Prof. Sam Crowell, who will lead an intensive program on Education and Values for Sustainable Development at the Earth Charter Center for ESD in Costa Rica, has authored with David Reid-Marr a new book Emergent Teaching: A Path of Creativity, Significance, and Transformation.
Emergent Teaching inspires teachers to teach with more spontaneity and creativity within an educational environment that is highly constrained. It demonstrates, through descriptive stories, creative strategies and provides an intellectual foundation for emergent teaching. The authors show how teachers can relate subject matter to students’ lives and experience. They illustrate activities and processes that help establish a caring learning community. Finally, the book applies the theories of complexity and chaos while reaffirming the natural wisdom that teachers possess within themselves. The authors have chosen a narrative format that “models” rather than “tells,” and encourages readers to connect to their own stories and experiences.
Prof. Crowell will lead a program called Education and Values for Sustainable Development with the Earth Charter, Teaching what really matters, from May 13-17, 2013 at Earth Charter facilities in San Jose Costa Rica. This program offers a sound understanding and appreciation of the scope and complexity of sustainability issues and their significance, an understanding of the global role of education, and of the kinds of learning experiences needed to help realize a safer and more livable future. The program introduces sustainable development, and the implications it has for education, learning, and change. Using a holistic and integrative approach, it explores practical methods for introducing the values of sustainability, as articulated in the Earth Charter to schools and classrooms. This program draws on the most recent understanding from the neurosciences to inform your teaching. Assessing the skills and values of education for sustainable development (ESD) pedagogy will be addressed.