Educating for Radical Social Transformation in the Climate Crisis (Palgrave Studies in Education and the Environment)

This book asks how education can be developed to facilitate the radical social, cultural and economic transformations needed to deal with the ongoing climate emergency. The author illuminates important links between the work currently being done in climate change and education and the broader and older theories of radical education: an area of education theory and practice that has long grappled with the question of how to use education to create a more just society. Highlighting both current work and long traditions that include popular, progressive, feminist, anti-racist and anti-colonial education, the author draws on interdisciplinary research to make the case for how radical education can help tackle the climate change crisis. It will have direct relevance for scholars of environmental education and radical education as well as activists and practitioners. Acknowledgement 6 Contents 9 List of Figures 10 1: Introduction 11 Climate Crisis, Education and Radical Social Change 15 Can Education Really Help to Change Society? 20 References 26 2: Curriculum Struggles: Knowledge, Truth ... Action? 29 School Curriculum as Climate Battleground 31 Getting Stuck in the Core Grammar of Schooling 37 Adding to the Curriculum or Changing Paradigms? 44 From Knowledge to Action? The Limitations of Curricular Movements for Change 50 References 54 3: Nudging and Informal Learning 64 Green Nudges and the Climate Crisis 67 Problems with Nudges 74 Critical Sociology of Education and the Hidden Curriculum 79 Progressive Education and the Third Teacher 83 References 89 4: Pedagogies of Hope and Fear 95 What’s the Matter with Hope? 97 Fear and Anxiety in Climate Change Education 105 Paulo Freire, bell hooks and a Pedagogy of Hope 111 Emotions and Educating for Radical Social Change 115 References 118 5: Thinking Through Places 126 The Centrality of Place in Environmental Education 129 Connecting with Nature? 134 Land Education and the Damages of Colonialism 139 Uneven Geographies and Environmental Justice 144 Local Places in a Global Economy 147 References 150 6: Children & Youth Can Change the World! 159 Children and Youth Are Agents of Change! 164 On Collective Actions and School Climate Strikes 171 Behind Every Great (Young) Climate Activist... 177 What About the Adults? 185 References 190 7: The Role of Self Interest 201 Climate Change Education: Post-Political Discourse and Win-Win Framing 203 Alinsky, Community Organizing and the Importance of Self Interest 207 Democratic Education and Consciousness Raising 214 Critical Pedagogy and the Contestation of Dominant Group Interests 219 Instrumental and Emancipatory Models of Climate Change Education 224 References 226 8: Learning Power & Taking Collective Action 233 Learning Power in the Climate Movement 236 Social Movement Learning and Education for Social Change 241 The Cycle of Community Organizing and the Popular Education Spiral 248 Learning Power in Schools: Lessons from Movements for Educational Justice? 256 References 259 9: Conclusion 265 References 271 Index 273 "This book asks how education can be developed to facilitate the radical social, cultural and economic transformations needed to deal with the ongoing climate emergency. The author illuminates important links between the work currently being done in climate change and education and the broader and older theories of radical education: and area of education theory and practice that has long grappled with the question of how to use education to create a more just society. Highlighting both current work and long traditions that include popular, progressive, feminist, anti-racist and anti-colonial education, the author draws on interdisciplinary research to make the case for how radical education can help tackle the climate crisis. It will have a direct relevance for scholars of environmental education and radical education as well as activists and practitioners."--Back cover