EARCOS Weekend Workshop:
Compass Education Level 1 Certification Workshop
September 10-11, 2016
Workshop Details
Compass Education Level 1 Practitioner Certification Workshop – Thinking, Learning and Acting for a Flourishing and Sustainable World
Trainers: Cindy Chen and David Gammill
Who should attend: Teachers and program leaders who want to integrate sustainability education and systems thinking into their teaching practice. It would also be of value to curriculum leaders and principals interested in understanding what the practical application of sustainability education looks like.
When: Saturday, 10 and Sunday, 11 September 2016
Where: Wells International School (On Nut Campus), Bangkok, Thailand (link to map and direction)
Workshop Overview
Oftentimes when it comes to approaching global issues, service, and sustainability, students and teachers are left with a nagging sense of gloom-and-doom, the feeling that somehow we are all responsible for destroying the planet but with no real way of understanding the complexity of the situation or, more importantly, what to do about it.
In this course, educators will be empowered with a suite of tools developed by sustainability consultant Alan AtKisson to help both educators and students think critically and creatively about the bigger picture, gain a deeper understanding of sustainability, and understand our own contributions to the world. These tools and systems thinking methods will enable educators to help students develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to participate in a complex and interdependent world. The course will be a mix of theory and practice; educators will see examples of these tools in practice and be invited to innovate and strengthen their lessons, units, and programs them.
This course is Level 1 of Compass Education’s 2-level educator training program.
This is what participants who have attended level 1 have said:
“I used to think that the concept of sustainability was a bit of a pipe dream – now I believe it is achievable.”
“I used to think that sustainability was just about nature and the environment and so I am so excited to find it is connected to all the other compass points and allows a deeper level of thinking in education and beyond to deal with complex issues through systems thinking.”
“I used to think that sustainability was all about the compass but now I know that it is just one tool to frame thinking and can be used along with the other thinking tools. I also didn’t think that systems thinking would be so difficult, but now I know there are a lot of factors to consider. I will need to practice this!”
“I used to think that being sustainable involved sacrifice, of toning down greed, but now i see that companies can be persuaded to be more sustainable by seeing the change as an opportunity.”
Enduring understanding as a result of attending this workshop:
Systems thinking enables educators to help their students develop the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to participate in a complex and interdependent world.
Understand the nexus of sustainability and education
Be able to use systems thinking tools with students
Be able to integrate systems thinking into unit and lesson planning