Pedagogy for Restoration: Addressing Social and Ecological Degradation Through Education

257 Pages·2016·1.17 MB·English

by  Krzesni

503
Pedagogy for Restoration seeks to understand the conditions leading to the destruc-
tion of Earth in order to discover pedagogy for restoration. As we degrade the planet
we degrade ourselves and as we degrade ourselves we degrade the planet. Moral
development and socialization significantly influence our participation in, construc-
tion of, or resistance to the systems of oppression that degrade us. The process of
P
restorative education recognizes that humans are fundamentally good and moral
e
and seeks to promote healthy moral development. We must help students meet d
a
their basic needs, center their own identities and experience, and simultaneously
g
emphasize community and relationships to help them find a sense of purpose.
o
These efforts facilitate social and ecological restoration by allowing students to g
y
reach a physical and emotional place that is conducive to learning and self-efficacy

f
so that they may engage with whatever issues they find important in their own way
or
and on their own terms.

R
“Central to David Krzesni’s Pedagogy for Restoration is the central question to a e
s
nation’s school system: education for what? He rightly critiques the ways in which t
o
dominant pedagogical approaches have normed historical amnesia and moral ob-
r
tuseness to our detriment. Simultaneously, Krzesni assures us that it does not have a
t
to be this way any longer. Pedagogy for Restoration emboldens readers to remember i
o
the teachings of our ancestors, insisting that the purpose of education is not to
n
escape suffering, but to end it.”

—Jeff Duncan-Andrade, Associate Professor, Raza Studies & Education,

San Francisco State University

K
R
David Krzesni is passionate about helping young people lead active, healthy, and
Z
purposeful lives and has worked in community health, public schools, and after- E
S
school programs. David teaches high school mathematics and facilitates project- N
I
based learning and outdoor enrichment activities. David earned his master’s degree
in environmental education from Western Washington University and his bachelor’s
degree in mathematics from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.
P
E
T
E
R
L
A
N
G
503
www.peterlang.com
503
Pedagogy for Restoration seeks to understand the conditions leading to the destruc-
tion of Earth in order to discover pedagogy for restoration. As we degrade the planet
we degrade ourselves and as we degrade ourselves we degrade the planet. Moral
development and socialization significantly influence our participation in, construc-
tion of, or resistance to the systems of oppression that degrade us. The process of
P
restorative education recognizes that humans are fundamentally good and moral
e
and seeks to promote healthy moral development. We must help students meet d
a
their basic needs, center their own identities and experience, and simultaneously
g
emphasize community and relationships to help them find a sense of purpose.
o
These efforts facilitate social and ecological restoration by allowing students to g
y
reach a physical and emotional place that is conducive to learning and self-efficacy

f
so that they may engage with whatever issues they find important in their own way
or
and on their own terms.

R
“Central to David Krzesni’s Pedagogy for Restoration is the central question to a e
s
nation’s school system: education for what? He rightly critiques the ways in which t
o
dominant pedagogical approaches have normed historical amnesia and moral ob-
r
tuseness to our detriment. Simultaneously, Krzesni assures us that it does not have a
t
to be this way any longer. Pedagogy for Restoration emboldens readers to remember i
o
the teachings of our ancestors, insisting that the purpose of education is not to
n
escape suffering, but to end it.”
—Jeff Duncan-Andrade, Associate Professor, Raza Studies & Education,
San Francisco State University

