical 

World’. In JC Science the ‘Nature of Science’ 

and ‘Earth and Space’ strands offer interesting 

THE 5*S TEAM OF GEOGRAPHERS, 

SCIENTISTS, CHARTERED 

SURVEYORS, TEACHER 

EDUCATORS AND OTHER EXPERT 

PARTNERS WILL COLLABORATE 

TO CREATE TEACHER 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

MATERIALS FOR SCHOOLS. 

potential within all the learning outcomes for 

those strands. Further crossovers in Physical 

and Biological Worlds are also clear. Teachers of 

other subjects such as CSPE as well as Leaving 

Certificate Physics, Agricultural Science, Business 

Studies, Politics and Society and even History all 

include potential for the use of satellite data to 

inform classroom discussions and build interest 

in the environment around us. 

NATIONWIDE REACH OF THE PROJECT 

5*S builds on two existing national schoolbased 

programmes that teachers may already 

be familiar with. A collaboration between Esri 

Ireland’s award winning, ‘ArcGIS for Schools’ 

programme and the SCSI ‘Day in the Life’ 

recruitment programme offers the opportunity 

to combine a national network of volunteers with 

an existing data/training infrastructure in Irish 

schools. Esri Ireland provided half a billion Euro 

of free software and data to schools across Ireland 

in 2018 and this software infrastructure is what 

enables the 5*S project to be carried out across 

the whole country. 

PAGE 10


The first 5*S GeoMentor cohort – Aideen Croasdell from Esri Ireland introduces the GeoMentor programme to 

Eimear McNerney and her 4 th Year BSc Geographic Science students from TU Dublin. 

Furthermore Ordnance Survey Ireland, another 

5*S partner started work in 2012 in their role on 

the United Nations Global Geospatial Information 

Management (UN-GGIM) Committee of Experts 

to develop Global Fundamental Geospatial Data 

Themes. By now, through their work with the 

Central Statistics Office, OSI has developed 

GeoHive.ie which is a datahub for tracking 

Ireland’s progress to meeting the SDGS and 

enabling evidence-based decision-making for 

citizens, business and policy makers. GeoHive 

is one of the tools that the GeoMentors in the 

5*S project can show and illustrate how to link 

it to curricular content and to ask interesting 

questions about access to services and resources 

in Ireland and therefore probing questions of 

equality for different communities in Ireland. 

The partnership also includes student teachers 

in Maynooth University who will have a role in 

co-creating lesson ideas tailored for different 

age-groups and who work in schools across the 

country. 

LINKING WITH A 5*S GEOMENTOR 

Teachers can also avail of the expert input 

directly to their classrooms of the scientists and 

surveyors who use satellite imagery for their daily 

practice. In the school-based element of the 5*S 

project chartered surveyors and other scientists 

will be trained as “GeoMentors” and will make 

themselves available to show how school students 

and teachers can access and interpret satellite 

data. 

PAGE 11


The GeoMentors in the 5*S project are the 

researchers and surveyors who use satellite data 

in their studies and day to day work surveying 

for developments in primary industries of 

agriculture, forestry, marine. They are the experts 

who can enthuse the next generation to consider 

STEM careers and are ready to bring their 

expertise to the classroom and the geographers, 

surveyors and scientists of the future. 

Ireland is member state of the European Space 

Agency (ESA) and researchers, passionate about 

the role of satellites for mapping in Ireland make 

important research informed decisions relating 

to industry, agriculture, roads, urban planning, 

housing and many other things that affect our 

daily lives. These same scientists are among the 

volunteers wo will be available to schools to 

demonstrate and discuss how this works and 

this project also closely aligns with objectives of 

the European Space Education Research Office 

Ireland (ESERO Ireland). 

The 5*S project has partners among the 

Chartered Surveyors across the whole country. 

They are ready and willing to share their 

expertise with teachers and students. These 

GeoMentor volunteers will pair up with a school 

that is local to them or via video-conferencing and 

will provide insights to classes, directly where 

possible or remotely where necessary. 

The 5*S project has the goal of reaching 

disadvantaged and remote locations or 

communities where teachers and students may 

have difficulty accessing external supports and 

where students may be disadvantaged further 

by lack of access to the levels of support that 

schools in larger urban areas or that are close 

to universities often enjoy. We encourage you to 

consider this opportunity to be part of the change 

using science and technology to find solutions to 

the challenges of climate change. 

So if you are a teacher interested in teaching 

about Sustainable Development goals and linking 

with active practitioners who use precise satellite 

data to explain curricular concepts to students 

email us at: 5S.Surveyors@mu.ie for more 

information. Follow us @5S_Discover on Twitter. 

We look forward to hearing from you! 

PAGE 12


Acknowledgments 

This publication has emanated with the financial support of Science Foundation Ireland 

under Grant number 19/DP/7171 

5*Team 

Dr. Conor Cahalane: FSCSI, FRICS: Assistant Professor, Dept of Geography, Maynooth University 

Dr. Avril Behan: FSCSI, FRICS Director and Dean of College of Engineering and Built Environment at TU Dublin 

Ms. Aideen Croasdell: Engagement Manager, Esri Ireland/ArcGIS for Schools 

Mr James Lonergan: Director of Education and Membership, Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland- 

Ms Lorraine McNerney: General Manager, Ordnance Survey Ireland 

Ms. Angela Rickard: Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Maynooth University 

Dr Zerrin Kucuk: Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Maynooth University 

Dr Joe Oyler: Assistant Professor, Department of Education, Maynooth University 

Ms Eimear McNerney: FSCSI, FRICS: Assistant Lecturer on BSc in Geographic Science, TU Dublin 

Mr Jack Ffrench: Research Assistant, Dept of Geography, Maynooth University 

Dr Ronan Foley: Associate Professor, Dept of Geography, Maynooth University 

PAGE 13


PAGE 14


Embedding the SDGs in Transition 

Year, a challenge 

Dr Gerry Jeffers Education Department, Maynooth University 

A CONTEXT 

Over the past 70 years, educators – 

particularly those engaged in social justice, 

civic education, development education 

and global citizenship programmes – have often 

turned to key United Nations documents for 

inspiration and support. From the landmark 

Declaration on Human Rights (UN, 1948), through 

the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN, 

1989), to the Millennium Development Goals 

(MDGs) (UN,2000) and their successor the 

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (UN, 

2015b), there is a progression of consensus about 

how we might live in an increasingly globalised 

world. Educators tend to be attracted to these 

idealistic frameworks and standards for nurturing 

a vision of humanity that is inclusive and just. 

They also offer teaching opportunities that are 

focused, structured and manageable. 

Of course, as so often happens with the human 

story, high ideals are met with mediocrity 

and failure. When reporting on the MDGs, UN 

Secretary General, Ban-Ki Moon, admitted, “Yet 

for all the remarkable gains, I am keenly aware 

that inequalities persist and that progress has 

been uneven” (UN,2015a). That report notes 

that “Despite many successes, the poorest and 

most vulnerable people are being left behind” 

“THE EXTENT TO WHICH THESE 

GOALS (THE SDGS) WILL BE 

REALISED WILL DEPEND IN NO 

SMALL PART ON WHAT HAPPENS 

IN TODAY’S CLASSROOMS” 

(SCHLEICHER, 2018, P. 227). 

(UN, 2015a, p.8). Gender inequality, growing 

gaps between rich and poor, climate change 

and environmental degradation, and, critically, 

conflicts, are identified as urgent issues. 

The uneven achievements of the eight MDGs 

partially shaped the 17 follow-on SDGs. It’s an 

understatement to say that the coming decade 

will be a critical one for all of us and the planet we 

share. Significant progress towards meeting the 

SDGs will be critically important. In attempting to 

imagine schools of the future, one commentator 

asserts that: “The extent to which these goals (the 

SDGs) will be realised will depend in no small 

part on what happens in today’s classrooms” 

(Schleicher, 2018, p. 227). However, there is little 

unanimity on how the values underpinning the 

SDGs might be taught and learned or, critically, 

what aspects of traditional schooling might be 

jettisoned (e.g. Claxton, 2008; Robinson, 2017). 

