Places are invested with meaning and shape our consciousness, social identities, attitudes and behavior (Hutchison, 2004). Place provides a context, an internal and external landscape, that frames, organizes and anchors experience which is needed to extract meaning and construct knowledge. Love of place inspires caring for place and connection to nature is associated with proactive environmental behaviors (Chawla, 2006; Meyer & Frantz, 2004). Education for sustainability, indigenous education and the planetary perspective of transformative education are related by a fundamental view of an intimate knowing of and belonging to place. Unfortunately, the majority of individuals in our society are urban dwellers who are alienated from the natural world, and therefore, have little direct connection to nature (Children and Nature Network, 2008; Louve, 2005; Orr, 1992; Pergams & Zaradic, 2008). Each core strand focuses on the broader understanding of physical activity and sports participation. The ‘Thinking Me’ assesses students’ ability to make decisions in competitive situations, apply tactics, and demonstrate tactical awareness. The ‘Healthy Me’ links the pupils’ ability to understand and interpret the benefits of a healthy active lifestyle, and so on. Blenkinsop, S. (2005). Martin Buber: Educating for relationship. Ethics, Place & Environment 8(3), 285-307.

Kahn, P. H. (1999). The human relationship with nature: Development and culture. Cambridge,MA: The MIT Press. SQDC Huddle Boards Manager – Keep teams engaged and informed with visual management of Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Customer metrics.So, which model do you go with? This choice really sits with the subject lead and ethos of the department, but here are a few ways teams have been choosing. Ecology is a multi-disciplinary study that includes all branches of science: biology, geology, chemistry, meteorology, hydrology, forestry, agriculture, soil science, etc. The interaction of people with ecology adds subjects such as psychology, anthropology, philosophy, economics, politics, etc. Blending it all together is a daunting task especially in the environment of specialization that permeates academia. A holistic framework from the personal perspective of head, heart and hands is a starting point to model changes in the approach to ecological sustainability and educational reform that offers meaning and purpose to the learner. Sustainability requires localizing by learning about the places in which we live. Because we are so far removed from life-sustaining systems, we give them little thought. If people were, not just aware, but experienced in their local bioregion, they could directly learn how ecosystems support life (Pyle, 2008). Caring attitudes expand values and the willingness to make lifestyle changes that contribute to sustainable communities. Love of place underlies the motivation to change behaviors. Local environments can serve as a resource or laboratory to investigate water issues, food production, energy, nutrient cycles, and waste flows, which will lead to eco-literate citizens who reflect upon their impact on their environment and value the reduction of their ecological footprint (Orr, 1992; Theobald, 2000). Strong, R., Silver, H.F., & Robinson, A. (1995). What do students want? Educational Leadership, 53(1), 8-12. X Matrix – Align strategy, objectives, and execution with the X Matrix, fostering cross-functional collaboration and results.

Our joy was short-lived, as we soon realised this had caused mass hysteria for non-PE specialist senior leaders, convulsing at the thought of there not being a number to evidence learning or progress. Queue the introduction of level descriptors (that are certainly not levels), and the vice principal needing to put this in a spreadsheet. So then, what we had was not actually a ‘Life without Levels’, it was effectively a life without levels WITH levels. Yep, my brain was fried having these conversations too! Keywords: Sustainability values, transformational learning, nature-connectedness, ecoliteracy, head, heart and hand model, place-based learning Leopold, A. (1949). A sand county almanac and sketches here and there. New York: Oxford University Press.It is believed that transformative learning requires independent, active learners while children are considered to be dependent, passive learners. Unfortunately, passive learning is fostered by the current educational system that does not utilize natural learning processes. The natural curiosity and active role of children as learners has been emphasized in various learning theories by Piaget, Vygotsky, Bruner and Dewey (National Research Council, 2000). In Taking Science to School (NRC, 2007) young learners are described as active exploratory learners and research is provided that supports that children’s thinking is surprisingly refined. Students who take responsibility and an active role in their learning are called self-regulatory learners and often possess an internal locus of control. Research in self-regulatory processes and internal locus of control has shown that these processes are teachable and can lead to increases in student motivation and achievement (Zimmerman, 2002; 2008). When people affect changes in their immediate environment, they affect changes within themselves; this can lead to greater self-efficacy and more responsible behavior in other areas as well (Rathzel & Uzzell, 2009). Rathezel, N., & Uzzell, D. (2009). Transformative environmental education: A collective rehearsal for reality. Environmental Education Research,15(3), 263-277. Quality Management System (QMS) – Implement and maintain a comprehensive system for managing quality throughout your organization. In addition to serving as an authentic context for transformative experiences that offers personally meaningful learning, there are many benefits to spending time in nature (Louv, 2005; Sobel, 1996). There is a large amount of evidence from studies in the area of biophilia supporting the notion that humans have a natural affinity to engage with nature and living organisms (Kahn, 1999; Kellert, 1997; 2002; Shepard, 1998). Literally, the term biophilia means love of life or living process. Nature experiences have been associated with cognitive, emotional, social and psycho-motor development as well as mental and physical health (Burdette & Whitaker, 2005; Frumkin, 2001; Kellert, 2002; Louv, 2005). Natural environments are an authentic context that many people find engaging and aesthetically inspiring (Braund & Reiss, 2006; Kellert, 1997; 2002). Learning in authentic or natural settings is a multi-sensory immersion, an immediate experience, that is compelling and often a novel experience. Natural environments not only draw students into deep and sustained engagement, nature also offers an enriching complex experience that benefits the well-being of people and even the well-being of the environment.

Cajete, G. (1994). Look to the mountain: An ecology of indigenous education. Skyland, NC: Kivaki Press. Reflection often occurs through interaction with others; learners process experience with place through expression to others with shared experience (Dewey, 1944; Roberts, 2002). The places we encounter and the people we share experience and thoughts with are mirrors and sounding boards for our own reflection. Re-evaluating our beliefs and values stems from critical reflections which are constructed by our place in the world and the relationships we build with others.Frumkin, H. (2001). Beyond toxicity: Human health and the natural environment. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 20(3), 234-240. Burdette, H. L., & Whitaker, R. C. (2005). Restructuring free play in young children: Looking beyond fitness and fatness to attention, affiliation, and affect. Archive of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine, 159, 46-50. Orr, D. (1992). Ecological literacy: Education for a post modern world. Albany, NY: State University of New York. When I was Director of Sport, we assessed pupils across eight sports. In line with the GCSE model, we assessed in isolated ‘ Skill performance’ and in ‘ Full context’ using the top three sports to calculate a grade from 1-9. Our ethos was that pupils shouldn’t be penalised for not being good at all sports. The old argument comes into play here: is Usain Bolt, not a sportsperson if he can’t play football? OK, bad example because I know that he can, but you get the idea. Sheard, M., & Golby, J. (2006). The efficacy of an outdoor adventure education curriculum on selected aspects of positive psychological development. J ournal of Experiential Education, 29(2), 187-209.