Sustainable Designs for Living and Learning (SDLL): Embedding Multilingualism into Learning for Sustainability

As recent research points out, the language of sustainability is English (Delavan 2020). The UNESCO competencies framework on Education for Sustainability (EfS) makes no mention of multilingualism in shaping and supporting human-environment ecologies. Yet, learners have the right to their own languages as these resources help them understand their environments, sustain different knowledge systems, and provide creative solutions to current sustainability crises. Our project will embed multilingualism into Learning for Sustainability in Scotland (LfS), will develop new creative learning approaches, resources, and training to ensure that young learners can make meaningful contributions as active and responsible citizens.

In line with EfS goals, Scotland has developed its own approach to Learning for Sustainability (LfS). The Scottish context is unique globally as it has shown an unwavering commitment to make LfS an entitlement for all school learners. Recent policies (Target 2030) provide support for implementing a whole-school LfS approach across Scotland. In a multilingual society where 154 languages are actively used by young learners, Scotland acknowledges the importance of multilingualism as an integral part of learners' education (Learning 2(+) Languages). However, the recent Measuring Quality in Initial Teacher Education report indicates that teaching in multicultural/multilingual settings is one of educators' highest professional development needs.

This 3-year research project is designed as an interdisciplinary collaboration between researchers, local artists, teachers, LfS stakeholders and young learners within the context of Scottish primary schools. We draw on our research expertise in arts-based multilingual approaches and we implement and develop these within an original framework for sustainable living: permaculture design. Drawing on indigenous ways of living, permaculture is an integrated philosophy that aims to respond to current environmental and social crises by ensuring the ongoing cultivation of social, cultural, and natural resources to create self-sustaining systems (Holmgren 2002). Permaculture makes cultural rights an integral part of sustainable systems and enables us to bring language learning and multilingualism into the design of sustainable environments.

We will follow permaculture principles to (1) develop an innovative interdisciplinary learning programme of shared expertise and collaborative learning on multilingual arts-based approaches and permaculture design, (2) conduct collaborative longitudinal research into the development of multilingual practices informed by arts-based methods and permaculture design in three primary schools, (3) implement and research the impact of such multilingual practices in at least ten other schools (4) co-create innovative resources and "multilingual living spaces" as the basis of a new LfS provision. The "living spaces" will be both sites of practice and research where participatory arts-based methods will be used to explore and transform learners' relationships with their environments.

The project will offer new research insights into how multilingualism plays an integral part of LfS. The development of multilingual arts-based practices in the context of permaculture design will provide education stakeholders and policymakers with evidence and new capacity-strengthening models of LfS delivery, including resources for schools nationally and internationally. For the learners and their communities, the project will create an enriched inclusive environment where languages are woven into the design of sustainable human-nature ecosystems.