Looking at Sustainability through a Different LENS

Abstract

The most pressing problems across the globe-famines, armed conflicts, demographic transitions-are the result of dynamic biophysical, social, and psychological processes. Solving such problems requires an educational system that encourages students to be adaptive learners who can anticipate disruptions and envision their solutions and attendant opportunities at multiple scales, from the local to the geoAbstract Summer enrichment programs sponsored by higher education institutions offer high school students opportunities to participate in a wide variety of academic learning activities. Designed to inspire scholarly curiosity and civic engagement, Wake Forest University hosted the LENS (Learn, Explore, Navigate, Solve) program during the summers of 2010 and 2011. In a three-week period, students were challenged to achieve a basic understanding of the ecological, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability and use that knowledge to complete a collaborative project and compose individual community action proposals. What follows is a report on the pedagogical strategies that a team of faculty from the departments of Religion/Environmental Studies, English, and the Z. Smith Reynolds Library adopted to integrate the academic and experiential modes of learning and foster a sense of civic engagement in the students. It illustrates how faculty can take the lead in developing innovative summer outreach programs for precollege students. Research and Solutions

Understanding Transience and Participation in University Student-Led Food Gardens

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Pedagogies of Preparedness: Use of Reflective Journals in the Operationalisation and Development of Anticipatory Competence

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