Environmental Education

Invertebrates: Revealing a hidden world in the year of biodiversity

by Dawn Sanders

Published in Primary Science 113 May/June 2010 p.5-8
Not final copy so some small glitches such as explore rather than exploring on last page and photograph captions and attributions are not finalised. Journal only available to Association of Science Education members.

Biodiversity means the variety of life, in all its forms. It includes the variety of species and ecosystems in the... more Biodiversity means the variety of life, in all its forms. It includes the variety of species and ecosystems in the world, and genetic variation. Invertebrates are one of the largest, and most accessible groups of animals for primary children to study. Darwin tells us that the action of earthworms in his garden at Down House caused his worm stone to sink at a rate of 2.2mm a year. He estimated that earthworm activities on every acre of his land brought some 18 tons of soil to the surface annually. Therefore the study of invertebrates, such as earthworms and ants, offers an important window on biodiversity in a significant habitat-soil. As one of the most well-known ant scientists in the world today recently wrote, ‘Immediately close at hand, around and beneath our feet, lies the least explored part of the planet’s surface. It is also the most vital place on Earth for human existence’ (Wilson, 2010). Invertebrates provide food for many animal groups, pollinate flowers, aid the formation of soil, distribute seeds and are key actors in the decomposition cycle.
Revealing the biological diversity of these animals and their myriad roles in the web of life engages children with a concept that is crucial to life on Earth. Invertebrates are numerous and diverse communities of species widely distributed throughout our planet. They also live on a scale that offers a secret world in the undergrowth for curious children.

Assessment, outcomes, and forays in interdisciplinary curriculum development

by Greg Tolley

An interdisciplinary course titled Issues in Ecology and Environment was developed and taught by an anthropologist and... more An interdisciplinary course titled Issues in Ecology and Environment was developed and taught by an anthropologist and an oceanographer at Florida Gulf Coast University beginning
spring 1998. Focusing on cognate interdisciplinary competencies rather than diverging disciplinary content, this collaboration also yielded working definitions of several integrating
learning outcomes—an ecological perspective being chief among these. As part of the course development, authentic assessments, cooperative group activities, and opportunities for experiential learning using ecosystems located on campus were developed. Post-assessment debriefings were used to solicit student feedback as part of a continuous improvement model for the course. By structuring the course to target learning outcomes that transcended disciplinary traditions, the instructors were able to look beyond disciplinary barriers toward a point of convergence and benefit from the new perspective.

The Campus Ecosystem Model: teaching students environmental stewardship

by Greg Tolley

Interdisciplinary teaching, research experience, and active, collaborative strategies have all been identified as... more Interdisciplinary teaching, research experience, and active, collaborative strategies have all been identified as practices highly favorable to the learning process. By using the university campus as the focus for the study of the entire watershed within which it is situated, the Campus Ecosystem Model presents a context for incorporating these pedagogical elements into a useful framework for undergraduate science education.

Why Should We Care About Birds? By Carol P. Christ

by Feminism and Religion

Originally published on the Feminism and Religion project

I believe that we should we care about birds because it is right to do so.  If we do not, we will contribute to... more I believe that we should we care about birds because it is right to do so.  If we do not, we will contribute to extinction of species, and we will leave a diminished world to those who come after us. We must not give up hope that we can save the world for birds, for other wildlife, and for our children’s children.

On February 2, 2012, the International Day for Wetlands, the Greek government signed into law a Presidential Directive mandating protection of the small wetlands of the Greek islands.  There is no assurance that this law will be enforced.  There are still no measures in effect to protect most of the larger wetlands in Greece, even though this is required by the European law Natura 2000, which requires all of the countries in the European Union to protect bird and wildlife habitats.

Kılınç, A., Eroğlu, B., Boyes, E., & Stanisstreet, M. (2013). Could Organisms and Ecosystems Be Used as Motivators for Behaviour to Reduce Global Warming? The Views of School Students. International Journal of Research in Geographical and Environmental Education.

by Ahmet Kilinc

Global warming resulting in climate change is thought to be a serious threat to the environment and, consequently, to... more Global warming resulting in climate change is thought to be a serious threat to the environment and, consequently, to the world’s social, political and financial stability.  Therefore, there is a serious need to identify strategies that are effective in promoting behavior change to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One possibility is to raise awareness of the potential detrimental effects of global warming on biological organisms, since such effects are concrete and may be emotive.  This study examines the beliefs of Turkish school students about the possible effects of global warming on the survival of a range of organisms and ecosystems and, separately, explores students' views about the importance of the survival of those organisms and ecosystems.  Of the items raised by the questionnaire, those perceived to be most endangered by global warming were polar bears, and those thought to be most worth conserving were rainforests. In addition, Cluster Analysis revealed four sub-groups of students: ‘More valuing extinctionalists’ (students who valued organisms or ecosystems more highly, and thought them vulnerable to global warming), ‘Less valuing extinctionalists’, ‘More valuing non-extinctionalists’ and ‘Less valuing non-extinctionalists’. Thus, although students hold a variety of pre-existing views, convincing more students of the importance of maintaining biodiversity, and increasing their awareness of the potential detrimental effects of global warming on various organisms and ecosystems may be one way of encouraging students to undertake actions to reduce global warming.

