Understanding Sustainable Education Through Experience

Abstract

Concerned with the increasing environmental changes taking place around the world, the introduction of sustainable development education at an early age has become an urgent need. In efforts to propose a way forward with sustainable development education (SDE), the author inquiries into experiential learning as a course of action in alternate schools across India. The intent is to shed the light on the efforts initiated by alternate schools in remote areas of India. The idea stems from the fact all local communities have personalized environmental issues and challenges which need to be addressed. The application of SDE at a local level is one way to ensure a positive change in the community, followed by a better and bigger change in the world. The practice can be ensured in daily life by children experiencing sustainable development within their schools or community. To exhibit the significance of SDE through experiential learning at the community level, the paper discusses various initiatives by the alternative school to harvest an expanded knowledge displayed by children while experiencing the learning at the local level. Through this paper, the author hopes to increase awareness about the significance of SDE through experiential learning, while arguing the attention that SDE requires in a country like India where each community caters to unique sustainable barriers.