Pedagogy as a Field Guide to the Ecology of the Classroom

Reflecting on the complementary pedagogical models on teaching courses related to religion and the environment presented in this issue of the journal by K evin O 'Brien (“Balancing Critique and Commitment”) and J ennifer A yres (“Learning on the Ground”), I suggest ways in which these essays form a conversation about teaching. Together, O 'Brien and A yres show how the classroom must acknowledge the materiality and embodied nature of learning, the emotional and intellectual levels of commitment, and the place of critical reflection on our everyday practices and actions. O 'Brien and A yres show the benefits of more fully reflecting on the ecology of the classroom – the relationship between individual members of the educational community, and the educational environment itself – in religious studies and theology.