Critical pedagogies are rooted in an ethic of liberatory praxis and often seek to guide students through their own awareness and capacity to make change to unequal system of power. In the context of environmental education, this can mean that educators and their students explore the systematic and deeply institutionalized ways that environmental degradation operates across a myriad of contexts. In the year 2020, this topic carries with it particular urgency as we experience the deepening of the global climate crisis, the expansion of environmental activism, and the proliferation of neoliberal governance technologies. The current moment is both disturbing and alarming, but also full of possibility and hope for the future. This hope, however, often rests upon the ability of younger generations to understand the conditions behind environmental destruction and to dare to make radical change.

This session brings together educators whose teaching focuses on environmentally informed pedagogies. We seek contributions from educators whose approaches are rooted in experiential and active learning strategies that confront structural inequalities. The presentations in this session explore what it means to teach and learn about the environment at this critical historical moment. Presenters will draw from a wide range of critical frameworks to reflect upon the praxis of environmental education. We welcome contributions from scholars and educators from a variety of disciplinary foundations and professional contexts.

Possible topics could include (and are certainly not limited to):

• Education within and beyond higher ed, such as K-12, adult education, preschool, or alternative educational venues

• Teaching climate change amid challenging political contexts

• Historical geographical approaches to the environment

• The incorporation of social science research methodologies in environmental education

• Collaborative and community engaged pedagogies

• Pedagogies which emphasize Indigenous and/or non-Western environmental knowledge

• Epistemological approaches to environmental education

• Approaches to environmental education that incorporate literature or the arts

• Analyses of environmental racism and other forms of structural violence

• Processing the emotional impact of teaching and learning distressing topics

Please send abstracts of no more than 250 words to Carrie Mott (carrie.mott@louisville.edu) by Monday November 18, 2019.