Environmental educators learning and theorizing place-responsive pedagogy

Abstract

We are particularly pleased, owing to our different connections to the history and focus of this book, to have been invited to contribute this chapter of commentary on the previous chapters. As a seconded teacher and later a curriculum officer in the then Curriculum Branch of the Queensland Department of Education, the first author (Bob) was involved from 1975 in providing curriculum support to the first two Environmental Education Centres (EE Cs) in Queensland, as well as to schools through several EE curriculum and professional development pro¬jects. Thus, he is able to offer a historical perspective on the Centres from their formation. The second author (Greg) has a long history of writing and research on the practice of place-and community-based education using local knowledge, phenomena, and experience as the foundation for teaching and learning and con-necting students more firmly to their own communities. As well, we both had the opportunity in the mid-1980s to work as educational researchers on different national projects for several years while undertaking PhDs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Our research experiences in these projects alerted us to the value of the kind of case studies and rich contextualized narratives in this volume for revealing the potential and challenges of innovative educational processes and the meanings attributed to them by the participating teachers and students. Like the educators in the previous chapters, we also share a deep commitment to engaging and preparing young people to participate in the shaping of a more sustainable and just society.