Research Study
The focus of Glenn’s PhD is the relationship between the sustainable design of education buildings and institutional change towards Education for Sustainability (EfS). EfS being a particular approach to education that encompasses practice across the whole institution.
Glenn’s PhD is about exploring and bridging the gap between the design professional and the educational professional, It will investigate how education might inform design and design might contribute to education through the ethos, pedagogy, management and leadership of the institution.
The influence of both place and design can contribute to an individual’s ontology. Sustainability is now a regular feature of the design of educational buildings with some degree of formalisation in the development and construction process (e.g. BREEAM in the UK and LEED in the USA).
However, buildings and the process of their development can have a far greater influence than simply the primary function of the building. According to David Orr a building and its setting can have a pedagogy and as such be a curriculum resource and an influence on staff and student development in its broadest sense. This is particularly relevant for an educational institution where an individual’s knowledge, skills, values and mind-set might be expected to be developed or changed and it is even more pertinent if one of the aims of the educational institution is to get people to think and act more sustainably.
Biography
Glenn has a degree in Development Studies from the University of East Anglia which combined both natural and social sciences. His undergraduate dissertation focused on low-energy input agricultural systems and it received the highest mark in his year. While at UEA Glenn also completed a PGCE in Geography and Biology and went on to teach in secondary education becoming a Head of Geography at Colfox School in Dorset.
Throughout his teaching career Glenn has pursued an interest in bringing environmental education, the global dimension and worked related learning into the wider curriculum and he qualified as a Careers Teacher before taking on a developmental post as an Advisory Teacher.
Glenn completed the MSc in Education for Sustainability at London South Bank University while working in the further education sector. The FE sector provided the context for his research for a dissertation on integrating education for sustainability into competence-based vocational courses.
In recent years Glenn’s research activities have included: the research and development of continuing professional development courses in sustainable development for professionals through the PP4SD project; leading a research team looking at leadership for sustainability in the learning and skills sector on behalf of the Centre for Excellence in Leadership; and research into Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship for the Welsh Assembly Government.
Along with his current research post at the University of Gloucestershire Glenn is also studying for a PhD looking at how the sustainable design of education buildings can influence change towards education for sustainability in educational institutions.
IRIS PhD Student (Part Time)
Email: gstrachan@glos.ac.uk