Nadine Ball reflects on future of AED Scholar work with the following observations:
Several aspects of the AED Scholars’ work are essential:the distributed nature of the work, punctuated with occasional gatherings; the involvement over time of educators from diverse personal, practice, and geographic backgrounds; and the openness to innovation in how we express and educate for democracy in our settings. These strengths also make our work on behalf of the AED challenging:it is difficult to communicate “what” it is and to identify long-term directions.
Philosophically what is essential to the AED is the deep and shared belief that education must be FOR something beyond our society’s default settings of hyper-individualism, gluttonous consumption, and power-over others.For me, this includes education that is for democracy, for sustainable development, for wise and healthy beings who live in strong communities.
How might we influence the direction of education in the US?Potential answers to this question relate to scale.At an individual scale, it involves developing understanding and voice and helping others do the same.This seems a question of praxis: continually voicing the Agenda, educating others over time to the how and why of this work, voicing its importance and insisting on its presence to colleagues at the university, in schools, and in our communities.
Joining-with also seems essential: for renewal of our hearts, minds, and souls and therefore our programs and work.As Leslie noted, many of us know and trust each other, and so continuing the work will happen. Communication among the settings has always been a challenge—often only occurring at AED meetings.Additionally, our web presences do not capture the exciting and powerful work going on in ways that grab attention.Audrey’s idea of some sort of regular submission seems important to me, and I would like to suggest that we welcome both academic work and student submissions.The case studies are powerful.I also would like to see videos of practice; digital storytelling; and other dynamic approaches to sharing.Many could benefit from a place for making sense of the work-as-it-happens—a question forum or a How the heck do you do/deal with….Sometimes the details of practice are what help us make sense of the AED.
I believe it is time to explore ways to join-with like-minded allies and create a louder local, state-level, and national voice.I just returned from a UNESCO meeting for Reorienting Teacher Education for Sustainable Development. ESD shares our commitments to equity, quality education, democratic principles, and economic and environmental justices.Like democracy, sustainable development is an ideal, something we can only approximate. Still, it was breathtaking to meet educators from around the world who are committed to engaging, student- and community- centered education for sustainable development. We heard stories from around the world in which problem solving for local communities was the heart of the educational work underway.I hope to shift my teaching toward this vision of 21stcentury skills with heart.
At the meeting, the US Delegates met to discuss forming a network of network already involved in some aspect of this work. The US Network for Education for Sustainable Development seems one way we might generate a louder voice for our work.As a network of networks, the US network for Between the number of organizations and networks participating and the UNESCO‘name’, this might be a way of leveraging visibility.
Regular meetings seem essential, too—scheduled as a regular part of the conferences.Our work is too important to be squeezed in as an afterthought.
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