Sustainable education: learning in a rapidly changing world

The importance of education in sustainable development has been irrefutably recognised. In literature, there are two different views on the relationship between education/ learning and sustainability: an instrumental and an intrinsic view of education for sustainability, the latter places the main emphasis on the learning experience. The question we pose ourselves in our research and which is supported by literature is: ‘what kind of education and learning experience are appropriate for a rapidly changing world?’ It is suggested that a need exists to critically change our ways of learning towards more holistic, systemic and integrative modes. One possible answer is the inclusion of traditional knowledge (and how it is acquired) as it is defined with similar characteristics: holistic, experience-based, learning across generations. Furthermore it is put forward as a potential tool in sustainable development. In our research we focus on the learning experiences of members of local communities which we examined trough existing literature on theoretical conceptualisations and case studies. The findings demonstrate that a combination of both knowledge systems, i.e. the Western-based scientific knowledge system and the traditional knowledge system, instead of the emphasis on one of the two knowledge systems, in a local community in the Third World is indispensable in the light of sustainable and community development, certainly in times of globalization and individualization. Finally, recommendations for future research will be offered.