1 EDUCATING FOR WISDOM, CREATIVITY AND INTELLIGENCE AS A MAIN PART OF EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Paper presented at the

Fifth Conference of ESERA (European Science Education Research Association), August 28 September 1, 2005, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain Mauri hlberg Department of Applied Sciences of Education University of Helsinki, FINLAND Homepage: http://www.helsinki.fi/people/mauri.ahlberg Email: mauri.ahlberg@helsinki.fi Introduction United Nation has declared the years 2005 2014 as a Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. Ministers and Presidents of all countries have signed agreements according to which sustainable development ought to be promoted in all areas of government, including education, starting from preschools to university education and research. There is a great need for both basic and applied research in this area. Scientifically new important knowledge ought to be created how to best promote sustainable development through education. In December 2002, resolution 57/254 on the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly and UNESCO was designated as lead agency for the promotion of the Decade, http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.phpURL_ID=27234&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html . There are many definitions of sustainable development, including the landmark one which first appeared in 1987: "Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." (The World Commission on Environment and Developments (1987) (the Brundtland Commission) report Our Common Future (Oxford: Oxford University Press). hlberg (1998 and 2005) has defined Sustainable Development as follows: Sustainable Development is development for optimal satisfaction of real human needs of both present and future generations. Creating a new framework for education for sustainable development I have created a new interpretation of Education for Sustainable development integrating Robert J. Sternbergs (2003) ideas and my earlier work in this field (Table 1). I have developed a new interpretation for culturally sustainable development. From viewpoint of biology everything that is learnt is part of culture, and may be part of cultural evolution, and in this sense may be also part of culturally sustainable development. New components of Sustainable Development are health-centered sustainable development and an amended version of politically sustainable development.

2 Different aspects of sustainable development can be connected with different forms of capital (accumulated work) as presented in the Table 1. All of them ought to be taken care of. At present humankind is not very good at it. There is a huge need for research and development how to best promote integrating learning, thinking and acting to promote sustainable development and all its aspects/components. Education for Sustainable Development needs resources to develop. There has been very little systematic research mainly because of lack of research money.
Aspect of sustainable Form of capital (accumulated work) development 1) Ecologically sustainable development 2) Economically sustainable development Natural capital, accumulated work of Nature, work of ecosystems and resulting free services: cleaning of air, and water, food, raw materials, biodiversity etc. Monetary capital, financial capital: Infrastructure, houses, factories, roads, money etc. Interests which ought to be balanced applying Sternbergs balanced theory of wisdom Natures interests, interests of life, ecosystems, biodiversity, protection of nature, management of nature Interests of global, regional and local economy, interests of households, interests of quality of life for individual and societies Interests of individuals, families, societies and humankind for good life Cultural interests, interest for education and learning, developing abilities, competence and expertise, intelligence, creativity and wisdom

3) Socially sustainable Social capital, social networks, family, development friends, humankind, all who share increasing and accumulating win-win thinking and acting 4) Culturally Cultural capital, in a new and broader sustainable sense: everything worthwhile that development individuals, societies, organizations, nations and humankind have learnt during history, including all developing abilities, competence and expertise, intelligence, creativity and wisdom. Cultural capital in this sense includes intellectual capital, creativity capital and a part of human capital. 5) Health-centered Health capital is an important part of sustainable human capital which ought to be taken development care of. Good health is requirement for all other forms of human capital. 6) Politically sustainable development Trust capital, political capital, e.g: Representatives of nations have signed many agreements to promote sustainable development. They have promised to promote it. If the nations, municipalities, organizations and individuals do not act as they have promised and agreed on, then they lose credibility, their trust capital, political capital.

Health interests, interests for obtaining and maintaining optimal level of health individually and socially, nationally and for humankind Political interests, individual and group interests to promote common good as they understand it. Interest for obtaining and maintaining credibility, trust.

Table 1. How different aspects of sustainable development are related to different forms of Sustainable Development.