Connecting Mathematics and the Applied Science of Energy Conservation

by Joshua Pearce

R. E. Carbone and J. M. Pearce,“Connecting Mathematics and the Applied Science of Energy Conservation”, The Journal of Mathematics and Science: Collaborative Explorations, 11, pp. 233-243, 2009.

To effectively teach science in the elementary classroom, pre-service K-8 teachers need a basic understanding of the... more To effectively teach science in the elementary classroom, pre-service K-8 teachers need a basic understanding of the underlying concepts of physics, which demand a strong foundation in mathematics. Unfortunately, the depth of mathematics understanding of prospective elementary teachers has been a growing and serious concern for several decades. To overcome this challenge, a two-pronged attack was used in this study. First, students in mathematics courses were coupled with physical science courses by linking registration to ensure co-requisites were taken. This alone improved passing rates. Secondly, an energy conservation project was introduced in both classes that intimately tied the theoretical mathematics base knowledge to problems in physical science, energy efficiency, and household economics. These connections made the mathematics highly relevant to the students and improved both their theoretical understanding and their grades. Together, the two approaches of tying mathematics to physical science and applying mathematical skills to solving energy efficiency problems have shown to be extremely effective at improving student performance. This five-year study not only exhibited record improvements in student performance, but also can be easily replicated at other institutions experiencing similar challenges in training pre-service elementary school teachers.

Foreword to Curriculum Studies Gone Wild: Bioregional Education and the Scholarship of Sustainability by Nathan Hensley (2011)

by Richard Kahn

Afterword -- Occupy Education: Learning and Living Sustainability by Tina Lynn Evans (Peter Lang, 2012)

by Richard Kahn

Forthcoming book. Order one today!

A kind of manifesto statement on the current state of the so-called socio-cultural turn in environmental education and... more A kind of manifesto statement on the current state of the so-called socio-cultural turn in environmental education and the ecological turn in critical pedagogy, as both move to frameworks of decolonization and hopeful dialogue and solidarity with sovereignty activists and indigenous scholars/educators. A call for hope in the form of the "wild jeremiad" is issued.

Vzpomínka na Mgr. Aleše Tinku (1968-2011). In English: Obituary of Mgr. Aleš Tinka (1968-2011)

by Josef Kovar

Author: Kovář, Josef
Published in:Vlastivědný věstník moravský, Brno, Muzejní a vlastivědná společnost, 2012, pp. 80-81.
Language: Czech

Obituary of primary school teacher, environmental scientist and amateur castellologist Aleš Tinka from Pozořice, Czech... more Obituary of primary school teacher, environmental scientist and amateur castellologist Aleš Tinka from Pozořice, Czech Rep.

The Murder of Cambodian Environmental activist Chutt Wutty, 25th April, 2012

by Nancy Beavan

Two stories from the Cambodia Daily: the eyewitness account of the murder of Chut Wutty filed by Phorn Bopha and Olesia Plokhii, Cambodia Daily 28 _4_2012, and the alleged suicide of Wutty's murderer, filed by Khy Sovuthy.

The abstract here provides another report, from the Phnom Penh Post.

This is the bloody reality of those who dare to campaign on the environmental threats to the Cardamom Mountains of southeastern Cambodia.

Chut Wutty, Khmer environmental campaigner, was murdered on 25th April.

The attached pdf is from the... more Chut Wutty, Khmer environmental campaigner, was murdered on 25th April.

The attached pdf is from the Cambodia Daily.

The following story was filed by David Boyle and Bridget Di Certo Friday, 27 April 2012 in the Phnom Penh Post (http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012042755825/National-news/another-chapter-in-bloody-history.html):

"Chut Wutty slain: Another chapter in bloody history"

With his slaying yesterday in the jungles of Koh Kong province, Chut Wutty becomes one of the highest-profile members yet on a dark list of Cambodian activists who have been killed for making a stand against greed and corruption.

Although the details of his death remain unclear, rights groups are already raising the alarm that yesterday’s shooting is a disturbing example of the violent intimidation routinely used against activists in Cambodia.

Sok Sam Oeun, chairman of the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee, said yesterday that while such violence had been predictable at conservation demonstrations, the shooting was unprecedented.

“Powerful people try to use the courts all the time, but now they use force. The situation has become more serious than ever before,” he said. “Look at this story – and look at who will benefit from this killing.”

