The Learning Organization Diamond Tool was designed for holistic analysis of 10 learning organization elements at the individual and organizational levels. A test in 25 Finnish organizations established validity. Comparison with existing tools showed that differences derive from their different purposes. (Contains 33 references.) (SK)

Describes the contributions to deep ecology of Henry Thoreau, who advocated acting upon strongly held convictions; John Muir, who adopted a biocentric view of nature; and Aldo Leopold, who formulated an egalitarian ecosystem ethic. While deep ecology is moving toward a new vision of humankind's relation to nature, it has yet to coalesce into a…

A balanced life is achieved by developing personal capabilities through engagement in life roles. The balancing process in individuals supports health and well-being and extends through families, communities, and society. The process is a cycle of examining values, determining appropriate use of capabilities, implementing decisions, and monitoring…

Principles for participatory community development are as follows: humility and respect; power of local knowledge; democratic practice; diverse ways of knowing; sustainability; reality before theory; uncertainty; relativity of time and efficiency; holistic approach; and decisions rooted in the community. (SK)

Learning, which is understood as a change in behavior, is a process of becoming. This monograph introduces the neologism egosystem as an amalgam of the individual, the self and its attendant ego, and socio-environmental schemata swirling around the individual. In an uncertain and probabilistic universe, the role of chaos theory in recognizing…

Education is longing for a deeper more connected, more inclusive, and more aware way of knowing. One that connects heart and hand and head and does not split knowledge into dualities of thought and being, mind and body, emotion and intellect, but resonates with a wholeness and fullness that engages every part of one's being. Engagement with the…

A conception of action research is offered that is collaborative, participatory, targets ethical issues and includes students. Collaboration is "organic" in that all members share the goal of the research and are interdependent in pursuing that goal. Participation is authentic, requiring a continuing negotiation of planning, roles, power…

There are two central questions determining the pedagogy of teacher education: (1) What are the essential qualities of a good teacher, and (2) How can we help people to become good teachers? Our objective is not to present a definitive answer to these questions, but to discuss an umbrella model of levels of change that could serve as a framework…

Preventive measures that can help in the juvenile system to address HIV risk and psychiatric disorders among detained youths are discussed. Early holistic interventions concluded by incorporating relevant family, peer, school and community factors could decrease later HIV risk behavior is presented.

The following fictional account of a seminar on complexity science and its relevance for education makes use of several real events. The first is an actual seminar that took place during the spring of 2005, in the Department of Secondary Education at the University of Alberta. The second is the collective creation of the Complexity and Education…

University innovations relevant to sustainability education do not always come labelled as such. Inspiration can potentially be drawn from a wide range of fields and initiatives. During a 2005 study tour of Canada, seven universities were visited to investigate such programs, focussing on those that comprise more than one subject and that are…

The Delors report remains a timely and challenging agenda for shaping education from the earliest years. This article reviews the status of basic education, defined as a passport to life in the report. Despite progress toward universal primary education and gender parity, countries are still far from education targets adopted in 2000. Lack of care…

The Native American Community Academy (NACA) is demonstrating an example of Indigenous philosophies and practices in education through its holistic, student-centered approach to education. NACA was one school in a large statewide study on Indian education in New Mexico. Focus groups with students, teachers, and community members illustrate the…

Sense of place is lauded as critical to developing an environmentally conscious and responsive citizenry. Calls for place-based education have often arisen from an emotional plea to reconnect to the land, become rooted, and conserve natural places. However, in reality, sense of place encompasses a multidimensional array that is not only…

This paper considers the challenges faced by those seeking to design effective blended learning. Using a 2-year case study involving cohorts of approximately 200 students, it demonstrates how Anthony Giddens structuration theory can provide a metaframework for assisting educational designers in creating coherent blended learning experiences that…