ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors describe the activities in which these Australian schools were engaged as instances of what might count as socially critical environmental education and explore some of the issues that arise from such attempts to realize a socially critical curriculum and to support its development. The project as a whole is considered in terms of the extent to which it exemplifies socially critical education and, further, the idea of socially critical education itself is appraised in the light of our experiences of participating in the curriculum work undertaken by the schools. Teachers working within the framework of a socially critical pedagogy attempt to provide learning experiences that give students a historical and critical perspective on society, and give them opportunities to engage in activities that are consistent with building a responsive democratic society. These learning experiences are negotiated with the students, other staff and the wider school community.