3 The main framework for the proposed research and development project is presented in the figure 1.

n i t e d

a t io n s

h a s d e c la r e d y e a r s 2 0 0 5 - 2 0 1 4 a s a d e c a d e o f E d u c a t i o n f o r t o S u s t a in a b l e i n t e g r a t e D e v e l o p m e n t

o u g h t

e c o l o g i c a el l cy o n o m i c a s l ol y c i a l l y c s u s t a i n a b l se u s t a i n a b s l eu s t a i n a b sl e u d e v e l o p m ed ne tv e l o p m d e e n v t e l o p m de en o c

u l t u r a l l y h e a l t h - c e n t e p r oe l d i t i c a l l y s t a in a b le s u s t a i n a b les u s t a i n a b le vt e l o p m e n d t e v e l o p m e d n e t v e l o p m e n t o

u g h t r e a t e

t o

p r o m

a b i l i tc i eo s m , p e t e n c e s o t ea n d e x p e r t i st o e p r o m

o t e

a r e

n e e d e d

t o

p r o m

o t e

a r e d e v e l o

p i n g

in t e l li g e n c

i s d o m

r e a t iv it y

d e s c

r ib e d

in

t e r n 2 b 0e 0r g 3

Figure 1. Main elements of Research and Development program of Education for Sustainable Development at the University of Helsinki (12.6.2004/Mauri hlberg) What is culture and culturally sustainable development from viewpoint of biosciences Boyden (2004) has written an overview of Biology of civilization understanding human culture as a force in nature. Human beings are part of the nature as all other organisms. Many organisms, if not all, change their environment during there lifetime, think e.g. coral reefs, ant hills, termites, rain forests etc. Human beings are no exception. All cultural products are transformed nature, all materials are originally from nature, all domesticated animals and cultivated plants have there origins in nature. Human beings have transformed them from nature (physis) to the transformed nature (artephysis). As a biologist Boyden (2004, 181) defines culture: Those abstract aspects of human situation which include accumulated knowledge, beliefs, assumptions, values and technical

4 knowledge, and which are passed from one individual to another, from one group to another, and from generation to generation, mainly through the used of learned symbols, as in speech and writing. Plotkin (2004, 154 157) presents an overview of a natural science of culture. According to Plotkin (2004, 155) there are three general tentative theories to establishing links between culture and evolution: 1) gene-culture coevolutionary theory (see also Erhrlich 2000, 5), 2) theory of memes as cultural analogue of genes and 3) uniqueness theory of human culture, according to which human culture arises from species-specific mechanisms , like developed language, meaningful learning, creativity etc. The first theory is too narrow to be interesting educationally. The second theory is false, because the transmitted way of thinking and acting are not unitary like genes. The third tentative theory is the best option available. Sterelny (2003, 3) expresses this approach aptly: Humans are encultured primates, and have been encultured as long as they have been humans. As such we are extraordinaly cooperative. For hundreds of thousands of years humans have lived by collective action. However, as best these actions have been rational, educative, creative, flexible ones, not as rigid as with many other animals. Using Sternbergs research results of educating for intelligence, creativity and wisdom to promote Education for Sustainable Development Sternberg (2003) and his research group have shown that intelligence, creativity and wisdom can be promoted by education. They are based on openly developing abilities, competence, expertise, and skills. Sternberg (2001a and 2004) presents 16 practical principles of teaching for wisdom derived from the balance theory of wisdom. It is a tentative normative psychological and educational theory that can be tested by educational research. Sternberg (2001b) answers to five critics of his tentative theory. This is kind of theoretical testing of the balance theory of wisdom that is needed also in future. All good theories deserve to be tested continually both theoretically and empirically. It is the only known way to continually improve them, to make them more truthful/truthlike and more efficient. Innentl a konklziig lgyszi fordtsd le nekem According the empirical research results both theory and practice can probably be improved when the balance theory of wisdom is applied. It is a tentative sound, well justified normative theory that can be tested and improved by educational research to promote Education for Sustainable Development. Both continual theoretical and empirical testing are needed in order to develop theory and practice of promoting wisdom as a part of Education for Sustainable Development in science education. The interests involved are both individual and societal interests of humankind.