PAGE 15


TRANSITION YEAR 

In the Irish secondary school context, Transition 

Year is sometimes suggested as an appropriate 

curricular space for young people to learn 

about the SDGs. After all, “Curriculum content 

is a matter for selection and adaptation by 

the individual school having regard to these 

guidelines and requirements of pupils and the 

views of parents” (DE, 1993, p.5). Furthermore, 

the SDGs seem to resonate with the “broad 

educational experience with a view to the 

attainment of an increased maturity” and the 

development of “a range of transferable critical 

thinking and creative problem solving skills” to 

which TY aspires (ibid, p.3). 

Furthermore, the Guidelines suggest: 

“An aspect of the Transition Year 

programme which should not be ignored 

by schools is the possibility offered for 

interdisciplinary study. An interdisciplinary 

approach would help to create that unified 

perspective which is lacking in the traditional 

compartmentalised teaching of individual 

subjects. One might choose a social theme (such 

as school life, pop culture, unemployment, use of 

energy) which could provide a focus for studying 

during the Transition Year (DE, 1993, p.6). 

Looking at these guidelines more than a quarter 

of a century on, one might reasonably presume 

that the SDGs might figure in the updated 

examples. But it would be naïve to ignore what 

young people have learned previously about the 

SDGs. Indeed, this prior knowledge can be a great 

asset. TY is indeed an opportunity to crystallise 

and deepen what has been learned in primary 

school and in Junior Cycle. 

THERE IS NO SHORTAGE 

OF RATIONAL ARGUMENTS 

BEING PUT FORWARD FOR 

THE INTEGRATED, INTER- 

DISCIPLINARY TEACHING OF THE 

SDGS AND RELATED TOPICS. 

LIMITED SUCCESS 

Persistent research findings related to 

development education in schools indicate 

that whatever successes there have been are 

frequently dependent on ‘champion’ teachers 

(Gleeson, King, O Donnobháin, and O’Driscoll, 

2007; Bryan and Bracken, 2011). As noted 

elsewhere, these champions frequently also 

“express concern for the environment and 

invariably have a commitment to the ideals 

enshrined in the SDGs” (Jeffers and Quirke-Bolt, 

2019, p.111). The evidence suggests that such 

‘champions’ are in a minority in schools. 

There is no shortage of rational arguments being 

put forward for the integrated, inter-disciplinary 

teaching of the SDGs and related topics. For 

example, “… teaching for human solidarity, for 

global citizenship, sustainable development and 

social justice can offer an integrated response to 

emerging and urgent local and global ecological, 

technological, socio-cultural and political 

challenges” (Quirke-Bolt and Jeffers 2018, p.175); 

the Irish Aid Development Education Strategy 

2017 – 2023 is driven by an overarching vision 

of “a sustainable and just world where people 

are empowered to overcome poverty and hunger 

and fully realise their rights and potential” (Irish 

PAGE 16


Aid, 2016, p.2); the Education for Sustainable 

Development (ESD) Strategy is a further example 

of a cross-curricular invitation/challenge. The 

ESD approach suggests that inter-disciplinarity is 

not simply a transient educational fashion, but an 

emerging opportunity to address the knowledge 

explosion and the local and global challenges. 

Yet, despite such apparent imperatives, many 

teachers and schools remain uncertain, hesitating 

to grasp the opportunities. This reality deserves 

greater interrogation. 

As with the MDGs and development education, TY 

has also had its share of successes and failures. 

‘Interdisciplinary work’ appears to be one of 

the more spectacular areas of failure. “There is 

minimal evidence in any of the research of such 

approaches” (Jeffers, 2011, p.66). Evidence from 

Transition Year evaluations indicates strong 

teacher resistance to inter-disciplinary work 

(ibid.). 

Such resistance is not that surprising if teachers’ 

initial teacher education experience restricts 

itself to traditional subject categories. Of course, 

teachers should be qualified subject specialists, 

but in the emerging and fast changing world 

they also need to be much more open and 

flexible to the possibilities offered by crosscurricular 

work. Bryan and Bracken in their 

survey of teachers’ views noted that: “...the vast 

majority of participants felt that development 

issues occupied a very marginal position within 

the formal curriculum, with many identifying 

mere superficial treatment of development 

issues within their own subject areas” (Bryan 

and Bracken,2011,p. 256). They add that: “... 

while theoretically there are indeed numerous 

‘opportunities’ to incorporate development 

themes and issues across a wide range of subject 

areas, there are a host of constraining factors, 

which actively work against the likelihood of 

these opportunities being realised in practice” 

(ibid). 

Bourn (2012) describes how many studentteachers 

and teachers feel ill-equipped to 

incorporate a DE learning perspective into 

their subject teaching because of a lack of both 

confidence and skills to address the complexity of 

development and global themes. 

Teachers’ professional development in 

development education is perhaps more complex 

than other elements of professional capacity 

building. It requires both reflection and critical 

thinking about current development education 

issues, coupled with an engagement in a process 

of learning that recognises different approaches 

and different ways of understanding and looking 

at the world (Bourn, 2014). 

UBUNTU NETWORK 

One attempt to address the complexity of these 

issues in initial teacher education is the Ubuntu 

Network (www.ubuntu.ie). The network supports 

teacher-educators.. 

“...to embed into their work a living 

understanding and commitment to education 

for global citizenship, sustainable development 

and social justice. As a result, graduate postprimary 

teachers entering the workforce can 

integrate into their teaching, and into the 

schools where they work, perspectives that 

encourage active engagement to build a more 

just and sustainable world. (Ubuntu, 2016, p. 9) 

PAGE 17


PRACTICAL ACTION 

Thus, if we reflect on the evidence from the 

history of development education in Ireland as 

well as TY’s own history, it is perhaps unrealistic 

to expect one teacher, even in a single module, to 

engage with all 17 SDGs. For a TY co-ordinator 

keen to embed the SDGs in the programme, the 

following strategy might be considered: 

a. Identify a team of teachers to volunteer to 

undertake the task; 

b. Recognise the strengths within the emerging 

team; 

c. Encourage them to inform each other about 

dimensions of the SDGs with which they are 

familiar; include ecological, socio-cultural, 

scientific and technological, and economic aspects 

of the SDGs; 

d. Facilitate them to decide how best to 

incorporate the SDGs into the school’s specific TY 

programme; 

e. Following the guidelines, see this as an 

opportunity for ‘the use of a wide range of 

teaching/learning methodologies and situations’ 

(DE, 1993, p.8). ‘Project work and research’ by 

individual and small groups on particular SDGs 

may be especially appropriate. 

f. Devise an innovative form of assessment and 

public demonstration of the students’ learning. 

Finally, TY offers space and opportunity to 

develop ‘student voice’ (Lundy, 2007; 2018) 

beyond tokenism. If we pay heed to the emerging 

youthful leaders of our time such as Malala 

Yousafzai and Greta Thunberg, the urgency and 

relevance of the SDGs as a teaching framework in 

TY becomes even clearer. 

PAGE 18


REFERENCES 

Bourn, D. (2012) Global Learning and Subject Knowledge, London: Development Education Research Centre, 

Institute of Education, University of London (in partnership with the Global Learning Programme). 

Bourn, D. (2014) Theory and Practice of Global Learning, London: Development Education Research Centre, 

Institute of Education, University of London (in partnership with the Global Learning Programme). 

Bryan, A. & Bracken, M. (2011) Learning to Read the World? Teaching and Learning about Global Citizenship 

and International Development in Post-Primary Schools, Drumcondra, Dublin: Centre for Human Rights and 

Citizenship Education. 

