Welcome to the Fundisa for Change Teaching Green Economy and Entrepreneurship Courses
Welcome to the Fundisa for Change Teaching Green Economy and Entrepreneurship EMS Course. Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) “empowers teachers and learners to make informed decisions and responsible actions for environmental integrity, economic viability and a just society, for present and future generations, while respecting cultural diversity” (UNESCO, 2019). While it is very easy to pursue economic growth without thinking about its impact on the environment, our current reality is that climate change and sustainability have become a global concern. In view of this challenge, the need to understand the notions of sustainability, green economy and green entrepreneurship, and how to integrate these into the South African school curriculum is an imperative. High school commerce subjects (Accounting, Business Studies and Economics) are viable curricula in which these notions could be better introduced and integrated. Specifically, Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) is identified as school subjects that present the opportunity to integrate Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).
Education for Sustainable Development foregrounds the integration of environment, society and economies for a better life and future for all. Internationally ESD is influencing curriculum development at all levels and phases of the education system, and in South Africa, we can see the influence of new thinking about environment, society and economy in the CAPS curriculum.
Looking at the CAPS: Environment and sustainability within CAPS
The CAPS curriculum is based on a set of important principles. These inform all teaching and learning in the CAPS, and have informed the design and development of all CAPS subjects. These principles are:
- Social Transformation
- Active and Critical Learning
- High Knowledge and High Skills
- Progression
- Human Rights, Inclusivity, Environmental and Social Justice
- Valuing Indigenous Knowledge Systems
- Credibility, Quality and Efficiency
This Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) (Grades 7-9) Course focuses on enhancing three essential aspects of teaching:
- Knowing your Subject,
- Improving your Teaching Practice, and
- Improving your Assessment Practice.
In This Course You Will Learn
How to get around:
Below is a breakdown of the introductory Unit, three Units, the outline of the Module assessment and your progress. Click ‘expand’ to see each session. You can click on each of these to access them or use the “Next session” or “Previous session” to move through the module.
To start, click “Introduction to Sustainability in EMS” below and choose “Session 1: Introduction”.
Once you have completed a session, click the green “Mark Complete” button before moving on to the next session, and you’ll see your progress bar reflect your movement.
If you ever get lost, there is a menu on your left, another when you hover over your name in the top right corner (this will appear once you start a module), and you can find your way to the ‘Home’ page by clicking on the Fundisa for Change logo in the top left corner.