Re-envisioning Philippine Teacher Education: Ecopedagogy for Ecological Civilization

• In Event: Roundtable Session 6
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Climate Change, Sustainability and Education

Proposal

ABSTRACT
The long history and current status of ecological civilization is one of the best barometers to determine the sustainability of the human race and ecosystem, while critical education is one of the most powerful tools for reading and re-reading the sustainability barometer of ecological civilization. This chapter argues that ecopedagogy is essential for transforming Philippine teacher education into a catalyst for ecological civilization. This chapter highlights numerous socioeconomic, sociocultural, and sociopolitical practices that greatly affect the sustainability of ecological civilization through time and space with the crucial role of ecopedagogy in responding to the drastic environmental destruction caused by unsustainable globalization and economic development resulting from human-induced disasters and natural calamities. This seeks to discuss the “4 How’s” of critical environmental pedagogies to determine ecological sustainability, which includes the following: H1) How does unsustainable globalization undermine ecological civilization? H2) How can ecopedagogy in teacher education catalyze systematic changes towards ecological sustainability? H3) How does ecopedagogy counter Global North (north star) dominance by fostering an inclusive, context-responsive (south star) ecological civilization? H4) How does ecopedagogy be utilized to propose a framework to re-envision teacher education for sustainable ecological civilization? This chapter serves as a north star to shed light on global action for a sustainable future and a South star that brings oriental wisdom for decolonial hope in finding a sustainable ecological civilization. To seek a balance between global north domination over the global south by formulating an inclusive and sustainable ecological civilization through critical environmental pedagogy (i.e., ecopedagogy).

Keyword: ecological civilization, environmental sustainability, globalization, environmental pedagogy, sustainable development goals, teacher education, ecopedagogy, Philippines

Authors

• ARLYNE CANALES MARASIGAN, Philippine Normal University

• Nilo Jayoma Castulo, Mindanao State University TCTO