CONF: Environmental Education, Finland

Green.Info (GREENINFO@afb1.ssc.ed.ac.uk)
Fri, 22 Jan 1999 16:24:23 -0500


Northern Call for the Environment

International Conference on Environmental Education,
Savonlinna, Finland, June 26 - 30, 1996

The Focus and Purpose of the Conference

The main focus of the conference is on the quality of environmental
education, how it might be improved and what can be done to advance
such improvement.

The Conference will address a number of key questions

What kind of learning experiences will teach people a sound
ecological relationship with nature and the environment? What is
needed to create an ecologically enlightened way of living,
personally and culturally?

How could conflicts over the use of natural resources be dealt with
wisely and democratically in the processes of education, and how
should teachers be encouraged and trained to do this?

What transforms knowledge into commitment, courage, resolve and
action? What is the potential and capacity of education to influence
the social, economic and political structures in society to work for
sustainable development?

How is the interaction between nature and human culture revealed in
the historical landscape? How might we learn to read the landscape
as an archive of this interrelationship? What is the potential
contribution of this literacy towards the making of our cultural
identity, outlook on nature and ethical development?

What educational experiences are necessary to cause an outburst of
behavioural adjustment to nature's cycles, rhythms and conditions?
How could these conditions, cycles and rhythms be part of the
everyday experience and practice of education?

Through these and other such questions that might arise in the
course of the Conference, there will be the opportunity to reflect
upon innovative and constructive ideas for learning and teaching in
environmental education. This will be conveyed through a varied
programme of lectures, workshops and case-studies that are intended
to stimulate thinking and demonstrate good practice. The Conference
also seeks to encourage networking among the participants as a means
of enhancing their empowerment as developers of environmental
education. The interest shown in the Conference by teacher trainers
will hopefully witness an emerging change in teacher-training
programmes.

The Themes of the Conference

The Conference programme is built upon three important themes:

A) Developing ecological ways of living;
B) Landscape as a dialogue between culture and nature;
C) Conflicts of interest in the use of natural resources.

Each themes will provide a developmental strand of concepts,
theories and practices to be considered throughout the Conference.

Further information

Liisa Jaaskelainen
Phone +358 0 7747 7267
Telefax +358 0 7747 7869
E-mail liisa.jaaskelainen@oph.fi

Inari Gronholm
Phone +358 0 7747 7203
Telefax +358 0 7747 7335
E-mail inari.gronholm@oph.fi

Kristiina Ikonen
Phone +358 0 7747 7284
Telefax +358 0 7747 7703
E-mail kristiina.ikonen@oph.fi
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