K
R
David Krzesni is passionate about helping young people lead active, healthy, and
Z
purposeful lives and has worked in community health, public schools, and after- E
S
school programs. David teaches high school mathematics and facilitates project- N
I
based learning and outdoor enrichment activities. David earned his master’s degree
in environmental education from Western Washington University and his bachelor’s
degree in mathematics from the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.
P
E
T
E
R
L
A
N
G
503
www.peterlang.com
Pedagogy for Restoration
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR
“David Krzesni’s Pedagogy for Restoration is a deeply personal work that raises important questions
about the relationship between social and ecological degradation. The book is incredibly timely
as such questions and examinations are proving to be among the most trenchant of our time.
Krzesni’s focus on the politics of hope, empathy, and moral education not only provides a unique
frame through which to consider the structures of oppression and liberation but also offers
students of education and social change what they have long asked for—a pedagogy of restoration.”
—Sandy Grande, Associate Professor, Co-Chair, Education Department, Director, Center for the
Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity, Connecticut College
“At a time where much looks bleak for people and their relationships with themselves, others,
and with the earth, we need narratives of renewal, purpose, and possibility. We need guides to
remind ourselves of our own potential to heal broken relationships. In Pedagogy for Restoration,
David Krzesni is such a guide. This book will challenge your identity as an educator and provide
you with pathways for your own revitalization in connection with others.”
—David A. Greenwood, Canada Research Chair in Environmental Education, Director,
Centre for Place and Sustainability Studies, Faculty of Education, Lakehead University
“David Krzesni’s Pedagogy for Restoration is a well-researched piece of literature.… He suggests that
education can be a powerful tool for effecting structural change, remaining deeply sensitive to
mechanisms of oppression and discrimination, the power of language, and the need for a hope-
based, informed approach to social change.… Krzesni cites research on human qualities such as
empathy and altruism to highlight people’s innate propensity for caring and responsibility. He
believes in the human capacity for change, and believes that, through structured guidance and
governance, positive qualities can be emphasized and people can be encouraged to act on these
characteristics. While acknowledging the limitation to human love, empathy, and prosocial
behavior, Krzesni argues that, with the right social conditions and with practices of nurturing and
empowerment (especially in formative years), people’s capacity to carry out a ‘pedagogy for
restoration’ is possible.”
—Samuel P. Oliner, Co-author (with Pearl Oliner) of The Altruistic Personality and
Toward a Caring Society; Author of Altruism, Intergroup Apology, Forgiveness, and
Reconciliation and The Nature of Good and Evil
“In this book by David Krzesni, a powerful new moral voice addresses the intersection of
environmental education, social justice, and human rights. Boldly affirming both critical social
theory and human moral potentials to overcome every exclusion, this bracing and exacting fugue
freshly points out melodies of deepest humanity, hearing voices that unite ecology and people in
powerful harmonies. It should be required/inspired reading (listening, singing) for the next
generation of critical socio-environmental change agents.”
—Gene Myers, Professor, Environmental Studies,
Huxley College, Western Washington University

Studies in the
Postmodern Theory of Education
Shirley R. Steinberg
General Editor
Vol. 503
The Counterpoints series is part of the Peter Lang Education list.
Every volume is peer reviewed and meets
the highest quality standards for content and production.
PETER LANG
New York  Bern  Frankfurt  Berlin
Brussels  Vienna  Oxford  Warsaw
DAVID KRZESNI

Addressing Social
and Ecological Degradation
through Education

PETER LANG
New York  Bern  Frankfurt  Berlin
Brussels  Vienna  Oxford  Warsaw
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Krzesni, David, author.
Pedagogy for restoration: addressing social and ecological degradation
through education / David Krzesni.
pages cm. — (Counterpoints: studies in the postmodern theory of education;
vol. 503)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1.Environmental education—Social aspects. 2. Environmental degradation—
Study and teaching. 3. Social justice—Study and teaching. I. Title.
GE70.K79 363.70071—dc23 2015017298
ISBN 978-1-4331-3155-4 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4331-3154-7 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-4539-1651-3 (e-book)
ISSN 1058-1634
Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the “Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie”; detailed bibliographic data are available
on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de/.
Cover image by David Krzesni
© 2015 Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., New York
29 Broadway, 18th floor, New York, NY 10006
www.peterlang.com
All rights reserved.
Reprint or reproduction, even partially, in all forms such as microfilm,
xerography, microfiche, microcard, and offset strictly prohibited.
To my Oma, Rosalie Roozendaal Krzesni (1913–2004).
It is significantly in her memory that I have been motivated both in this
project and in the struggle for a better world.