Claxton, G. (2008) What’s the Point of School? Oxford: Oneworld. 

Department of Education (1993) Transition Year Programmes, Guidelines for Schools, Dublin: Department of 

Education. Available at https://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Information/Curriculum-and-Syllabus/ 

Transition-Year-/ty_transition_year_school_guidelines.pdf 

Gleeson, J.,, King, P., O Donnobháin, D. & O’Driscoll, S. (2007) Development Education in Irish Post-Primary 

Schools: Knowledge, Attitudes and Activism, Research Report, Limerick: University of Limerick, Curriculum 

Evaluation and Policy Research Unit. 

Irish Aid (2016) Irish Aid Development Education Strategy 2017-2023, Dublin: Irish Aid, Department of Foreign 

Affairs and Trade. 

Jeffers, G. and Quirke-Bolt, N. (2019) ‘Teachers’ Professional Identities and Development Education’ 

in Policy and Practice, Vol 29, Belfast: Centre for Global Education. Pps. 163-181. Available at www. 

developmenteducationreview.com 

Lundy, L. (2018). In defence of tokenism? Implementing children’s right to participate in collective decisionmaking. 

Childhood, 25(3), pps. 340–354. https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568218777292 

Lundy, L (2007) ‘Voice’ is not enough: Conceptualising Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights 

of the Child. British Educational Research Journal 33(6): pps.927–942. doi.org/10.1080/01411920701657033 

Quirke-Bolt, N. and Jeffers, G. (2018) ‘Joining the Dots: Connecting Change, Post-Primary Development 

PAGE 19


Education, Initial Teacher Education and an Inter-Disciplinary Cross-Curricular Context’. Policy and Practice, Vol 

27, Belfast: Centre for Global Education. pps. 110-120. Available at www.developmenteducationreview.com 

Jeffers, G (2011) The Transition Year Programme in Ireland. Embracing and resisting a curriculum innovation 

The Curriculum Journal 22 (1) March 2011, p 61-76 doi-org.jproxy.nuim.ie/10.1080/09585176.2011.550788 

Robinson, K. (2017) Out of Our Minds, The Power of Being Creative, Chicester: Capstone. 

Schleicher, A (2018) World Class: How to build a 21st Century School System - Strong Performers and Successful 

Reformers in Education, Paris: OECD. 

Teaching Council (2016) Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers, revised 2nd edition, Maynooth: The Teaching 

Council. 

Ubuntu Network (2016) Strategic Plan 2016-2020, Limerick: Ubuntu Network. Available at www.ubuntu.ie . 

United Nations (2015a) Millennium Development Goals Report, New York: UN. 

United Nations (2015b) Sustainable Development Goals, New York: UN, available: https://www.un.org/ 

sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/ (accessed 7 June 2020). 

United Nations Environment Programme (2013) Embedding the Environment in Sustainable Development Goals, 

New York: UNEP. 

United Nations Development Programme (2000) Millennium Development Goals, New York: UNDP. 

United Nations (1989) Convention on the Rights of the Child, New York: UN 

United Nations (1948) Declaration on Human Rights, New York: UN. 

PAGE 20


Teaching and Learning about all the 

Sustainable Development Goals 

Valerie Lewis Education and Training Boards Ireland 

The United Nations Sustainable Development 

Goals (SDGs) 2015 – 2030, are a pledge to 

finish what was started by the Millennium 

Development Goals (MDGs) and tackle some 

of the more urgent challenges facing the world 

today. Crucial debate and discussion provided 

us with a range of detailed objectives and targets 

aligned to the final 17 Goals, underpinned by a 

declared partnership approach to achieve the 

2030 agenda. “The interlinkages and integrated 

nature of the Sustainable Development Goals 

are of crucial importance in ensuring that the 

purpose of the new Agenda is realised. If we 

realize our ambitions across the full extent of 

the Agenda, the lives of all will be profoundly 

improved and our world will be transformed 

for the better”. (United Nations, 2015, p.6). 

The objectives and targets also provide an 

opportunity for educators to support and develop 

the learning and engagement of the students 

in their care. By engaging with the breadth of 

aspirations aligned to the SDGs and focusing 

on the unified nature and impact of all, there is 

potential to empower our students, to extend 

their effort and input beyond the possibility of 

strikes. 

Five years in to the fifteen-year SDG plan, much of 

the conversation has been dominated by the need 

to address climate justice, climate action and the 

THE URGENCY FOR ACTION IS 

PALPABLE AND REGARDLESS OF 

THE OBSERVER OR PARTICIPANT 

STANCE, THE MOTIVATION IS 

DIFFICULT TO IGNORE. 

urgency around climate change issues (SDG 13). 

‘Eco anxiety’ has appeared in our vocabulary 

and news reports, briefings, and protest placards 

regularly referencing ‘catastrophe’, ‘panic’, 

‘collapse’ and a potential finite timeline to save 

the planet. Climate strikes and ‘Fridays for 

Future’ have encouraged our students to march 

collectively and shout ‘this has got to stop’, and 

many adults in awe of their offspring, have been 

both moved and paralysed in equal measure. The 

urgency for action is palpable and regardless 

of the observer or participant stance, the 

motivation is difficult to ignore. But the question 

remains, how have the seventeen goals become 

concentrated into a focus on one and is this 

the best approach to tackle the current climate 

emergency? 

Two of the overarching principles aligned to 

the SDGs the interconnected nature of all 17 

Goals and the pledge that “no one will be left 

PAGE 21


behind” (United Nations, 2015, p.1). The range 

and detail of targets aligned to the Goals indicate 

the consideration and deliberation given to the 

inclusion of each, and the breadth of challenges 

addressed. The theme of sustainability is 

referenced with regularity and the concept of 

interconnection has remained to the fore. In 

leaving no one behind the impetus was not 

alone in ensuring that all UN Member states 

signed up to the commitment of success, but 

also to ensure a collaborative approach. This 

collective engagement is designed to inspire 

shared responsibility and an equal voice, and 

much should be made of this tactic when 

educating about climate issues in our post 

primary classrooms. Far from approaching 

issues through a sole climate lens, the principles 

of interconnection and inclusion should form the 

core of what influences the formal approach to 

engagement. It is clear – we must teach about all 

the global goals in order to effectively teach about 

one. 

A comprehensive review of Irish education 

has occurred over the last decade, with the 

implementation of the new Junior Cycle 

curriculum and a review process currently 

ongoing for Senior Cycle. While climate justice 

and sustainable development education are 

not currently listed as subjects in the formal 

curriculum, they are included as short courses 

and as elements of other mainstream subjects. 

This has the potential to allow for engagement 

across the student cohort but in practice it means 

that these topics are ‘everywhere and nowhere’ 

often resulting in ad hoc attention. Similarly, 

where these topics appear to have a ‘natural’ 

home in subjects like Geography or CSPE, there 

can be a tendency to assume that this is the only 

place they need to be addressed. However, the 

concept that teaching and learning about all of 

the Sustainable Development Goals should be the 

remit of all teachers will not likely be met with 

open arms. Nevertheless, the fact that concern 

related to a single SDG is raised by the student 

cohort suggests that school is the natural place 

where more learning about all the SDGs should 

happen. 

A pivotal and inherent part of the pedagogical 

approach to teaching and learning about 

the sustainable development goals mush be 

underpinned by the necessity to teach about all 

the SDGs, across all subjects. Far from being the 

remit of the ‘champion’ teacher or the aligned 

subject, the curriculum of the Junior Cycle in 

particular, supports all students and teachers 

to learn about the interconnected nature of 

sustainability issues and their ultimate impact 

on climate change. As outlined in a Framework 

for Junior Cycle (2015) an overview of each 

PAGE 22


curriculum subject demonstrates how it is 

organised and learning is set out in strands 

and learning outcomes. Each subject is also 

underpinned by “a focus on key skills, and new 

approaches to assessment and reporting” (DES, 

2015). When viewed in detail, these learning 

outcomes provide both structure and evidence 

which offer a conduit for teaching and learning 

about the SDGs – in all subjects. Furthermore, 

this inclusive approach permeates across social 

demographics providing a potential platform for 

a more diverse chorus of voices. 

