Abstract
This chapter presents selected innovative pedagogic strategies in environmental learning in teacher education programmes in Lesotho. Two main pedagogic strategies are discussed: conceptualisation of a holistic environment and outdoor learning. They constitute an important critique of the teaching and learning landscape in Lesotho that is predominantly classroom based, teacher centred and disconnected with the local context. The chapter illustrates how the concept of ‘holistic environment’ is conceptualised by engaging student teachers with their local school environment and perspectives. Students conceptualise ‘holism’ through an ecosystem experiment. The actual and potential benefits of outdoor learning in teacher education are also explored, based on selected local case studies.
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Notes
- 1.
Lipono is a Sesotho language word for ‘revealed knowledge’, which could occur through dreams, intrusive insights and other means.
- 2.
In 1997–2010, the National University of Lesotho led a Development Partnership in Higher Education (DelPHE) study in partnership with the Lesotho College of Education and Durham University in the UK: a British Government sponsored project aimed to investigate effective and relevant teacher education in Lesotho, in relation to numeracy, English literacy and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).
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Mokuku, T., Jobo, M. (2017). Reflecting on Innovative ESD Pedagogies in the Context of Teacher Education in Lesotho. In: Lotz-Sisitka, H., Shumba, O., Lupele, J., Wilmot, D. (eds) Schooling for Sustainable Development in Africa. Schooling for Sustainable Development. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45989-9_17
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