This document proposes using a theoretical framework of wisdom to support education for sustainability (EfS). It defines sustainability and outlines a four pillar model of wisdom involving knowledge, thinking skills, ethical reasoning, and prosocial action. The document argues EfS and wisdom development share cognitive processes and promoting EfS can help develop wisdom. Aligning EfS with theories of how these four wisdom pillars develop over time could provide structure for curriculum, assessment, research, and collaboration across academic fields to support both EfS and wider learning goals.

1. Lorraine Lander, Ph.D.
State University of New York
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2.  Benefits of a Theoretical Foundation (or
framework): Education for Sustainability (EfS)
 Education for Sustainability: A Cognitive Approach
 Why Wisdom and EfS
 What is Wisdom?
 Proposed Four Pillar Model of Wisdom
 Advantages of Wisdom for EfS
 Benefits of EfS for Wisdom Development
 Questions and Contact Information
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3. EfS is an applied field that draws from multiple academic
disciplines and takes place in the context of multiple
academic disciplines
EfS can be multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary
A theoretical foundation call allow for better sharing of
insights, methods, assessment, and tracking progress
given these broad methods and content
A theoretical foundation or framework would provide
support for these types of interactions, collaborations, and
goals
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4. Proposal
 There are similar cognitive processes that take
place during sustainability thinking and actions
 Consideration of these processes has
advantages for educators interested in
sustainability
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5. My Definition (Lander, 2015):
“Sustainability is a way of thinking and decision
making that is based on ethical principles and which
supports the welfare of others in both our social and
natural environments now and in the future.”
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6.  There are many similarities between the cognitive
processes found in conceptions of wisdom and
the types of thinking and behavior behind
sustainability.
 Some aspects of wisdom have commonalities with
systems thinking.
 Wisdom may be easier to “sell” to students,
colleagues, and the public.
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7.  Old virtue-philosophical roots
 Knowledge
 Competence
 Practical
 Domain specific and/or contextual
 Culturally specific
 Comes from experience
 Can be nurtured, if not taught directly (although
new evidence suggests it can be taught)
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8. Sustainability concerns knowing and caring about
others, making prosocial or prosystem choices, and
engaging in prosocial or prosystem behaviors.
Wisdom and EfS:
Both are about knowledge
Both are about thinking
Both are about ethical concerns
Both are about explicit doing (decisions, problem
solving, choices, etc.)
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9. Proposed Model of Wisdom (consolidates several
established theories of wisdom):
Pillar One – Knowledge
Pillar Two - Thinking skills – critical thinking,
problem solving, collaborative, and creative
thinking, among others
Pillar Three – Ethical considerations (prosocial or
prosystem, balancing competing interests)
Pillar Four – action or deliberate inaction that
supports system
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10. Pillar Two:
Thinking
Pillar One:
Knowledge
Pillar Three:
Ethical Reasoning
Pillar Four:
Action for
Environmental
or Social
Good
Wisdom
Is
Equivalent
To
Develops
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11. Aligning EfS with cognitive learning theory:
makes educational theory and research on
promoting the four pillars (knowledge, thinking,
ethical reasoning, and prosocial or prosystem
action) available for EfS curriculum development
Connects EfS with age appropriate approaches to
teaching and developmental theory about readiness
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12. Learning theories related to the four pillars provide
structure for:
Observations and data collection
Common language for professional development
across academic fields
Assessment
Organizing research hypotheses and having
results apply more broadly
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13.  EfS research can inform wider learning theory
field
 Supports short and long term collaboration across
programs and years of education
 Can be applied at different levels: lesson, course,
program, degree, etc.
 Wisdom theory can inform EfS
 Promoting EfS as one method of developing
wisdom helps gain interest and support
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14.  Sustainability and Business Certificate example:
four courses, assess for presence of four pillars
 Case study methodology, popular with some EfS
examples, four pillars of wisdom model would
provide a common criteria to transfer results to
other fields
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15.  EfS provides a rich context for development of
ethical reasoning necessary for wisdom
 EfS provides for role models (important in some
models of wisdom)
 EfS provides context for four pillars to interact
(systems thinking), for example in project and
place-based approaches so wisdom can be
practiced
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16.  Lander, L. (2015). Sustainability Education: Is
Thinking the Key?. Sustainability: The Journal of
Record, 8(1), 27-31.
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17. Native American (Iroquois) proverb:
“The greatest strength is
gentleness”
Thank You!
Lorraine Lander
Lorraine.lander@esc.edu
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