One approach might be to engage in a thematic 

journey across the curriculum, by utilising 

an example that crosses many of the SDG 

‘boundaries’. Take for example the humble 

mobile phone – owned by over 90% of Irish 

adults(Deloitte, 2019) and offering the capacity 

to connect virtually and access information in 

a matter of seconds. What could be learned 

about this device that might ultimately address 

a breadth of issues across the sustainability 

spectrum. Learning outcome 3.9 in Strand 3 

of Applied Technology proposes discussing 

‘the potential of technology to affect society 

and the environment’, while 3.9 in Engineering 

asks students to ‘investigate the impact of 

mechatronics on the environment and society’. 

This provides potential to explore and analyse the 

many metal components (over 30) that are part 

of the make-up of the modern mobile phone. 

Delving further into those metal components 

in Strand 3 (Our Economy) - Business Studies 

students can ‘explain how scarcity of economic 

resources results in individuals having to make 

choices’. Mining for some of those resources 

and its impact on Local indigenous species can 

be discussed and analysed further in the CSPE 

classroom and also through the Geography 

syllabus. Visual Art learning outcomes provide 

a starting point for the investigation and 

exploration, not only of phone design and the 

impact on consumers, but also on the associated 

advertising that encourages the upgrading 

of devices on a more regular basis than may 

be necessary. Learning outcome 8 in English 

provides a potential platform to interpret 

meaning and compare the impact of the tone, 

style and content of that same advertising. 

Through Irish Strand 1 (Communicative 

Competence) and Modern Foreign Languages 

Strand 3, students have an opportunity to debate, 

discuss and communicate these issues and 

content with relevant audiences and ‘evaluate 

it for truth and reliability’. The overarching aim 

of the Junior Cert science syllabus ‘to develop 

students’ evidence-based understanding’ and ‘to 

gather and evaluate evidence’ supports enquiry 

through all five strands from both the practical 

and ethical aspects of mobile phone development 

and also its usage. 

There are of course other subjects, short courses 

and learning programmes that provide a platform 

for further associations on this ‘mobile phone’ 

theme. There is likewise the caution that not 

every topic needs to filter across each subject 

area in exactly the same way. The conclusion 

remains that all subjects currently have the 

capacity to allow teaching and learning about 

the SDGs already, a capacity which is explicit 

and with no additional content requirements. 

This tour of the curriculum is also supported 

by, and through, the Junior Cycle key skills of 

Communicating, Managing Information and 

Thinking, Being Creative and Working with 

PAGE 23


others to name but a few. Additionally, this 

approach also provides a space to consider and 

discuss some of the anxieties relating to the 

future of our planet referenced earlier, in both 

formal and informal contexts. 

Despite a sense of urgency, there are a number 

of inherent challenges in addressing climate 

justice as an singular priority, which not only 

does a disservice to the strength and impact 

of addressing all SDGs, but by default does an 

injustice to teaching and learning about climate 

issues themselves. 

“ 

Tackling climate change and fostering 

sustainable development are two mutually 

reinforcing sides of the same coin; sustainable 

development cannot be achieved without 

climate action. Conversely, many of the SDGs are 

addressing the core drivers of climate change” 

(www.UN.org, 2020). 

When the protesting students return to their 

classroom we must ask, of ourselves and them, 

what are we doing to ‘make this stop’ and how are 

we truly impacting change? 

The key point continues to remain the 

interconnected nature and purpose of the 17 

Global Goals. The previous mobile phone example 

or thematic approach demonstrates potential 

engagement with a possible nine goals. and more 

importantly the influence through information 

or action that can subsequently be borne on 

SDG 13 (Climate Change) - the initial driver of 

student protest. It can be difficult to challenge 

the purpose of a climate focus, particularly when 

the impetus is coming from a youth cohort, but 

creative placards and strongly held convictions 

do not permeate across the entire student 

body. A teaching and learning approach that is 

underpinned not only by content, but creative 

and critical thinking has the potential to engage 

all students and not just the protesting few 

challenging those students to make full use of a 

breadth of information. We can then ask further 

key questions. What form does appropriate and 

impactiful action take and ultimately what is the 

desired effect. 

With just ten years to go, a Decade of Action has 

commenced which calls for a greater global effort 

to deliver the 2030 agreement. In January this 

year UN General Secretary, António Guterres, 

outlined three overarching areas of concentration 

for the Decade of Action – global action, local 

action and people action and detailed an ambition 

for all people to work collectively (2020). By 2030 

our current post primary cohort will all have 

the capacity to vote, be participating members 

of society and potential policy makers and 

implementers – they will be a core component of 

that desired global, local and people action. It is 

vital therefore that they are equipped with a welldeveloped 

and informed sense of the issues that 

impact all members of society. It is also important 

that these future voters and policy makers consist 

of a range of inclusive voices, reflective of all our 

classrooms and not just the protesting few. 

PAGE 24


REFERENCES 

Department of Education and Skills (2014) ‘Education for Sustainability’, The National Strategy on Education for 

Sustainable Development in Ireland, 2014-2020 Dublin: Department of Education and Skills 

Department of Education and Skills (DES) (2015) A Framework for Junior Cycle Dublin: Department of Education and 

Skills. 

Deloitte (2019) Global Mobile Consumer Survey 2019: The Irish cut 

https://www2.deloitte.com/ie/en/pages/technology-media-and-telecommunications/articles/global-mobile-consumersurvey.html 

Guterres, António (2020) Remarks to the General Assembly on the Secretary-General’s priorities for 2020 https://www. 

un.org/sg/en/content/sg/speeches/2020-01-22/remarks-general-assembly-priorities-for-2020 

National Council for Curriculum and Assessment Key Skills of Junior Cycle (2012) Dublin: Department of Education 

and Skills 

United Nations (2015) Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. (A/Res/70/1). New York: 

United Nations 

United Nations (2019) Sustainable Development Goals Report 2019 New York: United Nations 

UN.org (2020) The Sustainable Development Agenda https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/developmentagenda/ 

PAGE 25


PAGE 26


The importance of key skills for 

sustainable development 

Mella Cusack Get up and Goals project 

Transforming Our World: Agenda 2030, 

adopted by the United Nations General 

Assembly in September 2015, is a plan of 

action for people, planet, prosperity and peace. 

It is a global framework to deal with the major 

challenges facing humanity and our planet. The 

Agenda incorporates seventeen Sustainable 

Development Goals to be achieved by the year 

2030. These Goals are integrated and indivisible 

and balance the three dimensions of sustainable 

development: the economic, social and 

environmental. Taken together, the seventeen 

Goals with 169 targets represent an ambitious 

but imperative plan to secure a sustainable, 

THE GOALS ARE UNIVERSAL, 

MEANING THAT ALL COUNTRIES 

AND ALL PEOPLE HAVE A 

RESPONSIBILITY TO ACT TO 

REALISE THE GOALS, BOTH AT 

HOME AND OVERSEAS. 

peaceful, prosperous and equitable life for all 

people, everywhere, now and in the future 

(United Nations, 2015). 

In 2017, UNESCO (United Nations 

Educational, Scientific and 

Cultural Organization) published 

a document entitled Education 

for Sustainable Development 

Goals: Learning Objectives. 

This document outlined eight 

key competencies relevant for 

the Sustainable Development 

Goals. These competencies are 

an internationally recognised 

standard in relation to learner 

acquisition of higher order skills, 

dispositions and values vis-à-vis 

sustainable development. 

PAGE 27


Key competencies for sustainability 

Systems thinking competency: the abilities to recognize 

and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; 

to think of how systems are embedded within different 

domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. 

