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Nature Education for Sustainable Todays and Tomorrows (NEST): Hatching a New Culture in Schooling

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2018

Laura Piersol ,
Linda Russell  and
Jenny Groves
Laura Piersol*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Education, Field Programs, Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada
Linda Russell
Affiliation:
NEST Program, Davis Bay Elementary School, Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada
Jenny Groves
Affiliation:
NEST Program, Davis Bay Elementary School, Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada
*
Address for correspondence: Laura Piersol, Faculty of Education, Field Programs, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Dr E, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada. Email: lpiersol@sfu.ca
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Abstract

Within the North American public education system, institutionalised structures of schooling often prevent teachers from aligning their values with their practice when it comes to environmental education (Bowers, 1997; Weston, 2004). In response to this, this article will outline our lived experiences, as teachers and researcher, in disrupting the traditional school system as we work toward building a new culture in schooling through nature-based education. Acts of disruption that we will speak to include: going outside for learning on a regular basis, teaching for empowerment, involving families in the education, attempts to play with structural confines of schooling, and finding ways to stay empowered ourselves. Through this work, we have found that there is a rippling effect to the disruption that requires courage, grit, and resilience such that we do not slide back into conventional approaches. We have also become empowered in our practices through implementing these changes, watching our students become active stewards within their communities and beyond. We are learning deeply about the work of structural change within a public school district and offer words here as inspiration and support for others wishing to make changes within their own context.

Keywords

systemsteacher developmentschoolprocessespoliticsplaceenvironmental education
Type
Feature Articles
Information
Australian Journal of Environmental Education , Volume 34 , Special Issue 2: Ecologising Education: Storying, Philosophising and Disrupting , July 2018 , pp. 97 - 114
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2018 

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