The Role of Place-based Education in Developing Sustainability as a Frame of Mind

As the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) draws to an end, one could pose the question: what might education’s response be to a deepening environmental crisis as we move beyond the decade? Sustainability as a frame of mind presents a different perspective to that of sustain...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Krystle Ontong, Lesley Le Grange
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Environmental Association of Southern Africa 2014-12-01
Series:Southern African Journal of Environmental Education
Online Access:https://www.ajol.info/index.php/sajee/article/view/121962
Description
Summary:As the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014) draws to an end, one could pose the question: what might education’s response be to a deepening environmental crisis as we move beyond the decade? Sustainability as a frame of mind presents a different perspective to that of sustainable development as a policy (the focus of the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development) and therefore cultivating it through education might be a response that could take us forward. In this article we argue for an expanded notion of sustainability as a frame of mind, viewed through the lens of place-based/place-conscious education and also informed by the metaphysics of ubuntu. The aim of the article is to introduce place-based education and sustainability as a frame of mind as conceptual avenues for challenging educators to rethink environmental education as we enter an era beyond the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. We do this by conceptually exploring the concepts of place-based and place-conscious education and how these fairly new educational notions might assist in developing sustainability as a frame of mind. We also discuss the educational implications of practising a pedagogy of place with specific reference to sustainability.
ISSN:2411-5959
2411-5959