Anticipatory competency: the abilities 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. 

Normative competency: the abilities 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. 

Strategic competency: the abilities to collectively 

develop and implement innovative actions that further 

sustainability at the local level and further afield. 

Collaboration competency: the abilities 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. 

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. 

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. 

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 abovementioned 

competences. 

Figure 2: The eight key competencies for sustainable 

development (UNESCO, 2017: 10) 

“YOU CAN’T USE UP CREATIVITY. 

THE MORE YOU USE, THE MORE 

YOU HAVE.” 

MAYA ANGELOU (1928-2014), AFRICAN AMERICAN 

POET, AUTHOR AND CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST 

Actioning a recommendation in the National 

Strategy for Education for Sustainable 

Development (2014-2020), in 2018 the National 

Council for Curriculum and Assessment published 

a study mapping the eight key competences for 

sustainable development onto early childhood to 

post-primary curriculum frameworks in Ireland. 

The Framework for Junior Cycle (2015) stipulates 

that throughout junior cycle, students develop 

their proficiency in eight key skills as they 

engage with different learning experiences 

and assessment approaches from across the 

curriculum. 

Each key skill is made up of several elements, 

(Figure 3) and each element has an associated 

set of learning outcomes, which describe what 

learners are expected to know and be able to 

do. The NCCA (2018) study mapped the eight 

key skill elements and their associated learning 

outcomes against the UNESCO key competencies 

for sustainability, and found that explicit 

connections could be made (Figure 4). 

It is evident there is comprehensive coverage of 

the UNESCO key competencies for sustainability 

across the junior cycle key skills 1 . To get a better 

sense of how the mapping was carried out, it 

is useful to look behind the scenes of what was 

presented in the NCCA study. Since the key skill 

PAGE 28


Being Creative key skill elements of: 

• Exploring options and alternatives 

• Imagining 

• Implementing ideas and taking action 

More specifically, these aspects of the key 

competencies can be linked to a selection of 

learning outcomes (articulated in the student 

voice) associated with these three Being Creative 

key skill elements. These learning outcomes are 

presented below in descending order of relevance 

where the key competences are concerned: 

Figure 3: The eight key skills of Junior Cycle 

of Being Creative was found to be especially 

relevant, this is the most obvious skill to take as 

an example. However, it is important to point 

out, that although the remainder of this article 

focuses on Being Creative, there are elements of 

creativity in other key skills – not least, Thinking 

Creatively and Critically in the key skill of 

Managing Information and Thinking. The focus 

on the key skill of Being Creative is for illustrative 

purposes only. 

In terms of the UNESCO key competences, the 

abilities that have the potential to be activated 

through the junior cycle key skill of Being 

Creative are highlighted in Figure 4. These 

abilities are, in the main, activated through the 

Exploring options and alternatives: 

I can… 

• take risks and learn from my mistakes and 

failures 

• seek out different viewpoints and 

perspectives and consider them carefully 

• imagine different scenarios and predict 

different outcomes 

• repeat the whole exercise if necessary 

• try out different approaches when working 

on a task and evaluate what works best 

• think through a problem step-by-step 

Imagining: 

I can… 

• take inspiration from the courage and 

imagination of others 

• imagine ways that I can make a positive 

difference in the world 

• express my feelings, thoughts and ideas 

through movement, writing, music, art, 

storytelling, drama and imaginative modes of 

expression 

Implementing ideas and taking action: 

I can… 

PAGE 29


JC Key Skills 

UNESCO key 

competency 

Managing 

myself 

Staying 

well 

Managing 

information 

& thinking 

Being 

numerate 

Being 

creative 

Working 

with 

others 

Communicating 

Systems Thinking x x x x 

Being 

literate 

Anticipatory x x x x x x 

Normative x x x x x x 

Strategic x x x x x 

Collaboration x x x x x x 

Critical thinking x x x x x 

Self-awareness x x x x 

Integrated problemsolving 

x x x 

Figure 4: Mapping the UNESCO Key Competencies to the Junior Cycle Key Skills 

• see things through to completion 

• evaluate different ideas and actions 

• test out ideas 

So, how does this mapping relate to subject 

and short course specifications? Junior cycle 

curriculum specifications, both for subjects and 

short courses, largely follow the same template. 

This template includes an ‘Overview: Links’ 

section which details the links between each 

specific subject/short course and the junior cycle 

statements of learning and key skills. The key 

skill links section highlights examples of key skill 

elements addressed in each specification, with 

associated examples of student learning activities. 

The key skill elements and examples of learning 

are not meant to be exhaustive, rather they are 

indicative of what is possible. However, because 

the template is finite, it is likely that those 

involved in curriculum specification production 

use this section to flag the most relevant key skill 

elements and the most obvious student learning 

activities. 

In descending order, according to frequency of 

mention, the Being Creative key skill elements 

mentioned in the key skill links section of junior 

cycle specifications (subjects and short courses) 

are: 

• Exploring options and alternatives 

• Learning creatively 

• Imagining 

• Implementing ideas and taking action 

• Stimulating creativity using digital 

technology 

The Being Creative key skill element that is 

PAGE 30

̅ 

̅ 

̅ 


most frequently mentioned Exploring Options 

and Alternatives appears in nine subject 

specifications and three short courses. Learning 

Creatively appears in five subjects and one short 

course. Imagining appears in three subjects 

and two short courses. Implementing Ideas and 

Taking Action is mentioned in two subjects and 

two short courses. Lastly, Stimulating Creativity 

and Using Digital Technology is in two subjects 

and one short course. Most subjects/short 

courses highlight one element per key skill in the 

links section of the specification template, but 

there are exceptions, with two subject and one 

short course specification flagging more than one 

Being Creative element. 

This means that the Being Creative key skill 

elements that are most conducive to UNESCO’s 

key competencies for sustainability are broadly 

the very key skill elements that are prioritised 

in junior cycle specifications. What did the 

producers of the specifications envisage that 

students would be doing as they put the various 

Being Creative key skill elements into practice? 

Is it possible to see the UNESCO competencies in 

the sample student learning activities detailed in 

the Links (key skill) section of the specifications? 

In the interests of brevity, below are some 

examples of the sample student activities given 

for the Being Creative key skill elements in 

both subjects and short courses. The focus is 

on the Being Creative keys skill elements that 

are most relevant from a key competencies of 

sustainability perspective. 

Exploring options and alternatives 

• Geography: Students learn about global 

issues such as climate change and explore 

mitigation and prevention options. 

• Philosophy: Students choose appropriate 

problem-solving techniques as they attempt 

to solve problems through argument. To do 

this they will seek out different viewpoints 

and perspectives, imagine different scenarios 

and outcomes, and be prepared to change 

their mind. 

• Visual Art: Students experience and 

experiment with visual art processes 

such as observing, imagining, making and 

investigating through a wide range of media 

including digital methods. 

Imagining 

• Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE): 

Students use their imaginations to: 

develop empathetic thinking by 

considering issues from different 

perspectives 

take inspiration from the community 

leaders and activists they encounter in 

their research and in person 

envision ways that they can make a 

positive difference in the world. 

• English: Students engage frequently with 

literary narratives and will compose 

imaginative narratives of their own. 

• Religious Education: Students will imagine 

ways that they can be a force for good in 

the world and take inspiration from sharing 

stories of people of courage, conviction and 

imagination. 

PAGE 31


Implementing ideas and taking action 

• Business Studies: Students will generate 

ideas on products/services in a creative 

environment and will be empowered to 

realise these ideas. 

• Coding: Students brainstorm and generate 

ideas for design and implementation of 

solutions and projects. 

• Home Economics: Students apply the design 

brief process in the making of a textile item 

for the individual or the home. 

