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Your house is flooded by 'unseasonal' heavy rain. What do you learn from this experience? Do you shrug your shoulders and call your insurer? Or do you choose to learn about climate change, switch to renewable energy and lobby politicians? In this insightful book, John Blewitt explores the possibilities for developing a sustainable society through 'lifelong learning' ? that is, learning that happens in everyday environments and activities as diverse as shopping, community, 'edutainment', information and communication technology, the internet, broadcasting, people's experience of place and space, green building, social networks and consumer culture. Drawing on a range of sociological, anthropological and educational studies as well as new research, The Ecology of Learning is ideal for educators, teachers, corporate trainers and consultants working to integrate environmental education, sustainability and innovation in non-traditional learning situations. The coverage is extensive, with an accessible but informed engagement with both theory and practice and a wide range of examples. Throughout, the voices, stories and experiences of many people are used to illustrate the ways people may reshape our understanding of learning and sustainability.
- Introduction: The Story of the Flood
- Learning as Sustainability
- Sustainability and the Practice of Everyday Life
- Sustainability, Learning and Environmental Mediascapes
- Learning through Landscapes - Neighbourhood, Space and Community
- Learning Networks and Community Action
- Sustainability Learning through Leisure
- Work, Futures and Lifelong Learning
- Reschooling Society?
- Epilogue
- Appendix on Method
- Bibliography
John Blewitt is Director of Lifelong Learning and Professional Studies, School of Education and Lifelong Learning, University of Exeter and co-editor of The Sustainability Curriculum (2004).
"This book is essential reading for those who want to make the Decade for Education for Sustainable Development a turning point in the way we live and learn. Erudite and scholarly, its pages are deeply personal and practical, grounding sustainable learning in everyday experience in ways that are intended to promote deep reflection that translates into lifestyle change."
– Professor David Selby, Director of Centre for Sustainable Futures, University of Plymouth
"This book relates questions of sustainability to everyday life. It deals with important topics from examples of good practice to the media, in a thought-provoking and convincing manner. This is one of those rare books that make erudition clear and readable."
– Professor Cedric Cullingford, School of Education and Professional Development, University of Huddersfield
"There can scarcely be a more important subject than the subject of this book."
– NIACE journal
