[xmca] Activity Theory and Environmental Education: A Question-Scheme

From: Silvio Marquardt (marquardtsilvio@yahoo.com)
Date: Wed Mar 28 2007 - 12:41:42 PST


Activity Theory:
Individual > Tools/Society/Organization/Content > Action
Action comes from the "Objective" reflection nurtured by "Tools etc.."

Freirean Method:
Individual > Reflection upon >Tools/Society/Organization/Content > Action
Action comes from a previously defined set of values which, therefore, influences, a priori, the interpretation of "Tools etc.."

In Environmental Education we might not have the "Tools, etc" giving a feedback, right on the spot, therefore, we cannot build a pedagogical strategy.
For ex:.
Global Warming, Ozone layer etc... Depending where we are living on this planet, the immediate effect of those realities cannot be grasped immediatilly or even in the long run...The "tools, etc" are simply not there !
We all know that those problems are real but they are not directly mediated in our field of perception...

Silvio

 

Silvio Marquardt <marquardtsilvio@yahoo.com> wrote: Dear friends,

I`ve been puzzled with an issue for quite a long time and, possibly, some of you could help out:
As far as I understand, one of the element embedded in the Activy Theory is that we learn through tools/objects/social situations etc...Therefore, mediated by those element which will give us a "cognitive feedback" enabling our action and personal/social transformation.

When I think about "Education for Sustainability" (UN Decade, for instance) I face the problem related to my ongoing question of Freirean / Activity Theory "conflict"...
Paulo Freire would go for "conscientization" in order to change perceptions and achieve a certain level of environmental awareness...But an "Activity Theory" approach would focus on direct/objetive activity outcomes to generate whatever is necessary for change.
The problem is that environmental problems are likely to produce a "feedack" ("Nature" as a "Tool" ?) not immediatelly, therefore, it cannot be used as an educational resource for "Environmental Education".
Am I missing something ? Did any of you got into it before and I`ve just "missed the train" ?

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