Blog #5

Outline the goals and specific characteristics of a green learning community. How would you know one if you saw one?

             Dialogue and action are major aspects of green learning that I took from these readings. Orr in “Ecological Literacy” stresses that deep understanding is necessary in the education process; in other words, going beyond rope memorization or droning lectures. He sees education as a way to learn to apply information to fields outside of the classroom setting. When reading these assignments, I saw many parallels to our own class structure. Our lesson and discussion isn’t centered on forcing facts and definitions into my brain, but on getting me to branch out and notice events in my own life that illustrate the topic of the day. I’m not so much learning the strict idea of a concept, but building my own perception of it. I’m strengthening my values by being able to support them with valid, concise thoughts or examples.

Caspary made a point in “Students in Charge” that really struck me. While in a democratic classroom, if the intended lesson was not fulfilled, learning was still the main component. Learning is inevitable in this format due to the new method of interaction between students and professors. The skills incorporated into the process of running a democratic classroom is hands on and applicable to everyday life.

I felt as if both of these points were intertwined in Ayers’s “Teaching as an Ethical Enterprise.” He encourages fostering a desire for action in students, as well as seeing students as “three-dimensional creatures” in order to engage them.

            Therefore, if I were to look for a green learning community I would see discussion that promotes the ability to come to a personal conclusion and activity that encourages the use of personal experiences in learning. The most distinguishable aspect of the discussion and experience concerning green learning communities is the focus the individual student and their personal development.