Keynote Presentation:
Restorying the future:
But what stories should we tell?
More than twenty-five years ago we moved to the Yukon and I began teaching in
Carcross. It was a challenging job, but one that provided me with many
lifelong lessons, and stories. I am indebted to many people in this community
for these opportunities including my first environmental ethics teacher—though
she probably wouldn't call it that.
Since then, it has been getting hot here on earth; climates are changing and
environmental conflicts are increasing. Fortunately, there are also new
stories being told about the environment. Recent media sensations, such as the
Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth, tell us that climate change and
other environmental calamities are really moral stories with ethical demands.
The lesson here, like the lessons that I learned so long ago in Carcross, is
that "if you want a new ethic, then tell a new story."
The stories woven through this presentation will talk about barriers that
teachers face in telling new stories. But they will also provide
guideposts for those wishing to reimagine new possibilities, for storytelling
the future, for education that can make a difference.
Bob Jickling
In
the early 1980s I was perplexed by the difficulties in teaching about
environmental issues in public schools. This led me to Simon Fraser
University to puzzle about environmental education for a number of years until
earning a Ph.D. in curriculum theory. These experiences were important steps in
an ongoing journey to explore links between environmental education, ethics,
philosophy of education, and experiences in the land.
As an active practitioner, teaching courses in environmental philosophy,
environmental education, and outdoor education, I still find environmental
issues perplexing. However, I do strive to inform my practice with theory, and
refine educational theories in light of these practices. As an Associate
Professor in the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University, I continue to do
this work after many years of teaching at Yukon College.
Some contributions to environmental education include founding of the
Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, and in May 2009,
co-hosting of the 5th World Environmental Education Congress in Montreal. My
research interests include philosophical inquiry into environmental education,
environmental ethics, and relationships between ethics, education, and teaching.
However, as a long-time outdoor pursuits instructor and wilderness traveler,
much of my inspiration and passion is still derived from journeying in Yukon's
magnificent landscape by foot, ski, and canoe.