Orr Problem Of Education Summary

In addition to this, Orr views that another problem of education is teaching individuals the belief that the world is disconnected (2007, p.19). This disconnect from the world, also demonstrates the problem that “education will damage the sense of wonder- the sheer joy in the created world-“ (Orr, 2007 p. 20). There are many authors that agree with this idea that Orr proposes. For instance, Anthony Weston also believes that education creates a disconnection from the world, which needs to be reconnected again. He mentions that a student of his stated, “ Our current system does not emphasize our connection to the natural world. We are suppose to read about natural wonders but at the same time are discouraged from experiencing them” (Weston, 2004, …show more content…
Orr believes that the first step in reducing the problems of education begins with realizing that all education is environmental education and that education needs to move “ beyond the classroom and laboratory to the outdoors, from theory to application and from indifference to healing” (2004, p.55). In regards to this idea author David Grunewald refers to this as a critical pedagogy of place, where he merges the two ideas of placed based education and critical pedagogy (Grunewald, 2003). Although Orr does not use both of these terms in the novel, these ideas support what Orr is trying to put forth. For instance, Grunewald believes that critical pedagogies are needed in society “ so that the education of citizens might have some direct bearing on the well-being of the social and ecological places people actually inhabit” (2003, p.4). Orr also believes that this is necessary in order to overcome the problems of sustainability in society. When individuals are able to have a sense of connection with nature, they gain an understanding of how to respond to the problems the earth faces (Orr, 2004 p. 105). If traditional education practices only focus on learning taking place in the classroom and do not go beyond this, they will not be able to gain a sense of place in the world. This idea refers to Grunewald as well as Nicole Adroin’s view of the importance of place. Similar to Grunewald, Adroin believes that a sense of place “ does not describe only a physical reality- rather it represents belief in the spirit of locale, the living force that makes “ undifferentiated space (become) place as we get to know it better and endow it with value” (2006, p.113). As a result of this, place plays an important role in the lives of individuals and how they relate to society as well as view