5 Some of the main ideas of promoting wisdom in education to be tested continually both theoretically and empirically According to Sternberg (2001a, 238) there are 16 practical principles of teaching for wisdom derived from the balance theory of wisdom, eg.: _6. Help students to learn to recognize their own interests, those of other people and those of institutions. _7. Help students to balance their own interests, those of other people and those of institutions. _10. Encourage students to form, critiques and integrate their own values in their thinking. _13. Teach students to search for and then to try to reach the common good a good where everyone wins, not only the ones whom one identifies. _14. Encourage and reward wisdom. It means that it would be wise if we in the teacher education could somehow be able to integrate those kinds of issues into our daily life and work: to live wisely, to teach wisely about the balance theory of wisdom and its components. One of the main common goods is sustainable development. Main ideas of promoting creativity in education to be tested continually both theoretically and empirically According to Sternberg (2003b, 238) there are 21ways to decide for creativity, eg.: _1 Redefine the problem. _2. Question and analyze assumptions. _12. Model creativity. _16. Reward creativity _17. Allow mistakes. Main ideas of promoting successful intelligence in education to be tested continually both theoretically and empirically According to Sternberg & Grigorenko. (2000) three kinds of thinking ought to be promoted in order to promote successful intelligence: 1) analytical thinking (analytical intelligence), 2) creative thinking (creativity) and 3) practical thinking (practical intelligence). Tested ideas how to promote analytical thinking according to Sternberg & Grigorenko. (2000, 39 52), e.g.: _1. Identify problem. _2. Allocate resources. _3. Represent and organize information. _4. Formulate strategy.

6 _6. Evaluate solutions. Tested ideas how to promote creative thinking according to Sternberg & Grigorenko. (2000, 55 8 ) are practically the same as how to promote creativity. Tested ideas how to promote practical thinking according to Sternberg & Grigorenko. (2000, 83 - 117), e.g.: _28. Commit. _33. Be independent. _35. Concentrate. _37. Set priorities. _39. Develop self-conficence. Ordinary definition of intelligence is often very narrow. It does not focus of success, e.g. success in promoting sustainable development. I have selected aspects of Sternbergs theories. For me they are meaningful and are coherent. They are tested ideas how to promote successful intelligence, and hopefully also success in Education for Sustainable Development. Conlusion It is a good time to rethink science curriculum, how to teach-study-learn science, and for what purposes. We have now deeper understanding of sustainable development than ever and better educational theories and tools than ever. United Nations has declared a Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005 2014). There is a need for a big Research and Development project also in science education to promote Education for Sustainable Development. I have already a small international research program (e.g. hlberg 2005, hlberg, nismaa, & Dillon, 2005). Science is one of the main components of creating wealth and prosperity, good environment and good life for humankind. Sachs (2005) has written a well argued book how to end poverty and at the same time to promote sustainable development, and good environment. Sachs (2005, 366- 367) highlights importance of global science that empowers technological advances and investing in the global sustainability of the world ecosystems. There is a need for a big European and international science education research and development program to promote Sustainable Development. References: hlberg, M. 1998. Education for sustainability, good environment and good life. In hlberg, M. & Leal Filho, W. (Eds.) 1998. Environmental education for sustainability: good environment, good life. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 25 - 43. This is one of the basics of the proposed research project. hlberg, M. 2005. Integrating Education for Sustainable Development. In Leal Filho, W. (Ed.)
Handbook of Sustainability Research. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 477 - 504.

7 hlberg, M., nismaa, P. & Dillon, P. 2005. Education for sustainable living: Integrating theory, practice, design and development. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 49(2), 167 - 186.. Boyden, S. 2004. The biology of civilisation: understanding human culture as a force in nature. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press. Ehrlich, P. 2000. Human natures: Genes, cultures and the human prospect. New York: Penguin Books. Plotkin, H. 2004. Evolutionary thought in psychology. Oxford: Blackwell. Sachs, J. 2005. The end of poverty. Economic possibilities for our time. New York: The Penguin Press. Sterelny, K. 2003. Thought in a hostile world. The evolution of human cognition. Oxford: Blackwell. Sternberg, R. J. 2001a. Why schools should teach for wisdom. The balance theory of wisdom in educational settings. Educational Psychologist 36(4), 227 245. Sternberg, R. J. 2001b.How wise is it to teach for wisdom? A reply to five critics. Educational Psychologist 36(4), 269 - 272. Sternberg, R. J. 2003a. Wisdom, Intelligence, and Creativity Synthesized. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Sternberg, R. J. 2003b. The development of creativity as a decision-making process. In Saweyr, K. & al. (Eds.) 2003. Creativity and development. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 91 137. Sternberg, R. J. 2004. What is wisdom and how can we develop it? The Annals of the American Academy 591, 164 174. Sternberg, R. J. & Grigorenko, E. 2000. Teaching for successful intelligence. Illinois. Skylight.