The Global Education Conference is an online and free event to bring together educators from different parts of the world during three days, to share experiences, insights and ideas around education for the 21st Century. The Conference has been organized every year for over 10 years. In 2019, it took place from 18 – 20 November.
Earth Charter Education Center participated in this Conference, organizing one session called “Sustainability Education and Ethics”. Alicia Jimenez made the presentation where around 25 participants participated from different countries, such as: United States, Uganda, Norway and others.
Alicia reflected on the “critical moment in Earth’s history” that we are living, and the emerging consciousness of a need of social transformation that comes from a change of paradigm, a change of worldview. She pointed out that education is a driver and accelerator of social transformation and paradigm shift, nonetheless, there has been a tendency in formal education settings on prioritizing the learning of practical skills, and theoretical knowledge, leaving behind processes of ethical and values reflection and clarification, using the body, mind and heart in an integral way, addressing as well the social dimensions of learning.
The change towards a new paradigm, according to Fritjof Capra, will be from a mainly rational and analytical thinking to one that balances the rational with a more intuitive, holistic, non linear, thinking; that is associated with values of cooperation, conservation, equality.
In this sense, Alicia argued that is very important to integrate spaces of dialogue, reflection and practice of the values and ethical principles associated with sustainability. This will galvanize the paradigm shift needed to address the complex issues we are facing.
Alicia presented the Earth Charter to the participants, as a relevant instrument for educators that, when integrated in pedagogical processes, can be transformative in the way people think and relate with each other and with other living beings, expanding its responsibility for the common good to all life in this planet.
The presentation highlighted several elements associated with a pedagogy of the Earth Charter, offering examples of how this document has been used in different parts of the world to foster education for sustainability. Alicia pointed out to different education materials available at the Earth Charter Virtual Library, as well as capacity building opportunities that the Earth Charter Education Center offers.
Find in this link the full recording of this session (works better to download as Blackboard Collaborate): https://sas.elluminate.com/dr.jnlp?sid=2008350&suid=D.DD4B233182F89C807F54959512EC81
And in this link, all the recordings of the Conference:
https://www.globaleducationconference.org/page/2019-conference-recordings