Arjen Wals gives keynote at 43rd annual ATEE Conference

His talk titled “Teaching to Sustain and to Disrupt: Education in Times of  Systemic Global Dysfunction” addressed the following questions: Teaching to sustain and to disrupt: education in times of systemic global dysfunction? How do we teach young people to live well, equitably and within planetary boundaries? And, how do we prevent that we all slide into a stage of permanent fear and despair since the challenges seem so overwhelming? He pointed out that this is no easy task; considering that the current structures, values and assumptions upon which we are building our lifestyles, make living in such a way nearly impossible; considering that we as educators don’t really know either and don’t live in that way either; and, finally, when there is confusion, sometimes intentionally created, about how dysfunctional and urgent things are and what should be done. In the talk he outlined five key components of education for sustainable development and highlighted the importance of transitioning towards a whole school approach that allows for more localized and self-determined ‘off-the-grid’ forms of education.

More information about the conference can be found here.