Language: English

ISSN: 2215-1249, 2772-7319

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: David Orr suggests that environmentalist and peace educators must teach civics, law, government, and political history to deeply cultivate an understanding of the influences and policies that create and perpetuate environmental destruction and humanitarian crises. Citizens, especially students, must comprehend the political forces and the public interests that have created the current destabilization of our environment and human community and must become civically and politically engaged to affect actual policy change.

Language: English

ISSN: 1522-9734

Abstract/Notes: In questo libro si sottolinea come i fondamenti del Metodo Montessori ricolleghino il bambino alla natura attraverso pratiche educativo-didattiche, ambienti e architetture a questo scopo dedicate. Una chiave, questa, per entrare nel mondo montessoriano più evoluto all'insegna di Ecologia, Ecosostenibilità, Biofilia, Energie alternative, dove il contenuto, il contenitore e quel che lo circonda devono essere in totale sintonia con l'ambiente. Colloquio esclusivo, tra gli altri, con l'archistar olandese Herman Hertzberger, autore - insieme all'architetto italiano Marco Scarpinato - del progetto di una scuola romana unica al mondo. [This book underlines how the foundations of the Montessori Method reconnect the child to nature through educational-didactic practices, environments and architectures dedicated to this purpose. This is a key to entering the most advanced Montessori world under the banner of Ecology, Eco-sustainability, Biophilia, Alternative Energy, where the content, the container and what surrounds it must be in total harmony with the environment. Exclusive conversation, among others, with the Dutch archistar Herman Hertzberger, author - together with the Italian architect Marco Scarpinato - of the project for a unique Roman school in the world.]

Language: Italian

Published: Roma, Italy: Fefè Editore, 2021

ISBN: 978-88-949472-9-8

Series: Pagine vere , 49

Abstract/Notes: The garden can be viewed as an imitation of nature in an urban setting. In past times, many educators aware of the importance of nature in the education process were avid supporters of the school garden. Many studies that examined the influence of the school garden in the education process have shown that it offers multiple benefits to the students, one of which is that it furthers experiential learning. Students involved in gardening improve their overall academic performance and increases their interest in learning. It also seems to have positive effects on their overall behavior and on their emotional and social health. In the results of studies, we can also see the students who participated in gardening showed remarkable improvement in their overall physical health, and that they often adopted better nutritional habits. Finally, the school garden can serve as a portal for the students and for the school in general, to introduce them to environmental education and to sustainability in both theory and practice.  Article visualizations:

Language: English

DOI: 10.46827/ejes.v7i9.3247

ISSN: 2501-1111

Abstract/Notes: This research aimed to deepen understanding about effective Montessori teachers and broaden the context of the topic by examining aligning Montessori theory with Indigenous theory and sustainability theory. The research was guided by an Indigenous research paradigm and involved using appreciative inquiry and tapping into the wisdom of experienced Montessori educators, considered as coresearchers and elders. Using Bohm’s dialogue process, six small groups of elders pondered together about the essence of Montessori and their insights about teachers who effectively implement the Montessori concept. The total of 20 coresearchers concluded that the essence of Montessori was when Montessori became a way of life, a process, coresearchers believed, is lifelong. The elders determined effective Montessori teachers are those who can apply the Montessori concept in their classroom. Key attributes of effective Montessori teachers included ability to trust, exercise keen observation skills, and develop mindfulness. One insight offered for teacher educators included allowing more time for adult learners to practice implementation of the theory. For administrators, elders believed that teachers’ development unfolds just as students’ and requires in-kind support. Findings help inform prospective and current Montessori teachers, teacher educators, and school administrators. Findings show an alignment between Maria Montessori’s educational theory and how it is practiced, reveal the complex nature of the Montessori concept, and indicate Montessori education fosters a sustainability mindset.

