Conversations On Pedagogies Of Place And Environment Between Brazil And Canada: Contrasting Contexts To Enshroud Content With Empathy

Based on pedagogical practices in environmental and science education that privilege the concept of place in all dimensions, we explore in this paper the work and experiences of two teacher educators, one in Brazil and one in Canada, as they visit and learn from one another's places. We wonder about unique places and how such different contexts, with different cultures, histories, and geographies, support researchers and their teacher candidates, guiding them to becoming better teachers within a context for addressing current pressing issues: social and ecological justice. While contrasting our different paths, we reflect and discuss our practices with/on empathy and place education. We discussed the power of bringing teacher education to places (and vice-versa). By contrasting places and their unique ontologies and epistemologies with empathy, we developed deeper understanding of the integral role of place in learning, and better ideas for preparing teachers to teach about their contexts.