SEGI (Sustainability Education Guided Inquiry) Preview

Developing positive strategies for the future involves thoughtful and effective planning today. As school districts embrace SE, a growing need for guidance in effective planning has emerged. To assist schools in their efforts to maximize sustainability education (SE) in their curriculum and in the everyday lives of their students, CELF has engaged Mary Elizabeth Wilson, Educational Consultant to develop and pilot “an inventory tool” to be used in schools. SEGI (Sustainability Education Guided Inquiry), however, is more than an “inventory tool” it is a collaborative inquiry process.

SEGI invites -yet challenges constituents from different roles in the district to work together with an SE Facilitator to reflect, build capacity, and develop a plan for action. Because SE ties existing core curricula, subject areas and processes, together with the common theme of systems thinking; for schools to embrace, move forward, and maximize SE, they need to establish where they are and where they want to be. SEGI provides the necessary framework as it engages participants in systems thinking as they work collaboratively to: highlight existent examples of SE and practices in their district, determine a baseline or starting point for SE in their district, identify areas where SE may be introduced and supported in their district, and prioritize actions leading to best practices in SE in their district. SEGI is designed to be used in a variety of contexts with different targets areas. For example, a district may wish to participate across the K-12 setting or focus on a single school, grade-level, or program.

Rather than adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to SE, the SEGI process allows the specifics of each site to emerge and to guide future action. To assess today to plan effectively for tomorrow, participants are challenged to identify SE opportunities in each of the following categories: Curriculum and Instruction, Co-curricular Opportunities for Students, Student Attitudes and Behaviors, Opportunities for Faculty/Staff (Faculty/Staff Professional Development), Faculty Attitudes and Behaviors, Opportunities for Community Interaction/Outreach Site, and Facilities Management.

To learn more about the SEGI and it's application, contact CELF Executive Director, Katie Ginsberg at katie@celfoundation.org, or call (914) 238-4743.