These sample student activities extracted from 

specifications are from a mix of short courses and 

subjects. There are short courses and subjects 

with explicit sustainable development content 

to be learned (education about sustainable 

development), as well as encouraging UNESCO 

key competencies through associated key 

skill elements (education for sustainable 

development). There are other short courses and 

subjects that where content about sustainable 

development may be addressed if the teacher 

is so motivated, and the integration of key skills 

into learning outcomes are the main driver for 

creating opportunities for teachers to employ 

active methodologies which in turn have the 

potential to contribute to student engagement 

with UNESCO key competencies. 

CONCLUSION 

UNESCO describe the key competencies for 

sustainability as ‘necessary for all learners 

of all ages worldwide’ and state that they are 

‘transversal, multifunctional and contextdependent’ 

(UNESCO, 2017: 10). While the focus 

in this article was on junior cycle level three 

and especially on the sample key skill of Being 

Creative, there are ample opportunities for key 

competency building in level two and level one 

priority learning units and short courses. 

The experience of the Get up and Goals project 

and partner initiatives like ETBI’s Take One 

programme in recent years has highlighted 

huge potential to build the key competencies for 

sustainability across the junior cycle programme. 

Celebrating what is happening in short courses 

and subjects raises awareness of the possibilities 

that exist for valuable cross-curricular work and 

indeed the need for teachers to be supported to 

become familiar with subjects and short courses 

beyond their own, both in terms of content 

and skills/competencies; and, for appropriate 

time to be dedicated to planning to ensure that 

teaching, learning and assessment about and for 

sustainability is optimised for all students and for 

the sake of our world. 

Endnotes 

1 The UNESCO key competencies for sustainability are 

high-level competencies, which assume that learners have a preexisting 

set of foundational competencies. It is for this reason that 

the competencies cannot be explicitly mapped onto the junior cycle 

key skill of Being Literate. However, there are links between the key 

competencies and the key skill of Communicating, a higher-order key 

skill which builds on Being Literate. 

PAGE 32


REFERENCES 

DES, 2014. National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development. 

https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Education-Reports/National-Strategy-on-Education-for-Sustainable-Developmentin-Ireland-2014-2020.pdf 

DES, 2015a. Framework for junior cycle 2015. 

https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Policy-Reports/Framework-for-Junior-Cycle-2015.pdf 

Junior cycle short course and subject specifications: 

www.curriculumonline.ie 

United Nations, 2015. Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld 

UNESCO, 2017. Education for Sustainable Development Goals: Learning objectives. 

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0024/002474/247444e.pdf 

PAGE 33


PAGE 34


Sustainable Development Goals: 

Our Journey so far 

Helen O’Connor Deputy Principal, Abbey Community College, Waterford 

Following an invitation from Kilkenny and 

Carlow Education and Training Board (ETB) 

Director of Schools, Ms Pauline Egan, to 

attend an Education and Training Boards Ireland 

(ETBI) training programme, Ms Linda Cummins 

and Ms Helen O’Connor from Abbey Community 

College travelled to Athlone in October 2019. The 

subject matter of the training day was ‘Embedding 

Sustainable Development Goals in Teaching and 

Learning at Junior Cycle’. The launch of TAKE 1, 

the ETBI SDG Programme also took place on that 

day. 

We had arrived in Athlone with open minds and, 

as many ETBs were represented by teaching staff 

and management, we heard from our colleagues 

their experiences of embedding the Sustainable 

Development Goals (SDGs) in their schools. 

However, it was clear that, like us, the majority of 

schools were new to the programme and were in 

Athlone to listen, learn and begin their own SDG 

journey. 

EXPLORING THE BEST WAY FORWARD 

On our return to the Abbey we discussed how 

best to introduce the SDGs programme into our 

curriculum and into school life. In December, 

Abbey College participated in ETBI’s Take 1 Week. 

Being mindful of ‘initiative overload’ among 

staff and students, we reflected upon what we 

WE AIM TO EDUCATE IN A 

REFLECTIVE WAY, EMPHASISING 

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE 

WHOLE PERSON THEREBY 

ENABLING OUR STUDENTS TO 

PARTICIPATE FULLY IN SOCIETY 

AND LIVE FULFILLED LIVES. 

were already doing that linked in with the SDGs. 

Although the aim of ETBI is to embed the SDGs 

in the Junior Cycle curriculum, we also hoped to 

highlight them on a whole-school level. 

In order to do this, we decided that we would 

focus our attention on one SDG and showcase 

how it connected to our curricular and cocurricular 

activities. Our aim was to integrate one 

SDG into school life to encourage student and 

staff engagement with this goal and, ultimately, 

motivate them to learn more about providing a 

sustainable future for all. 

Climate change and the environment are high 

on students’ agendas at present and many 

SDGs deal directly with the environment. On 

the back of organised protests and student-led 

PAGE 35


climate campaigns in our school, 

we decided not to focuson 

an environmental orientated 

SDG. We looked instead to our 

students and upcoming activities 

to see which of the seventeen 

SDGs would fit best into our 

school life. 

JUSTICE GROUP AND HUMAN 

TRAFFICKING 

Student Voice is of the utmost 

importance in Abbey Community 

College. According to our mission 

statement, we aim to educate in a reflective 

way, emphasising the development of the 

whole person thereby enabling our students 

to participate fully in society and live fulfilled 

lives. Students are encouraged and given the 

opportunity to voice their opinions and raise 

awareness of issues that matter to them whether 

they are school-based or at a local, national or 

international level. 

Abbey Community College has a Justice Group 

comprising impassioned students and staff 

who work together to raise awareness of issues 

that are important to them. It so happened that 

this group was organising a talk on the issue 

of HumanbTrafficking to be given by Mr Kevin 

Hyland, OBE. From Mr Hyland’s biography, we 

knew he was the author and main negotiator for 

the inclusion of UN Sustainable Development 

Goal 8.7, providing a specific target for human 

trafficking in the 2030 agenda. His visit to our 

school drew much online and print media 

attention and that gave us an opportunity to 

introduce the ETBI’s programme and highlight 

our chosen SDG. 

Inspired by Mr Hyland, we decided to highlight 

SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth. As 

outlined at the training day in October 2019, one 

of the first school-based activities of the TAKE 1 

Programme would see ETB teachers across the 

country showcase current and new engagement 

with the SDGs in their classrooms during One 

World Week. 

The aim was to teach One Lesson about One 

SDG, to One class group over the course of One 

week. We informed staff of our chosen SDG: 

SDG 8 dealing with employment, economic 

growth, decent work and equality, labour rights, 

sustainable tourism, access to financial services 

and aid. 

We were very conscious that the Take 1 

programme should not create more work but 

highlight what was already being done in our 

classes to try and achieve a sustainable future 

for us all. Our teachers responded and raised 

awareness of the importance and interconnected 

nature of the Sustainable Development Goals 

within the junior cycle framework. 

PAGE 36


WELLBEING 

The wellbeing of all is at the heart of what we 

do at Abbey Community College. We define 

Wellbeing as care of the individual in the school to 

ensure they are contented, healthy and successful. 

Our ‘Well Boy, Well Girl’ initiative takes place each 

day for all students during tutor time, focusing 

on one of the six Wellbeing Indicators each week. 

During Take 1 week, the ‘Connected’ indicator 

was chosen and a daily reflection related to SDG 8 

was delivered to all students thereby enabling the 

whole school to access this initiative. 

Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE) is 

also an important part of our school’s wellbeing 

programme within junior cycle enabling students 

to connect to situations and take responsibility 

for the wellbeing of others. 

WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE AND GENDER 

INEQUALITIES 

instructions outside the classroom door to put 

their books on their desks and then take a chair 

from the stack at the back of the room. Students 

were rewarded for completing this task: boys 

got two stickers, girls got one sticker. This led to 

a discussion about inequality linking to topics 

previously studied such as democracy, equality 

and women’s right to vote. The students were 

then asked to research facts about the gender 

pay gap for homework. The following week, they 

completed a group activity where they created 

legislation against the gender pay gap in Ireland 

discussing topical social issues such as childcare 

costs. Posters of the students’ work were 

produced and showcased in the school and on the 

school’s social media pages. 

SDG 8 promotes sustained, inclusive and 

sustainable economic growth, full and productive 

employment and decent work for all. Ms Dowling 

Ms Siobhan Dowling had been 

delivering a series of lessons 

during CSPE on the women’s 

suffrage movement to her third 

year students. To tie in with 

Take 1 week, she decided to link 

in with the suffrage movement 

and fast forward to today; the 

gender pay gap, women’s labour 

rights, and how a lot of women 

end up in informal employment 

as a result of childcare costs. 

Ms Dowling created a lesson 

whereby students experienced 

gender inequalities. Before 

students came into the 

room, she gave them specific 

Students explore SDG 8 

PAGE 37


highlighted this with her students while also 

linking in with the junior cycle Statements of 

Learning (SOL) and key skills. SOL 11 relates to 

students taking action to safeguard and promote 

their wellbeing and that of others. This successful 

lesson allowed students to use the key skill of 

working with others and place a strong focus on 

student action giving them an experience of active 

citizenship. 

BUSINESS STUDIES 

The topics studied in junior cycle business studies 

are directly linked with SDG 8. Second year 

business studies classes conducted by Ms Maria 

Dagg and Ms Emma O’Neill were studying the 

topic of employment. During Take 1 week, these 

classes explored the topics of unemployment and 

the rights and responsibilities of employees and 

employers. Students were encouraged to come up 

with ideas on how they could encourage decent 

work for all. Informative posters were designed 

and displayed throughout the school. 

Ms Dagg and Ms O’Neill highlighted SDG 8 with 

their students promoting the need to increase 

employment opportunities, particularly for 

young people and to advocate for safe and secure 

working environments for all. This links with 

junior cycle SOL 7 where students value what 

it means to be an active citizen, with rights and 

responsibilities in local and wider contexts. 

posts by students, parents and outside agencies 

was visible through these social media platforms. 

Our aim to raise awareness of the Sustainable 

Development Goals and in particular SDG 8 had 

been successful. 

Abbey Community College’s participation in the 

Sustainable Development Goals initiative has 

been low-key so far. If the SDGs are to become 

embedded in all junior cycle subjects, there is 

a need for more resources to become available 

to schools in order to map the SDGs to specific 

subjects within the junior cycle curriculum. This 

is something that ETBI are currently working on. 

There is also the need for all ETB schools to come 

on board. 

OUR JOURNEY CONTINUES 

Our hope for our school is to take part in another 

Take 1 week, using a different SDG allowing 

different subject departments to get involved. 

Abbey Community College’s Sustainable 

Development Goals journey has just begun but 

will continue enthusiastically. 

AWARENESS THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA 

PLATFORMS 

During Take 1 week, Abbey Community College 

highlighted all our SDG activities online. Our 

website, Facebook page and Twitter account were 

updated daily. Positive interaction with these 

PAGE 38


The Sustainable Development 

Goals - A Student’s Perspective 

Jack O’Connor - United Nations Youth Delegate for Ireland (2019-2020) 

This year, 2020 sees the 5-year anniversary 

of the UN Sustainable Development 

Goals (SDGs). These Goals fall under 

the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, and 2020 

begins the Decade of Action to achieve these 

ambitious Goals. The future of the world, and 

the achievement of the SDGs, will be shaped by 

the youth of today, and I am a firm believer that 

the youth must be adequatwely educated on 

sustainable development regardless of their life 

ambitions to shape a better tomorrow. 

A common misconception about sustainable 

development, and indeed the SDGs, is that they 

are aimed solely towards developing countries. 

This could not be further from the truth. The 

SDGs touch on every possible element of life 

globally; from human rights, to business practices, 

to diverse ecosystems. With that said, I find it 

crucial that people are afforded the capacity 

and education necessary to deliver positive, 

sustainable change. 

The SDGs provide a pragmatic framework for 

creating a better world and is a system that 

I have held great interest in since my time as 

a student at Desmond College, Co. Limerick. 

With the benefit of hindsight, I can see that 

receiving my second level education through 

an Education and Training Board (ETB) school 

provided a strong perspective on the need for 

MOYO NUA IS AIMED AT 

REVOLUTIONISING THE 

AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES OF 

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES USING 

AN ERGONOMIC SEED PLANTER 

FOR SMALLHOLDER FARMERS 

sustainable development both globally and 

locally. Issues such as reducing inequality and 

providing quality education, two core elements 

of ETB schools, are engrained in the SDGs, which 

provide the opportunity for systematic change 

to occur. However, despite the abundance of 

resources readily available for the SDGs, coupled 

with initiatives and ideas to implement this 

development, there tends to be a large divide 

in buy-in on these Goals. Perhaps the most 

important Goals that have existed globally. 

My initial interest in sustainable education and 

subsequent work related to the SDGs, started 

through a project I entered in the BT Young 

Scientist and Technology Exhibition in 2017. 

The project, now called Moyo Nua, is aimed 

at revolutionising the agricultural practices of 

developing countries using an ergonomic seed 

planter for smallholder farmers in Malawi, 

PAGE 39


Not only did we get an opportunity to field test 

our product, but also receive feedback from those 

same farmers we were hoping to target. A knockon 

effect of the potential reduction of labour 

intensity meant that the farmers’ children could 

start going to school. This was a pivotal moment, 

the reality that for some children education must 

be sacrificed for sustenance. 

Jack O’Connor, cofounder of Moyo Nua, poses with the 

ergonomic seed planter. MOYO NUA 

made from local materials. The planter utilises 

simplified agricultural technologies to improve 

the health and wellbeing, educational attainment, 

and economic prosperity of smallholder farming 

communities in Least Developed Countries - one 

of the poorest demographics in the world. The 

project scooped the Self-Help Africa ‘Science for 

Development Award, sponsored by Irish Aid. 

One of the first benefits of wining the Science for 

Development Award afforded me an opportunity 

to travel to Malawi to examine and learn how the 

planter might be utilised in a developing world 

context. The visit to Malawi was a turning point. 

After further research, prototyping and testing 

following this trip, the project took on an SDG 

centric approach as a core premise of its work. 

Subsequent developments and opportunities 

allowed us to promote the work of Moyo Nua 

on a global stage, presenting the project as a 

business model in the sustainability sector. One 

such presentation led us to enter and win the 

World Trade Centers (WTC) ‘Peace Through 

Trade’ competition. “The competition is a unique 

opportunity to not only encourage the next 

generation of trade and investment changemakers, 

but to give them a global platform to 

communicate and further develop their ideas,” 

(Catherine Lee, Chair of the WTCAF Board of Directors) 

The team presented their project onstage at the 

WTCA’s 2019 General Assembly in Querétaro, 

Mexico and subsequently featured in Forbes. We 

have now been selected as one of the top projects 

to participate in the Hult Prize an SDG business 

competition, which challenges students to solve 

a pressing social issue around topics such as food 

security, water access, energy, and education, with 

a top prize of $1 million USD. 

Mixing for-profit business creation and activity 

with the Sustainable Development Goals not only 

incentivises greater collaboration for the Goals, 

but also actively works towards raising practical 

implementation of sustainable business practices 

PAGE 40


ESD PROMOTES CRITICAL 

THINKING AND GREATER 

LEVELS OF EMPATHY AMONGST 

LEARNERS, THESE SKILLS ARE 

UTTERLY CRUCIAL IN IMPROVING 

THE WORLD 

to improve a widely ridiculed discipline in terms 

of sustainability. 

Aligned to my interest in the SDGs and my project 

initiatives, I am fortunate enough to be one of 

two United Nations Youth Delegates for Ireland, 

for the 2019/2020 year. The role allows for the 

representation of young people in Ireland, at the 

United Nations, and vice versa. It has provided me 

with the opportunity to develop my knowledge 

of the UN, SDGs and international relations, while 

affording me the platform to advocate for the 

progression of the SDGs. 

