Re-placing schooling in country: Australian stories of teaching and learning for social and ecological renewal

In this paper, we draw on stories from Karulkiyalu Country1 to critique schooling in Australia, which we propose is contributing to ever-deepening social and ecological demise in this country. We put forward the case for a revision of unaware anthropocentrism, rampant individualism and unfettered capitalism, all primary drivers of the current Australian schooling agenda, and argue that economic prosperity and associated ‘learn to earn’ schooling agendas should never be elevated above social and ecological wellbeing. We expand ecologically upon Mackay’s (2018) social proposition that the health of the nation is reflected in and determined by the wellness of each local community. Drawing on teaching and learning processes that have been employed in Australia for tens of thousands of years, we offer an altered vision for schooling. Through the inclusion of Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing, as story-focused, place-responsive ecocentric pedagogies, schools can reclaim their local focus on social and ecological wellbeing.