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2008 Winter Institute Click here for 2008 Winter Institute conference flow. We must not be afraid of dreaming the seemingly impossible As educators we are stewards of the next generation. At this point in history, we are also stewards of 21st century schools that must cultivate the best of human qualities in the most imaginative and generative learning communities so that we might indeed have a future worth living. This year, the St. Louis Reggio Collaborative will bring together two of the big ideas that will shape our future in schools: sustainability and creativity. For 16 years we have been inspired by the educators of Reggio Emilia who place creative thought in the center of their practice with one another and with children. This is evident in their spaces and architecture, the contexts that they create and nurture for learning, and the ideas of children and adults in documentation in schools and exhibits world wide. In the last years, we have also been compelled by what is called the Sustainability Revolution. We recognize that much in education for sustainability is complementary to the Reggio Approach. For example, both are grounded in system thinking, empathy, collaboration and community action. David Orr writes that the Sustainability Revolution represents “a rethinking of our relationship to the natural world as members and citizens of an ecological community and as trustees of all that is past with all that is yet to come… a maturation of our species to its fullest stature.” The Reggio educators have based their philosophy and practice on an ecological view of education where creativity drives learning and develops a fertile terrain where the rational, the emotional and the imaginative can be held together so that we become more complete as human beings. We are thrilled to sponsor an institute where the sustainable meets the creative in our thinking and in our schools. Both Education for Sustainability and The Reggio Approach see children as citizens of the world who develop and contribute to culture. Together, our teachers and our children will lead the way to a creative, sustainable, abundant future. Keynote Speaker: Jaimie P. Cloud is the founder and president of The Cloud Institute for Sustainability Education (formerly the Sustainability Education Center), which is dedicated to the vital role of education in creating awareness, fostering commitment, and guiding actions toward a healthy, secure, and sustainable future for ourselves and for future generations. Ms. Cloud teaches extensively and writes and facilitates the collaborative development of numerous instructional units and programs that are designed to teach core courses across the disciplines through the lens of sustainability and to inspire young people to think about the world, their relationship to it, and their ability to influence it in an entirely new way. Examples include: Ecological Economics for Life; Introduction to Sustainability; Changing Consumption Patterns; Systems Thinking; Core Content and Habits of Mind of Education for Sustainability; and From Global Hunger to Sustainable Food Systems. Ms. Cloud has also helped design and launch two secondary school courses: a one year business and entrepreneurship education course entitled, Business and Entrepreneurship Education for the 21st Century (BEE 21), and a one semester Participation in Government course entitled, Inventing the Future: Leadership and Participation for the 21st Century (Inventing the Future). Location |
