Self-sustaining is a word which has begun to be used more and more. While it is something which has always existed, it has now become more of a necessity as we find ourselves depending more and more on other people. This dependence creates a lack of responsibility, which effects how we approach things in society, in schools and in life. Without the ownership of being independent and self reliant, we feel less responsible for what is happening. This is talked about a lot in chapter 10 with the primary focus on creating sustainable natural resources. Creating a cycle, which supports our life form and is renewable within it self is certainly something we should invest in. The earth and its resources are certainly not capable of sustaining society at the rate it is being consumed. While this is an important aspect to our education as discussed, I think the responsibility aspect is the most important one in educating our students for the future. By infusing students into these important aspects of sustainability, they will become more invested and therefore will also gain responsibility. This is responsibility is essential in all aspects of life from sustenance to investment to interaction socially and globally. Global responsibility as we have seen is becoming more and more of a vital aspect to humanity. Independent instruction I think is the starting point for this regaining of responsibility. I also really like the examples given in the book on ecological responsibility and the steps some schools are taking. It is certainly encouraging to see with the exponential growth and consumption, which is encompassing our planet.
Vision is another word we hear quite often but I think just as often we classify it as a goal or mission statement. While these are aspects of vision, I think we should use it more literally and incorporate that aspect into education. Vision, I believe, is picturing the way something could or should be. This applies to being self-sustaining as it helps us to look at the big picture. This is important to instill in our students as well as we prepare them for the future. By understanding where they need to get, they will appreciate and understanding the steps for getting there.
An interesting trend I noticed in some of the articles for this week is the success of small schools in preparing their students for the future. While we often think of small schools as disadvantaged based on their size, this can be as seen an advantage for more integrated learning. Larger schools are certainly better for some things such as opportunities and social aspects. However, technology is making this less significant as students from small schools interact with people from other schools and communities. I think one of the biggest advantages of some of these small schools is the individualized learning they can provide. The teacher to student ratio is often smaller and students are more widely known within their school and community. Being a big part of their small communities they are affected and involved with the different aspects of their community. This real world application is an essential aspect to a productive academic experience. This is interesting given the attempts to consolidate and regionalize our school units.
Your statement, "By understanding where they (students) need to get, they will appreciate and understanding the steps for getting there," really stood out to me. Often times as teachers we are constantly evaluating our lessons knowing what we want to student to have learned by the end of a lesson, but students don't always get to see the "big picture" of where they have been and where they are going in their learning. I think as educators we need to spend some time teaching are students how to see the "big picture" and help them to plan their own educational experience and where they want it to go.
ReplyDeleteThe rate of consumption and vision for the future are two things that popped out at me from your writing. It seems that many people have no sense of what they waste and how it might affect the big picture. The old saying, "waste not, want not" is very true and simple to remember; yet even when we have evidence that the oceans are being over fished (for certain species), some of the mega-fishing concerns will dump an entire hold of already caught (and dead) fish back into the ocean when they find another variety of fish that will make them more money. Is this a crime? It should be--and it represents a philosophy which says that as long as we are making money, everything is alright. That's where the vision comes in. Students need to know that they can imagine a better world, and then do something about it. I think helplessness is a predominant feeling and it is learned. Maybe we can teach something else.
ReplyDeleteLove reading your blog and was wondering if you got a chance to see the Youtube post yesterday on the igoogle home page entitled "300 Hundred Years of Fossils Fuels in 300 Seconds"? You might find it interesting.
ReplyDeleteYour comment about vision is so true...it is about picturing what something could or should be. How can we find sustain education with out seeing how it could be in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think gardens and schools create a real-world application and understanding that doesn't always translate when growing a flower in a pot. I am always struck when kids tell me that they did not play outside over the weekend. How are they going to feel responsible for the environment if they are disconnected?
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