Environmental Popular and Folk Education

A key to the effectiveness of folk education is its respect for the variety of individual experience and the sense of purpose adults have when they seek education. Rather than attempting to convey "facts," and have specific outcomes laid out, folk education using the study circle respects the individual goals of each learner. This style of adult education works best when each individual is given the opportunity to take from the class what best fits her or his needs. People in deep ecology or voluntary simplicity study groups, for example, come to the ideas from different backgrounds and with different experiences. Each one can apply the ideas presented in the readings in ways that fit with their own lives and beliefs.

Even more powerful is the personal exchange of ideas that takes place in folk or popular education. Because the classes involve application of ideas to individual lives, each person will have a different outlook and many will have different experiences to share. In this way, each person in the classbecomes a storyteller, with the chance to tell the others in the group about their point of view and their personal beliefs.

Storytelling has been a human art form for thousands of years. It is a highly effective way of transmitting information. When adults get together to talk about personal values and ideas that affect them deeply, much of the learning takes place as they talk and listen to each other's stories. Not only is having one's story heard empowering in itself, but this kind of personal sharing also allows each person to be the teacher and each class member to learn from the others. Much practical and useful information can be shared this way.

Folk and popular education usually have social, political or environmental transformation as their goal. Activism on these fronts increases when people participate in study circles to learn from each other and inspire each other. This movement has great potential for engendering the deep and lasting changes that must occur soon to stop the environmental destruction and the human suffering that are going on now. When the folks get together, learn and inspire each other to action, grassroots change will happen.

Back to Great River Earth Institute

[Deep Ecology]  [Voluntary Simplicity]   [Bioregionalism]  [Definitions]  [The Problems]  [Book list]  [Links]