Taking Learning Outside: The Joys and Challenges of Involving Nature as a Teacher

*On Monday, 15th March at 4.30 pm (GMT), Professor Sean Blekinsop, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, CA will deliver keynote webinar on 'Taking Learning Outside: The Joys and Challenges of Involving Nature as a Teacher'.

DCU will co-host this event with Munster Technological University.

Abstract:

In this time of the COVID pandemic, it has become apparent that we are all citizens in a global community and that what we do or don’t do in our locales has an impact far beyond our neighbourhoods. It has also opened space for educators to reconsider the wheres, for being indoors is not as safe as it once appeared, and the whys, for teaching towards global citizenship requires us to consider issues of justice, inclusion, and diversity, of pedagogy. What I am proposing, at this admittedly early point in the process, is to offer a keynote that is made up of a series of stories.  Stories that are selected to illustrate key challenges, successes, and ongoing worries in our more than 10 years of work to “ecologize” public schools in British Columbia, Canada. 

The goal is to draw from research findings, partner teachers and their pedagogies, and our community connections to share a series of stories that will invite an Irish educational audience into a conversation about the ways and possibilities of outdoor, environmental, place-based, and eco-socially just education. There are some very real challenges that both Ireland and Canada are facing with regard to issues of social justice and the environment and education are pivotal to any changes that might be sought. Changing education is an interesting, difficult, and, at times, overwhelming project but real stories can act to inspire and challenge the imagination and that is the hope.

* No registration is required.

This event will be streamed on the MTU Kerry Youtube channel.