Toitū te Taiao | Sustainability 2025

Course aims / learning outcomes

Mō tātou te Taiao ko te Atawhai, Mō tātou te Taiao ko te Oranga | It is for us to care for the environment to ensure its well-being.  In doing so, we ensure our own well-being and that of future generations.

What comes to mind when you hear the term sustainability? Does it fill you with anxiety for your future on a planet already facing climate changes?   Does it offer a survival plan for humans and other species?  Is it the only way out, or are there other ways of knowing and caring for our environment?  In this class, we answer these questions and more...

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Education for Sustainability (EFS) connects all learning areas.  It's health, social studies, geography, history, economics, statistics, English, Te Ao Māori, ecology, the arts, science... You will think critically as you integrate knowledge and skills from home, school and other areas of your life.  You will be supported to take action in ways that will contribute to your own well-being, as well as the well-being of our communities and Earth. 

Prerequisites? An interest in the world around you and the future, as well as an ability to operate at level two or three of NCEA.  

Pathways? Level two leads to level three.  Level three is a UE subject.  

Course content

Term One: To the Beach or the Forest or the River

1. Define and discuss sustainability, kaitiakitanga, and systems thinking as ways of understanding and caring for the world.
2. Choose a local ecosystem. Go on a field trip.  Identify the plants and animals presents; look at the connections between the living and non-living environment; investigate the human impact; and recommend how it should be looked after in the future.  

This course involves a day long field trip to study an environment of our choice.

Term Two: Social Justice, Environmental Justice, Action

1. Revise human rights, define social, environmental and climate justice, and introduce some economic models.
2. Plan, implement, and evaluate a personal action for a socially and environmentally sustainable future.  Your actions may run into term three.  

Term Three: Values, Initiatives, Strategies, Policies or World Views

Level Two: Get to know yourself as you explore what you value, what other people value, and which values and behaviours will work to sustain the Earth. Use a case study of your choice, such as the School Strike for Climate, the Dakota Pipeline or Ihumātau where people have different values and perspectives.  Start preparing for the external by looking into other groups' sustainability initiatives (Fair Trade, Pest Control, Sustainable Transport...)

Level Three: Choose to create a sustainability strategy for an organisation of your choice (school, your work, your parent's work..) or start working towards one of the external reports.  You have a choice of analysing two sustainability policies or examining two world views.  

Term Four: Extra, extra

Finishing off level three external reports, and exam preparation for level two.  

Assessment statement

• 17 credits are offered at level two.  There is sufficient time in the course to complete all assessments.  However, some students may choose to drop one assessment depending on their learning goals.
• All five level three achievement standards are offered. Most students will opt to take two internals and one external.  However, you can gain UE through the three internals if this is your preference.   We will negotiate what suits you.
• Each learning topic begins with in-class teaching.  An assessment task is then given.  Assessment tasks will be worked on both in and out of class, although all work must be your own.  

Authenticity

• Assignments that take place over time will be produced in an online system such as Google Docs. Learning Advisors will monitor student work by accessing document history. A portion of work will need to be completed during class time under Learning Advisor supervision.
• Class tests will take place under supervised test conditions within class.
• Students may be required to sign an authenticity statement, perform certain parts of assessment tasks under close supervision, or show through interview and the existence of notes and supporting material that the work submitted by the student is genuinely his/her own work.

Appeal Procedures

• Students have the right to appeal the mark they have been awarded. If a student wishes to appeal a grade, they should initially talk to the subject learning advisor about the marking process immediately after the marked assessment task is shown to them. If still dissatisfied the student should make an appointment and discuss grades with the Principal’s Nominee who will check that the correct procedures have been followed as outlined in the school and subject policies taking into account any special circumstances.

Table of Assessments: Level 2

Table of Assessments: Level 3