Ecovillage Education:
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| The old paradigm within education has for centuries been one of competition, hierarchy, separation of theory and practice, institutionalization, and obliteration of our sense of interdependency with nature. It has built on fear, on control and suppression of the body and the independent mind. The content of this education has correspondingly been geared toward making pupils fit for continuing a competitive, Western, industrialized, extractive society. This system has been exported to most of the world and been an integrated part of cultural imperialism. An understanding is emerging all over the planet that we need a revolution in education based on a different philosophy. Fifty-five educators from ecovillages and related projects around the world agreed upon the following statement at a 1998 meeting on "Education, Sustainability and Spirituality in the 21st Century" at Gaia Fjordvang in Denmark: "Learning needs to return to its roots in the whole community of people and no longer exist in separate institutions. In this way, context, methods and personal development will happen all at the same time for all ages. This is a living, evolving, learning system that embraces global considerations alongside local concerns. This system is geared to plant seeds for the next 7 generations." Since the meeting, GEN has coined the term "Living and Learning" to refer to an education paradigm whereby learning is not separated from living, as students learn by experiencing and implementing the elements of a sustainable lifestyle in ecovillages. Read more on: The Living and Learning Paradigm has three dimensions Living and Learning throughout the world: |
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