Living, inquiring and knowing: outdoor practices for sustainability (link outdoor)

DESCRIPTION

"Education for sustainability needs to consider the connection to 'others' (human and nonhuman entities) in the natural-cultural world. Enabling students to embrace different ways of knowing, feeling, perceiving, and connecting with 'others', in the realm of the multispecies communities we live in, is a key to a sustainable future. The increase of human-induced pressures and changes upon the natural world (our common home) makes this an immediate priority. A sustainable future for all, demands deep changes in our behaviours, that can be promoted and supported thanks to a transformative learning. It relies on acquiring competences that recognise the complexity required by such a future, the commitment required to preserve some important sociocultural values, and the need for a proactive approach, as expressed in the GreenComp Framework.

This BIP proposes the use of immersive and transformative experiences in the landscape and in the hardscape, as hubs for research and learning. Applying different research-based learning methods (both online and in person), students will be empowered to working collaboratively across disciplines. Through theoretical backgrounds, immersive experiences, analysis and discussions of Real World case studies, taken from a local context during a joint activity, participants will develop their perception of the need, and capacity, to embrace sustainability in their daily lives as global citizens, regardless of their diverse roles in society. This transnational and interdisciplinary BIP will promote creative and collaborative approaches that will inspire students to innovate their own studies and research topics, and to create stimulating healthy lifestyles and deep relationships with natural and socio-cultural ecosystems. In this way it not only empowers students at a personal level but also brings together a set of experts to develop exciting and innovative approaches to teaching and learning in the outdoors, in direct connection with the social, cultural and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.

The foundational concepts for this BIP include the centrality of a learner's subjective experience, the positive educational impact of immersive experiences in the environment and the potential to co-create learning experiences that can be transformational. Three moments define this BIP: i) in-presence immersive experiences involving diverse methods of inquiry; ii) online classes with theoretical concepts and background practices related to education for sustainability competences and outdoor experiential research-based learning; iii) individual or group autonomous transdisciplinary outdoor project (with online tutorial support), contributing to the expected transformative process.