Language: English

Published: Prescott, Arizona, 2017

Abstract/Notes: This research investigated Education for Sustainability (EfS) at an independent Montessori primary school, located in the Perth metropolitan area of Western Australia. A longitudinal case study involving analysis of data from a twenty year period was conducted to determine the effectiveness of EfS. Historical information about EfS at the school from 1990 to 2005 was examined, with the main focus of the study being on the impact of the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative (AuSSI) between 2005 and 2009. AuSSI promotes a whole school, whole systems thinking approach to EfS. Three school-based issues in EfS were studied. Firstly, the research aimed to determine what elements of EfS were in operation in the school prior to involvement in AuSSI. Secondly, student outcomes including engagement with whole systems thinking, attitudes and values, knowledge and understandings, and skills and behaviours related to EfS, were investigated during the first five years of participation in AuSSI. Thirdly, teacher perceptions of the EfS program, including engagement with whole systems thinking, were examined during this same time period. A case study approach was employed to enable in-depth investigation of EfS in the life of the school prior to, during and post implementation of AuSSI. This approach facilitated revelation of participants' lived experiences, their perceptions and understandings of EfS, as well as detailed information about student outcomes in EfS. Case study methodology was also compatible with the culture and processes of the participating school and provided an opportunity for utilising a whole systems thinking approach. Data was gathered from a range of sources, through surveys, interviews, observation and document analysis over a five year period. The total participants included eleven teachers and seventy five students. The research identified particular antecedents of EfS in the Montessori Method of education that existed in the school prior to AuSSI, including the whole child approach, together with the Montessori learning environment, curriculum and values. Following participation in AuSSI, student attitudes and values, knowledge and understandings, and skills and behaviours related to EfS were enhanced for all year levels. However, after three years when specific EfS actions and projects ceased, student EfS outcomes were limited. Furthermore, students’ thinking and behaviour indicated a ‘silo’, rather than whole systems thinking approach to EfS. Teachers perceived the EfS program as highly effective in the initial three years after joining AuSSI. Key elements that enhanced EfS included EfS staff champions who had access to EfS networks, leadership support, and active school community involvement in all EfS processes. However, after three years of being an AuSSI school, the culmination of reduced leadership support for EfS, lack of staff training, vague designation of staff with EfS responsibilities and inadequate community involvement, resulted in cessation of the EfS program. Teacher perceptions on whole systems thinking revealed alignment between Montessori philosophy, EfS and whole system thinking was more in theory than in practice. Through an in-depth longitudinal case study of a school this research highlighted the importance of whole school EfS professional learning, embedding EfS and whole systems thinking across the curriculum at all year levels, whole school support, and the usefulness of a sustainability continuum that recognizes the complex, dynamic interplay of issues involved in a school’s EfS journey. It is strongly recommended improvements to pre-service teacher education in EfS are implemented, and a review of the AuSSI toolkit is conducted to refine EfS evaluation processes and to target the specific EfS needs of teachers at different stages of schooling, as well as to enhance understanding and implementation of the whole systems thinking approach. Finally, EfS professional learning for all school staff in all schools is warranted to enhance depth of EfS engagement.

Language: English

Published: Perth, Australia, 2012

Language: English

Abstract/Notes: Maria Montessori’s vision of peace education includes a deep respect for integral human development where a focus on the whole child in the context of the larger community is the norm. Within Montessori education, children learn each part of the universe, living and non-living, play a role in the cosmic order of the world. Long before climate change became a mainstream concern and imminent threat, Montessori understood that ecoliteracy and a deep reverence for understanding how sustainability, sustainable living, respect for the environment, and a deep understanding of the means of production and exchange were essential to the development of a peaceful world. This chapter explores her philosophy of peace education, its relationship to environmental stewardship, and the implementation of these themes within the Montessori context.

Language: English

Published: New York, New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-350-27561-4 978-1-350-27560-7 978-1-350-27562-1

Series: Bloomsbury Handbooks

Abstract/Notes: This research explored how an expanded and sustained education about food within the primary school curriculum in the Republic of Ireland could be achieved. A constructivist ontology underpinned the project, with multiple theoretical frameworks related to constructivist learning and building agency, informing the study. A multi-method action research methodology was used, providing practical solutions through action, reflection, practice and theory. A narrative review of the literature and existing policy preceded three sections of fieldwork. A scoping consultation with key stakeholders was followed by the development and piloting of a food education programme entitled the Global Citizenship Food and Biodiversity Theme in eight primary schools over two years, in conjunction with Green-Schools. The third section of fieldwork verified and expanded the results within a research findings feedback workshop which included academics working in education, principals, teachers, trainee teachers, and two staff members from the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. The scoping consultation with key stakeholders highlighted a desire for a changed approach to food education in Irish primary schools. The key findings indicated that schools are in a unique position to influence and promote food education, but that an expanded approach to the current curriculum’s principal focus on health and nutrition was required. The term ‘circular food education’ was coined to describe the approach to food education which was consequently developed. Circular food education encompasses experiential learning, sustainability and pleasure. It is grounded in theory and is an educational solution to tackling an array of social issues: building knowledge about climate change, biodiversity loss, and food waste, teaching practical food skills, as well as instilling the potential for children to become active citizens. The development and piloting of the Global Citizenship Food and Biodiversity Theme illustrated how educational approaches that stem from constructivism could be put into practice. This theme included hands-on classes as well as building agency to think critically through the use of collaborative and social learning methods. Amartya Sen’s capability approach was used as a theoretical framework to evaluate data generated from the pilot. The research findings feedback workshop indicated that increased circular food education would require support from the whole-school, a change in approach by government as well as teacher training to address confidence and agency, and the provision of suitable facilities. One of the outputs from the research is the Global Citizenship Food and Biodiversity Theme programme which is being implemented incrementally in schools on a nation-wide basis, with 120 locations to date. A limitation of the Global Citizenship Food and Biodiversity Theme is the two-year cycle of the Green-Schools flag system. The thesis recommends a systemic policy change to food education in Irish primary schools. An embedded full-time approach within the primary curriculum would provide structure and scaffolding but requires a collaborative approach from all stakeholders. Until then, an increase in teacher training and developing teacher agency would be a suitable first step to increased food education in Irish primary school classrooms. Circular food education offers a model, which helps provide students with the ability to lead a life in which both they, and the natural world, could flourish.

Language: English

Published: Dublin, Ireland, 2023