Roots of Learning: Educating for community and sustainability

February 25-29, 2008
(One week only)

Heila Lotz-Sisitka

The course provides an opportunity to discuss how educational bodies can work more closely within their community as part of a sustainable future. Participants will explore working case studies and explore their own and each others innovative ideas for new ways of working to reinvigorate their own institutions’ action in this area.

Course Overview

Educational institutions are starting to interact more with the communities they exist in, moving away from their “ivory tower” image. This process can be beneficial for all involved, bringing fresh perspectives into academia and new energy and expertise into the community.

This course will explore the relationships that exist between educational institutions and their communities. Participants will discuss the nature of the modern institution (i.e. University/school/college/workplace) with a view to seeking out the creative spaces where sustainability learning activities within the community can take place. Case studies from around the world will enable participants to plan for the creation of sustainability work in their own institution-community contexts.

This course is intended for adult and university educators, teachers at all levels of education, community workers and individuals who are on a learning path that combines their personal lives with a local and global vision of education.

Teachers

Heila Lotz-Sisitka is Chair of Environmental Education and Sustainability at Rhodes University, South Africa. She has contributed actively to the inclusion of environmental and sustainability principles and programmes in South Africa’s new education system. She is Editor of the Southern African Journal of Environmental Education, and Chairperson of the 2007 World Environmental Education Congress Scientific Committee.

Timetable and course content

Monday
Arrival by 1 pm. Introduction to each other and College; Gaia theory and Schumacher philosophy.

Tuesday-Friday
The course will begin with a workshop in which participants will explore relationships that exist between educational institutions and their communities. This will involve discussing the nature of the modern institution (i.e. University / school / college / workplace), and the idea of community, with a view to seeking out the creative spaces where sustainability learning actions can be conceptualised and generated. Case studies of sustainability learning actions generated in different institution-community interfaces around the world will provide the basis for engaging in planning of such learning spaces in participants’ own institution-community contexts.

Departure after lunch on Friday.

Can be taken as a one or two week course.

Course Fees

Fees are £500 including accommodation, food, field trips and all teaching sessions.

How to make an application – click here

For further information about Schumacher College please see About the College

New feature – reserve your place now

To provisionally reserve a place for 5 days, email us your contact details and the name of the course admin@schumachercollege.org.uk

We will hold the place for five working days for reservations – three weeks before a course or earlier. After five days we will automatically offer your place to someone else if we have not received your application.

Schumacher College is part of the Dartington Hall Trust, a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and as a charity (company no. 1485560, charity no. 279756). Registered office: The Elmhirst Centre, Dartington Hall, Totnes, Devon TQ9 6EL, UK.