Abstract
While sustainability is an essential aim for education in the context of climate change, the transformative potential of education can be restricted due to the pervasiveness of neoliberalism. In the Australian Curriculum, Sustainability is recognised as a Cross-Curriculum Priority which highlights the importance of education for aims of sustainability and environmental and social justice. However, this 'priority' sits against a backdrop of neoliberal education policies that prioritise human capital development and commercialisation. These policies impact how Sustainability is framed in the curriculum and the degree to which it can be meaningfully engaged with in practice. In this presentation, I draw on Lauren Berlant's (2011) concept 'cruel optimism' to examine the complexity of pursuing Sustainability from within a neoliberal capitalist system. With reference to a policy analysis of the Sustainability Cross-Curriculum Priority and autoethnography of my experiences living in fossil fuel communities, I discuss some of the challenges of pursuing transformative environmental and sustainability education in through the Australian Curriculum. I emphasise the importance of creating space for educators to engage in contemplation to navigating the impasses they may encounter when engaging with Sustainability in education and to support the imagining of other ways of living, being and educating.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages | 148-149 |
| Number of pages | 2 |
| Publication status | Published - 2023 |
| Event | Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia Conference 2023: PESA 2023 - University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand Duration: 06 Dec 2023 → 09 Dec 2023 https://pesa.org.au/conference-2023 https://pesa.org.au/images/conference2023/abstracts.pdf (Abstract book) |
Conference
| Conference | Philosophy of Education Society of Australasia Conference 2023 |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | Being Together in/with Place: Reimagining Educational Philosophies and Pedagogies in Transformational Times |
| Country/Territory | New Zealand |
| City | Auckland |
| Period | 06/12/23 → 09/12/23 |
| Other | The PESA 2023 conference theme reflects our current times of radical uncertainty at the tail end of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic and resulting economic downturn have brought suffering, loss and material hardship to millions of teachers, families and children around the world. At the same time, people continue to experience differently the ongoing climate emergencies, large-scale ecological and environmental disasters, mass migrations and displacement in the world. However, such times also create opportunities for new connections to be forged. The 51st PESA Annual Conference will create such an opportunity for people to come together, to reaffirm our sense of community, agency, creativity and commitment to educational philosophy and theory. It will allow us to explore ways of co-creating more livable, equitable, caring and welcoming educational and philosophical places and spaces. In light of the multiple existential, social and environmental issues that we face, the PESA 2023 conference will centre on the notion of being together in/with place. |
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