The core idea of my work focuses on youth’s 

role in Agenda 2030 - from helping to make 

making young people aware of the SDGs and then 

encouraging them to become actively involved 

in progressing towards the achievement of the 

Goals. One of the key issues that I have discovered 

through this advocacy is the lack of young 

people’s active involvement and awareness of 

these Goals, particularly in my own demographic. 

While the prevalence of social consciousness 

is high amongst this cohort, the specifics of the 

Goals are not evident. Despite my own ease of 

access in relating to the SDGs, many young people 

are unsure as to how they can be effective actors 

in achieving Agenda 2030. 

With this in my mind, my focus of work is on 

empowering young people to participate in the 

SDGs; in ways that are relevant, challenging, and 

enjoyable for them. This includes engaging in 

advocacy, educational attainment, and project 

management centered entirely around the SDGs. 

Taking an all-encompassing approach to the SDGs 

is the best way to ensure that everybody can 

effectively play their part in achieving Agenda 

2030. 

A key way to integrate Education for Sustainable 

Development, is to embed the Goals in preexisting 

modes of education to show learners how 

the SDGs apply to everything that they learn, do 

and are part of. I was fortunate enough to play 

a small role in the ETBI’s TAKE 1 Programme – 

Embedding the Sustainable Development Goals 

in Teaching and Learning, in ETB post primary 

schools. The programme focuses on showing 

students how the UN SDGs are integrated into 

every subject that they study, and to the wider 

world around them. Attending the Take 1 week 

of engagement in my alma mater of Desmond 

College brought a true sense of reality to ESD. 

ESD promotes critical thinking and greater levels 

of empathy amongst learners, these skills are 

utterly crucial in improving the world from where 

it currently is. Seeing students actively engaged 

in the science behind climate change, the art of 

repurposing, and the policy of the student council 

not only demonstrated how relatable the SDGs 

are to education, but also how passionate the 

students were about every single facet of their 

involvement with the SDGs. This engagement 

showcased how these students are already 

participating in activities that will ultimately feed 

in to achieving target 4.7 of SDG 4 

PAGE 41


“ 

By 2030 ensure all learners acquire 

knowledge and skills needed to promote 

sustainable development, including among 

others through education for sustainable 

development and sustainable lifestyles, human 

rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture 

of peace and nonviolence, global citizenship, 

and appreciation of cultural diversity and 

of culture’s contribution to sustainable 

development. SDG 4 Target 4.7 

to education allows people, regardless of 

background, to develop their learning to vastly 

improve their way of living and impact on those 

around them. Fair access cannot stop at standard 

education on core subjects, but also must go 

beyond the confines of traditional topics to 

prepare people to think critically in addressing 

their localities, and the world’s, most pressing 

issues. 

The Sustainable Development Goals represent 

a global call to action for collaborative efforts 

in benefitting the world around us. They are 

extremely ambitious and require the input and 

active involvement of everyone on the planet to 

deliver pragmatic, sustainable change for good. 

As is the case with any cause, movement, or 

innovation, education plays the most critical role 

in attaining this change. A quote from Nelson 

Mandela, I often draw upon rings true in this 

context “The youth of today, are the leaders of 

tomorrow”. The need to integrate Education for 

Sustainable Development will be the defining 

factor in the future of this nation, and the wider 

world throughout. Seeing the ETBI’s innovative 

solutions to SDG integration into education 

sparks immense hope, that the future business 

leaders, policymakers, tradespeople and more, 

are adequately prepared to answer the Global 

Goals’ call. 

Coming from an ETB school education and 

culture, I have a perspective not often seen with 

other youth delegates from other parts of the 

world. Speaking about fair access to quality 

education is something that is not just a talking 

point or sound bite for me, but an affordance 

that I have personally experienced. Fair access 

PAGE 42


PAGE 43


CONTRIBUTORS 

An SFI Discover Award Project - By the 5*S team 

Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) is the national body promoting applied and basic research in Ireland. SFI 

also funds public engagement with science, engineering, technology, and maths (STEM). The SFI Discover 

programme is an example of one such outreach funding scheme, designed to enable projects that encourage 

people of all ages and from all walks of life to be informed, inspired, and involve in STEM. Partnership 

projects are welcomed in Discover applications and in 2019 the SCSI joined with Maynooth University, TU 

Dublin, Ordnance Survey Ireland and Esri Ireland on a proposal to showcase satellite mapping to students 

Dr Gerry Jeffers Education Department, Maynooth University 

As a young teacher Gerry Jeffers spent two years teaching in Kenya, East Africa. This experience and perspective 

coloured much of his subsequent work as teacher, guidance counsellor, school leader, national co-ordinator of 

the support service for Transition Year, lecturer in the Education Department at Maynooth University and as a 

writer. From 2013-2019 Gerry served as chairperson of the Ubuntu Network’s (www.ubuntu.ie) management 

committee. Recent projects included leading the team that created FairViews, a development education 

photopack (www.developmentoptions.ie). His books include Transition Year in Action (Liffey Press, 2015) 

and Clear Vision, the Life and Legacy of Noel Clear, Social Justice Champion (Veritas, 2017). He is currently 

working, with Nigel Quirke-Bolt, on a project that attempts to capture Images of Learning around the World. 

Valerie Lewis Education and Training Boards Ireland 

Valerie Lewis is an Educational Policy and Development Officer at Education and Training Boards Ireland. 

She advocates for and supports over 250 Post-Primary schools in the ETB sector. She has over twenty years 

of experience in the Irish Education arena at post-primary and tertiary level, working across a range of 

sectors. In her previous roles Valerie worked in the Public Information and Communication and, Development 

Education sections of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, supporting the enhancement of their 

education programmes and Strategic Education Partnerships. She also has experience of writing and 

designing a range of citizenship education and training materials, both in Ireland and at European level 

PAGE 44


Mella Cusack Get up and Goals project 

Mella Cusack is the Irish coordinator of GET UP AND GOALS! is an international project funded by the European 

Union which aims to support the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals in education systems in 12 

partner countries. In Ireland, the project is coordinated by A Partnership with Africa, with co-funding from 

Irish Aid. In 2018, Mella was commissioned to write the National Council for Curriculum Association (NCCA) 

Study of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) curriculum opportunities from early childhood to senior 

cycle, which maps UNESCO’s key competencies for sustainability development onto curriculum frameworks. 

Helen O’Connor Deputy Principal, Abbey Community College (Kilkenny and Carlow ETB) 

Helen began her career in the UK where she completed a PGCE in Geography in the University of Aberystwyth. 

She gained invaluable experience while living and teaching in Coventry. Following a year travelling the world 

and teaching in Australia, Helen returned to Ireland. She joined Abbey Community College in 2010 as an Irish and 

Geography teacher. After completing a Post Graduate Diploma in Educational Leadership with NUI Maynooth, 

Helen was appointed Deputy Principal of Abbey Community College in 2017. Helen’s interests include school 

promotion, enhancing school community links and introducing worthwhile teaching and learning initiatives. 

Jack O’Connor - United Nations Youth Delegate for Ireland (2019-2020) 

Jack O'Connor is an ETB alumnus, as a past student of Desmond College in Limerick. A current undergraduate student in the 

University of Limerick, Jack takes a very keen interest in all facets of sustainable development - through diplomatic work, 

business development and innovation, and policy coherence. This interest is showcased across his endeavours; as United 

Nations Youth Delegate for Ireland, Founder of Moyo Nua, and advocate for topics including the UN SDG's and mental health. 

PAGE 45


PAGE 46


PAGE 47

Journal of Education Produced by Education and Training Boards Ireland 

June 2020

ETBI Journal of Education - Vol 2:1 - June 2020 (Sustainable Development Goals 2015 -2030)

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?