Back 2 basics - Collaboration

I have started a small initiative called "Back 2 Basics - growing with educators worldwide".

As part of this initiative, I will be meeting several educators, create meaningful meeting/sharing opportunities to foster collaboration and then identify the needs of schools in training teachers appropriately to help integrate sustainability into the curriculums.

Because I think collaboration is most important in moving ahead with a clear vision and supported by the community, we hope that we can design interesting teacher/educator workshops.

Service and Enterprise learning

In my class we celebrated World bamboo day by all students and teachers participating in designing, and creating bamboo toys for early years. 

You may want to see their commitent for yourself at the link below. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTpD_cy3lrM&feature=youtu.be

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Educating for sustainability: Raising whole children

Educating for sustainability: Raising whole children

Raising whole children

Fyodor Dostoevsky said, "Beauty will save the world."

Expanding on the above thought, I wanted to share a story I read in The "Ecological Literacy".

Here is a story by Michael Ableman in his essay on "Raising Whole Children Is Like Raising Good Food...." consider this:

           

        Every evening we wrap up our new born son in his favourite wool blanket and ever so slowly walk the length of our farm saying good night to the chickens, touching the leaves on the asparagus, rubbing our faces on various herbs and flowers, and quietly sneaking up on the thousands of frogs that inhabit our pond.

            It's the same route each evening, but every walk reveals something new. Most nights just as we reach the farm-gate and turn to walk back home, young Benjamin's eyes have started to close as he is lulled and calmed by the life on the farm, which is also drifting into sleep.

            These walks include no talk, no explanations; there is no reading or study required to understand and learn from our experiences. But I am sure that young Benjamin is absorbing it all., even when his eyes are closed and he is asleep.

            But just as I immerse my young son in the natural circles of the farm as I give him responsibilities to care for some of the animals and plant life that exists on it, and feed and nourish him from it, our society must find ways to offer similar experiences to all families and communities.

            We have to deal with the world of worry in which so many of our young people live and the constant struggle between hope and despair by focusing on the small successes: on local and incremental change; one handful of seeds, one child, one garden at a time.

References and readings:

Dewey, J. (1929). Experience and nature. New York: Dover.

Orr, D. W. (1992). Ecological literacy: Education and the transition to a postmodern world. Albany: State University of New York Press.

Beauty WILL save the world!!

My grade 2 class showing love for Earth. Why won't these kids solve the problems of the world. They are already proactive.:) 

Fyodor Dostoevsky said, "Beauty will save the world."

"Eco-phobia" this word as I understand means "the fear of the environment". Actually Eco-phobia is more common in adults, youth and children than we think. I presume this is because we expose our children and students too early about the problems of the world - the problems that they think will end life on the planet.

Instead of instilling eco-phobia in kids, how about first making children fall in love with Earth -their planet and if we can do this successfully they will know the problems themselves. Children are experts at creating visions of places they've seen only in their imagination- places made real by the act of creation. Imagine what they could do when they are exposed to wonder and not catastrophe.

In recent years environmental education has too often focused on environmental problems and crisis such as pollution and species extinction. David Sobel says, "Emphasizing environmental problems with children, especially young ones, can leave them feeling disempowered and hopeless about the state of the world and their ability to affect it". It is so true, I believe that if children can learn to love a place or their connection with mother Earth, they will naturally grow up to take care of her.

There is an organization called RIVERS OF WORDS (ROW) founded by Pamela Michael which practices place-based learning by inviting children to use the arts to explore and express their understanding of and connections to their home places. People at ROW believe that children who come to understand and to love their home places will grow into engaged, effective citizens committed to preserving those places.

Fyodor rightly said, "Beauty will save the world".