Bridging Geography and Education for Sustainable Development: A Korean Example

Abstract

There is an apparent disconnect between geography and education for sustainable development (ESD), with geography underrepresented in publications and curricula related to sustainability though the discipline embraces the need to foment positive change. To bridge this schism, this article introduces advances in education for sustainable development (ESD-2) and a three-dimensional key competence-based model that can be deployed in tandem with economic geography theory. Deploying the theme of solar PV in Korea, a competency-based lesson planning exercise is presented to demonstrate the potential for this learning paradigm to generate agency and empower change for a sustainable future.

Keywords:

• geography education
• environmental geography
• undergraduate geography curriculum
• geography curricula

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Douglas R. Gress

Douglas R. Gress is associate professor of economic geography in the Department of Geography Education at Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea. His current research focuses on the economic geographies of innovation, knowledge networks, and green energy transitions.

Johannes M. Tschapka

Johannes M. Tschapka is former head of the Education for Sustainable Development unit at the Curriculum Development Department of the National Swiss Conference of Educational Ministers. At the time of this writing, he was assistant professor of environmental education in the Department of Geography Education, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea.