DeCoRe+
What is DeCoRe+?
DeCoRe+ is an abbreviation of Deconstruction, Construction, and Reconstruction, three processes that can help educators reorient courses to address sustainability issues and SDGs. The theoretical underpinning of the DeCoRe plus methodological approach derives from critical social theory and critical pedagogy.
The philosophical paradigm and movement of reconstructionism highly influence both theories. Reconstructionism seeks to turn education into an agent of social change and, in doing so, to address and rectify social injustices and inequalities.
DeCoRe+ encourages educators and students to analyze their social context and personal theories critically, question existing norms, and engage in dialogue about sustainability issues that can be elicited from the 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). It also advocates for the development of the whole person, including the emotional, social, and civic dimensions of teaching and learning. In particular, reconstructionism aims at fostering responsible and active citizenship, primarily through community-based or service learning. Although the six DeCoRe+ processes follow a linear order (Table 1), each process is closely interconnected, forming a whole (Figure 1). The DeCoRe+ model has been applied in hundreds of courses worldwide on curriculum, sustainability justice, and ICTs to enable sustainability education.
It is particularly important to download the DeCoRe+ template and familiarize yourself with its processes and key questions. The DeCoRe+ template functions as an organizer for reorienting university curricula to address SDGs.
Table 1. The DeCoRe Plus processes
DeCoRe+ Processes | Key concepts in each process |
Diagnostic Evaluation | Reflecting on a) who we are, b) what we have (existing knowledge), c) where we want to go, and d) why we want to go there. |
Deconstruction | Analyze the functioning of personal perspectives/habits of mind critically and chosen curriculum units/modules. |
Construction | Gather resources, create ideas, and construct new meanings (perspectives). |
Reconstruction | Integrate newly constructed knowledge in line with the reconstructed frame of reference. |
Implementation | Carrying out the reconstructed curriculum unit/module supplemented by service learning. |
Summative Evaluation
| Reflect and evaluate what has been learned and changed. |
Why Use DeCoRE+?
It is widely known that university courses often lack real-life contexts, focusing merely on theoretical knowledge, an edge decontextualized from social reality. This disconnect can hurt students’ engagement, learning outcomes, and access to the workforce. Using DeCoRe+ to deconstruct, construct, and reconstruct course curricula in higher education to address real-life issues like climate change (SDG13) can significantly enhance the effectiveness of educational study programs in preparing students for the complexities of the modern world.
Contextualizing course content infused with SDGs can give students a sense of meaning, relevance, and agency. Thus, DeCoRe+ necessitates the involvement of community organizations, policymakers, and industry leaders in course curriculum development. This synergistic relationship makes university study programs relevant to societal needs while creating a robust framework for educators aiming to prepare students to address complex environmental, social, economic, and cultural realities.
In the process of self-transformation, users of DeCoRe+ seek collaboration with colleagues, engage in discussions, and share experiences to enhance their understanding of sustainability injustices. This collaborative partnership, addressed in SDG17, is critical in utilizing the DeCoRE+ methodology effectively and meaningfully for course curriculum development. Developing a critical conscious awareness of sustainability justice issues can prompt academic teaching staff and other educators to reflect on what they teach, why they teach in one way or another, how they teach, and their role as change-makers.
This awareness informs the deconstruction of curriculum content to identify biases and gaps, paving the way for reconstruction that is more inclusive, equitable, and relevant to students’ diverse backgrounds. Deconstructing and reconstructing course curricula by applying DeCoRe+ to focus on real-life challenges like climate change fosters a more engaged, skilled, and socially conscious student body. It turns education into a tool for academic teaching staff and students to gain agency, challenge unsustainable norms, and take action to build a more sustainable and just society
To Whom does DeCoRe+ aim?
The DeCoRe+ approach to course curriculum development targets educators at all levels. It aims to empower educators and students to become agents of change, enabling them to confront and challenge sustainability issues. As pointed out earlier, it seeks to instill in educators a sense of seeing the content of learning as a process and praxis rather than a prescribed set of knowledge disconnected from real life. It also aspires to give students a sense of ownership, advocacy, and responsibility to contribute positively to society.
Applying DeCoRe+
As pointed out earlier, self-reflection is essential for teachers across all education levels who want to improve their teaching and bring about real change in their classrooms and societies. The following guidelines provide a straightforward method for academic staff to start self-reflection, connecting their practices to their values and education for sustainability goals, especially the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
At the start:
- Set Time Aside: Schedule time in your calendar for self-reflection. Treat this as seriously as your teaching.
- Choose a Relaxing Spot: Find a peaceful, comfortable place without distractions to help with thoughtful thinking.
- Use a Journal: Keep a journal to write down your thoughts, feelings, and observations over time. This helps you track progress and shifts in your perspective.
Then, ask reflective questions.
- Use the reflective questions provided in the previous section to help guide your thoughts. Tackling these questions over different sessions might work better for a deeper look.
Pay considerable attention to the following:
Self-Identity and Purpose:
- Consider your motivations and how they align with your values.
- Picture your role as a change-maker.
Understanding Impact
How your teaching methods, values, and world perspectives influence student results.
Review feedback from different stakeholders.
Challenging Assumptions
- Spot any biases that might affect your teaching.
- Think about how these assumptions influence your educational space.
Exploring Resistance
- Acknowledge fears about change and growth.
- Consider how you deal with obstacles and setbacks.
- Learning and Growth
- Look at the professional development opportunities you have taken.
- Stay updated on educational practices that could impact your teaching.
Building Relationships
- Think about the quality of your relationships with students and colleagues.
Spot collaborative efforts that help improve education.
Vision for Change
- Define your ideal learning space and steps to make it happen.
- Encourage a culture of innovation with fresh ideas in your curriculum.
Action Planning
- List clear actions to make changes and check their effects.
- Set measurable goals linked to student engagement and learning.
Future Orientation
- Imagine how your role as a teacher will change.
- What legacy do you want to leave, and what steps will get you there?
Link to the SDGs
- Connect your reflections with specific Sustainable Development Goals to frame your role as a teacher in the context of global efforts.
- Look at the SDGs provided earlier.
Make an Action Plan
- Identify Key Changes: From your reflections and links to SDGs, find specific changes to your teaching.
- Set Measurable Goals: Create criteria to assess the success of these changes in student engagement, learning results, and class atmosphere.
Collaborate and Get Feedback
- Work with Colleagues: Share your reflection journey with others to gain broader insights and support shared growth.
- Be Open to Feedback: Welcome input from students and peers as you apply changes. This can provide new views and improve your methods.
- Do not perceive self-reflection as an end or just a one-off task.
Transfer this knowledge to Step 2.
Selecting a course to include Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in your teaching needs careful thinking and a planned method. Here are some tips for academic teaching staff on how to pick the right course for the deconstruction process:
- Know Your Interests and Skills
Interest Level: Choose one or more courses that interest you and align with your self-reflection results. Remember that all kinds of courses are suitable to embed SDGs.
- Check Course Connection to SDGs
Identify Important SDGs: Review your self-reflection results and connections to SDGs. Find out which SDGs best fit the course topics you have chosen. For example, Environmental Science might connect with Goal 13 (Climate Action), and Social Work may relate to Goals 1 (No Poverty) and 10 (Reduced Inequality).
- Think About Student Backgrounds and Needs
Student Suitability: Consider your students’ backgrounds and interests to choose a course that aligns with their goals in sustainability.
Engagement Chance: Select a course encouraging students to get involved with SDGs and see how they relate to their lives.
- Examine Course Adaptation Potential
Content Flexibility: Think of courses with adaptable materials that allow the addition of relevant sustainability topics or projects.
Interdisciplinary Options: Seek courses that can include multiple disciplines, making it easier to incorporate various SDGs.
- Look at Institutional Help and Resources
Institutional Support: Review your faculty’s dedication to sustainability and SDGs. Check for any existing programs or resources for teachers focusing on this integration.
Collaboration Opportunities: Explore opportunities to work with colleagues even in multiple academic disciplines, preferably from the ACT4SDGs team in our institution.
6. Gather Input from Others
Talk to Students: Consult your students attending the preferred courses to learn and engage them in the consequent processes.
Consult with Peers: Share your thoughts with colleagues to get feedback and understand how they have also chosen their courses to embed SDGs, sharing ideas and resources.
Connect with Sustainability Professionals: Join organizations related to sustainability education to share ideas and stay updated on practices.
- Use the existing course syllabus for the next step
Deconstruction usually starts from your course syllabus. If you do not have one, preparing one without attempting to embed SDGs is essential. It must be based on the exact content, student assignments, and teaching method you use.
By carefully choosing a course to integrate SDGs, you can enrich your curriculum, motivate students, and support a broader understanding and commitment to sustainable development in your institution.
The Deconstruction Process Template provides a comprehensive and easy-to-follow-up framework for teachers and academic teaching staff to analyze their chosen courses to embed SDGs critically. This helps ensure courses meet the results of the previous steps. The template breaks down with course content, teaching methods, assessment techniques, and core assumptions; this process helps spot gaps, biases, and improvement areas.
As you can see in the Course Deconstruction Template, this process has three main parts:
Course Content, Assessment Method, Gaps, Omissions, Assumptions, and Images. Each part includes straightforward questions that guide you through critically different aspects of your course, encouraging critical reflection, constructing knowledge, engaging in deeper thinking, and action to find ways to reconstruct it.
As you can see, you are also asked to provide alternative solutions while deconstructing your course. This means you gather insights and resources to examine, refine, and use in the construction and reconstruction.
