Should we not be educating for resilience? Leveraging SDG4 in times of crisis

This paper argues that while resilience connects many Sustainable Development Goals, it is not reflected in SDG4, and should be. Resilience typically refers to the capacities of communities to cope with effects of natural disasters, climate change, armed conflict and displacement. The SDGs also emphasize resilience in relation to health crises and economic and social disruptions. This paper contends that educating for resilience should be an explicit cornerstone of SDG Target 4.7, given its links to sustainable development, global citizenship and climate change, and its aim to address collective and global challenges and foster shifts in teaching and learning. The paper explores pedagogies of and for resilience and how these would influence how teachers design and conduct classroom activities. It concludes by discussing the limitations of current strategies to track country implementation of Target 4.7 and how new approaches are needed to capture the multiplicity of education for resilience initiatives.