Transforming Pedagogical Landscapes in the Anthropocene: Perspectives on More-than-Human Agency and Nature as a Co-Teacher in Vernacular Ways
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| Title: | Transforming Pedagogical Landscapes in the Anthropocene: Perspectives on More-than-Human Agency and Nature as a Co-Teacher in Vernacular Ways |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Junko Kondo (ORCID |
| Source: | Environmental Education Research. 2025 31(8):1658-1673. |
| Availability: | Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 16 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Foreign Countries, Forestry, Environmental Education, Outdoor Education, Humanism, Transformative Learning, Constructivism (Learning), Professionalism, Teaching Methods, World Views, Cultural Influences, Values |
| Geographic Terms: | Japan |
| DOI: | 10.1080/13504622.2025.2471426 |
| ISSN: | 1350-4622 1469-5871 |
| Abstract: | This study explores the Yamanoko Program, a forest education initiative in Shiga, Prefecture, Japan, to examine how outdoor environmental education approaches can offer a transformative perspective on educational culture, fostering respect for and interconnectedness with more-than-human agency. The study aims to inspire discussions on more-than-human agency and nature as a co-teacher, incorporating post-humanist perspectives, viewed through a lens of local, social, and cultural contexts. Drawing on the concept of Wild Pedagogies and grounded in interactions between educators, students, and more-than-humans, this study highlights how mindful interconnectedness and respect for more-than-human agency can foster profound learning opportunities. Field observations suggest that educators in Yamanoko, who embrace amateurism and respect the agencies of both learners and more-than-humans, effectively facilitate meaningful engagement with more-than-human agency as a co-teacher for students. The critical re-examination of concepts that have long been considered 'benign', such as conventional constructivism and professionalism, can facilitate a transformative shift in educational culture towards a more respectful worldview. This consideration leads to re-discover the culturally ingrained sense of vernacular 'nature as a co-teacher', which is often practiced unconsciously, and highlights its distinction from the prevailing stewardship pedagogy. Through cross-cultural exchange, we can explore and deepen these practices in pluralistic vernacular ways. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1478533 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | This study explores the Yamanoko Program, a forest education initiative in Shiga, Prefecture, Japan, to examine how outdoor environmental education approaches can offer a transformative perspective on educational culture, fostering respect for and interconnectedness with more-than-human agency. The study aims to inspire discussions on more-than-human agency and nature as a co-teacher, incorporating post-humanist perspectives, viewed through a lens of local, social, and cultural contexts. Drawing on the concept of Wild Pedagogies and grounded in interactions between educators, students, and more-than-humans, this study highlights how mindful interconnectedness and respect for more-than-human agency can foster profound learning opportunities. Field observations suggest that educators in Yamanoko, who embrace amateurism and respect the agencies of both learners and more-than-humans, effectively facilitate meaningful engagement with more-than-human agency as a co-teacher for students. The critical re-examination of concepts that have long been considered 'benign', such as conventional constructivism and professionalism, can facilitate a transformative shift in educational culture towards a more respectful worldview. This consideration leads to re-discover the culturally ingrained sense of vernacular 'nature as a co-teacher', which is often practiced unconsciously, and highlights its distinction from the prevailing stewardship pedagogy. Through cross-cultural exchange, we can explore and deepen these practices in pluralistic vernacular ways. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1350-4622 1469-5871 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/13504622.2025.2471426 |