How to Use this Template
Start with Basic Course Information:
Fill in the course title, school, department, program, course type, and instructor’s name. This information provides context for your review.
Assess Expected Learning Outcomes:
In section 1.1, list the expected learning outcomes and skills. Explain how they relate to the students and provide reasons for your choices.
Evaluate Course Content Connections:
Move through sections 1.2 to 1.9, examining how course content links to learning outcomes, real-world issues, sustainability, SDGs, and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). Share examples and reasoning for your responses.
Engagement and Dynamic Learning Elements:
Look at how the course engages students with active activities (student-driven) supported by ICTs (1.3) and if learning is student-focused and connects with other subjects (1.4). Consider unique ways to use technology and collaborative learning.
Connect to Broader Educational Frameworks:
Think about connections to sustainability (1.6), learning pillars for sustainable development (1.7), and cross-cutting skills (1.8). This connection provides a broader view of learning that goes beyond traditional limits.
Examine SDG Integration:
Identify which SDGs the course addresses directly and indirectly (1.9), and consider how these goals can be reinforced through course material and assessments.
Assessment Methodologies:
In Part 2, look at how students are assessed through the course (2.1) and reflect on how these assessments affect student interest and comprehension (2.2-2.5).
Identify Gaps and Underlying Messages:
In Part 3, analyze what may be lacking in the course content (3.1), the underlying ideas that influence it (3.2), and the overall messages conveyed (3.3-3.4). These findings can highlight biases and chances for broader perspectives.
Determine Sustainability Values:
Finish by identifying the sustainability values highlighted throughout the course (3.5), linking this review to your educational beliefs and goals for a more fair and sustainable learning environment.
Conclusion
This Deconstruction Process template promotes education for sustainability that aligns with a transformative perspective in teaching, learning, and curriculum development. It also fosters meaningful learning and paves the way toward embedding sustainability and SDGs in course curricula. Working through each part of the DeCoRe+ template unlocks the potential to highlight strengths and areas for embedding SDGs, paving the way for innovative teaching and meaningful learning experiences.
The construction phase aims to clarify key areas across different fields that require adjustments, along with recommendations on new content materials and appropriate teaching strategies to address these changes. The results of your course’s deconstruction phase, where suggestions and solutions were presented, will be further refined and enriched with new content and teaching methodologies. To facilitate this process, use the following template by formulating the key areas for change in the course and what is recommended in each key area.
- Content
Key Areas for Change:
- C1
- C2
- Cn
Recommendations:
- S1
- S2
- Sn
- Assessment Methods
Key Areas for Change:
M1
• M2
• Mn
Recommendations:
• S1
• S2
• Sn - Missing Elements, Intentional Exclusions & Implicit Beliefs
Key Areas for Change:
E1
• E2
• En
Recommendations:
• S1
• S2
• Sn - Stakeholder Interests/inputs
Key Areas for Change:
I1
• I2
• In
Recommendations:
• S1
• S2
• Sn - Proposed Viewpoints vs. Reality
Key Areas for Change:
V1
• V2
• Vn
Recommendations:
• S1
• S2
• SnCritical points for consideration
Themes Derived from SDGs
The revised course will be contextualized so that SDGs are present in the content.
Learning Foundations and 10Cs
The course will adhere to all six learning pillars, especially stressing “Learning to Transform Oneself and Society” by motivating students to think about how they can promote change. The 10Cs are woven through student-driven assignments and other activities integrated into the course content.
Teaching Strategies and Resources
The teaching approaches will be based on practical, constructivist, and transformative teaching, learning, and curriculum perspectives addressing problem-based and problem-posing learning, discovery learning, active learning, multimodality, and civic engagement.
Real-Life Contexts
The revised course’s main concepts will be linked to real-life situations by featuring hands-on learning activities, allowing students to apply theory meaningfully. Tasks will encourage students to interact with their communities and tackle real sustainability issues connected to SDGs. Additionally, service-learning aspects may be added to connect academic work with social accountability, enhancing student civic engagement and community involvement. Using these principles in the construction phase, the reconstructed course will reach the quality expected.
To follow up on all the previous steps and especially in constructing the revised course (Step 4), in the reconstruction process (Step 5), you need to elaborate on all you have done in a more structured way using the following: 1) the course syllabus template and 2) the extended course syllabus template. To facilitate this process, you will find at the end another general example of teaching a course on SDGs
As pointed out in the deconstruction process, you start with your initial course syllabus for the selected course. It is time to complete the reconstructed syllabus based on the course construction results. Using the results of the deconstruction and construction processes through the lens of the critical reflection results in Step 1, you start developing the course syllabus and then proceed to the extended course syllabus, which turns the weekly schedules of the course syllabus into a cohesive structure of modules.
To gain a deeper understanding of their importance, look at these two templates and the example in a general course entitled “Sustainable Development Goals and Global Challenges.”
Access a collection of good practice examples to start transforming your curriculum.