Emancipatory fun in
education for sustainability
The 6th International Multidisciplinary Scientific Conference on the
Dialogue between Sciences & Arts, Religion & Education,
THE LIMITS OF SCIENCE AND HUMAN KNOWLEDGE
Alexandra Okada
Ale.okada@open.ac.uk

“All religions,
arts and sciences
are branches of
the same tree…

…All these aspirations are directed
toward ennobling (hu)man's life,
lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence
and leading the individual toward freedom." Einstein

A tree to guide humans towards
freedom won’t be enough.

The 21st century needs “fruitful forestry”
to lift the world toward a delightful
freedom that is responsibly sustainable.

Forestry
is to highlight
knowledge for sustainable freedom
“the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and
repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources
for human and environmental benefits”

Many trees of life have been drawn
since Darwin published On the Origin
of Species in 1859.
One of the first was by renowned
German naturalist and embryologist
Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919).
He published this tree in his book The
Evolution of Man (1879).
Tree of Life by Ernst Haeckel

The Evogeneao Tree of Life diagram
inspired by Dr. Richard Dawkins’ wonderful book The Ancestor's Tale
The smallest branches are help to suggest the effect of mass extinctions on diversity, and changes in diversity through time.
https://www.evogeneao.com/en/learn/tree-of-life

Humans are destroying nature
at an unprecedented rate

“Climate change undermines the enjoyment of the full
range of human rights – from the right to life, to food,
to shelter and to health. It is an injustice that the people
who have contributed least to the causes of the
problem suffer the worst impacts of climate change.”
Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland
and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Watching the world burn
© 2021 Environmental Investigation Agency UK
In 2020 there were 58,950 wildfires compared with
50,477 in 2019, according to the National Interagency
Fire Center. About 10.1 million acres were burned
in 2020, compared with 4.7 million acres in 2019.

INDIA: a student
isolated on a tree
during 11 days
Brazil: a Student find
better wifi to study
on a tree
Pandemic and its devastating impact in Education
High Learning disruption, global digital devide, increased dropout rates and extreme inequality gap.

Percentage of girls and women with no primary education
From: Mapping disparities in education across low- and middle-income countries
aged 15–49 years in 2017

Responsible Research
and Innovation (RRI) is
a key approach to
ensure the alignment
between
Societal needs and
Scientific Advances

Responsible Research
and Innovation (RRI)
promotes
Science for and with
society
engaging
schools, universities,
enterprises, civil society,
and policy makers

People of many different
faiths live side by side.
Yet, literature is limited
about pedagogical practices
that articulate sciences, arts
culture & religion for
sustainability
Contemporary societies are
multicultural

At Primary Education, pupils should be exposed to the
vast diversity of religious and ethnic identities, to develop
mutual respect engaged in a multicultural world and
valuing nature conservation with enthusiasm.
Multicultural awareness
Voice own views respectfully
Enthusiasm

At Secondary Education, students should experience a variety of
single-multi-inter-trans- disciplinary activities with engagement
Engaging activities for students to reflect on the nuances of disciplinary knowledge
will be useful to explore the overlaps, conflicts and limits with critical and creative thinking
Open Schooling will provide opportunities for youth to extend their knowledge
develop skills in context with real-life problems in cooperation with experts and
community who may have different cultures and worldviews. Engagement
Evidence-based decisions
Critical Creative Thinking

At Higher Education, undergraduates and postgraduates should expand
metacognitive knowledge, skills, and awareness of distorted
perspectives/social norm and reinforced through the economic,
political, social, health, religious, educational, occupational, and family
context.
Reassessing once held presuppositions, ways
of understanding, or foundational beliefs for
the transformed perspectives and act based on
new evaluations is the core of emancipatory
education
to read/identify the world issues and
intervene/innovate responsibly and responsive
with authentic enjoyment to shape a desirable
and sustainably future for everyoned including
the next generations. towards a sustainable enjoyable freedom
RRI
Sustainability
Enjoyment

Butterfly of fun was conceptualised
with educators and learners to
promote engagement, enthusiasm
and enjoyment in education
Okada, 2020

CO2
Teachers’ educators
Teacher
Students
Communities / Families
Science Professionals
Open schooling is designed to enable students to identify real word issues
and discuss solutions through fun participatory science with and for society

Emancipatory fun in education for sustainability
http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/rumpus/index.php/emancipatory-fun-in-education-for-sustainability/
The more methodically rigorous I
become in my search and teaching,
the happier I feel and hopeful too.
Joy does not only come to discovery
but is part of the search process.
And teaching and learning cannot
take place outside of search,
outside of beauty and joy.

https://www.connect-science.net/

http://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/rumpus/index.php/projects/olaf/