Co-Evolutionary Paradigm of Ecological Education for Sustainable Development: Methodological Basis

Abstract

Throughout the history of its development, environmental education has been viewed as a priority area in the modernization of all educational systems in the face of aggravated environmental problems. A comparative analysis of the change in environmental education paradigms made it possible to conclude that they evolved in accordance with the change in cognitive models and value-target guidelines: environmental education, environmental education and environmental education for sustainable development. On the basis of a generalization of philosophical, scientific, psychological and pedagogical research, the statement is substantiated that in the modern conditions of the global environmental crisis, the relevance and importance of developing the methodological foundations of environmental education based on a co-evolutionary strategy, which ensures the transition of mankind to the path of sustainable development, is obvious. The article reveals the methodological foundations of the co-evolutionary strategy of environmental education for sustainable development, which reflects the cognitive model, value co-evolutionary relations and the constructive coherent-creative orientation of nature-friendly activity. The co-evolutionary paradigm of environmental education for sustainable development, based on the ideas of synergy, reflects the picture of the world of a post-industrial society. The essence of co-evolutionary subject-activity, transdisciplinary, integrative and integrative-situational, cultural-ecological coherent-creative approaches is revealed. The conclusion is made about the semantic and value-worldview conjugation of these approaches, which ensures the integrity of the methodological foundations of the co-evolutionary paradigm of environmental education for sustainable development. The experience of the Nizhny Novgorod scientific school of environmental education in the implementation of the considered methodological approaches in environmental education for sustainable development is presented. The promising directions of research on this problem are formulated, related to the determination of the functional completeness of the methodological foundations and the development of methods for their implementation in educational practice. Keywords: co-evolutionary paradigm, environmental education for sustainable development, methodology