In December last year, Chut Wutty helped the Post expose large-scale illegal logging and corruption in the southwestern Central Cardamom Protected Forest that was being conducted by military and forestry officials with the complicity of a conservation group.

Conservationists estimate the trade in the CCPF is worth tens of millions of dollars.

Chut Wutty was willing to take risks, and his skill in negotiating with dangerous people became clear when he repeatedly confronted heavily armed military police officials, was apprehended, intimidated and then able to talk his way free.

His death is the most high-profile killing of an activist in Cambodia since unionist Chea Vichea was slain in 2004, but it is by no means an isolated case of violence being employed against anti-logging activists.

In 2007, after UK-based Global Witness released a report linking senior politicians to illegal logging cartels, journalists reporting on the allegations received death threats and violent intimidation, including arson attacks by unknown assailants.

The Post reported on the axe murder in October, 2009 of an environmental activist in Kratie’s Sambo district whose work led to a large-scale crackdown on illegal logging in the months prior to his murder.

In January, 2010, the Post reported that RCAF soldiers had detained at gunpoint 10 journalists who were pursuing a story on illegal logging.

The journalists were later released after their cameras were confiscated.

That October, a forestry administration official was hacked to death with axes as revenge for his work in cracking down on illegal logging.

Last November, 500 police and military police descended on a demonstration by 300 Prey Lang activists, who made a human shield around Chut Wutty after he was wrestled to the ground in an attempted arrest, having set fire to caches of illegally logged timber.

Ou Virak, executive director of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, said fighting illegal logging was like fighting a drug cartel – a very risky endeavour.

“These people have lots of money and they have lots of interests at stake, and they pay off local authorities and armed officials to provide protection for them,” he said.

Ek Tha, a spokesman for the Council of Ministers Press and Quick Reaction Unit, said he could not confirm the details of Chut Wutty’s case, but guns were for protecting the public, not shooting them.

“I want to send a message to all gun owners to put the gun law and other related laws before them or they would face legal action if they had committed unlawful activities,” Ek Tha said by email. “Always bear in mind that we are all living in the global technology, so once a single bullet is fired in an unlawful manner, it is reported worldwide through electronic media.”

Svay Phoeun, a representative of villagers in Preah Vihear province who worked with Chut Wutty, said the death was bad news for villagers who worked with Chut Wutty, but they would continue to follow in his footsteps with even more vigour.

“Chut Wutty’s heart is gone, but thousands of Chut Wutty hearts still survive. We are not afraid of the person who killed Chut Wutty for trying to stop illegal loggers; we have never been afraid.”

Foreign Languages and the Environment: A Collaborative Instructional Project

by Joshua Pearce

Eleanor ter Horst and Joshua M. Pearce, “Foreign Languages and the Environment: A Collaborative Instructional Project”, The Language Educator, pp. 52-56, October, 2008.

The project described here—a collaborative venture between Modern Languages and Physics—provided an opportunity for... more The project described here—a collaborative venture between Modern Languages and Physics—provided an opportunity for students to increase their language proficiency while learning about concepts related to the environment. The Standards for Foreign Language Learning, and in particular the “Connections” goal, call for foreign language educators to integrate language instruction into other disciplines, while the “Communities” goal advocates using the language beyond the classroom. In the same vein, the Modern Language Association (MLA) has issued a report (“Foreign Languages and Higher Education: New Structures for a Changed World,” 2007, found at www.mla.org/flreport) that envisions “a broader and more coherent curriculum in which language, culture, and literature are taught as a continuous whole, supported by alliances with other departments and expressed through interdisciplinary courses.”

Insights into the Interactions between Educational Messages: Looking across Multiple Organizations Addressing Water Issues in Maricopa County, Arizona

by Bethany Cutts

Bethany Cutts, Charlene Saltz, Monica Elser (2008) Insights into the Interactions between Educational Messages: Looking across Multiple Organizations Addressing Water Issues in Maricopa County, Arizona, 40-50. In Applied Environmental Education & Communication 7 (1-2).

The public receives environmental information from a variety of sources. Evaluation of a single program or one... more The public receives environmental information from a variety of sources. Evaluation of a single program or one organization’s effort is incomplete. Through surveys and interviews, we evaluate the cumulative impact of outreach by 20 water-related organizations in Maricopa County, Arizona. Household water conservation is a topic addressed by 18 organizations whereas 2 share information on water policy. Similar foci across organizations may help reinforce messages about water conservation, quality, or drought, but can also lead to gaps in water education. These gaps may decrease the relevance of water information to some audiences. Future research should examine additional ways that interorganizational relationships affect the geography of information opportunities and its relevance to unique populations.

Environmental Education: The need for a perceptional paradigm shift

by Bikramjit Sinha

Proc. Reg. Sem. on Role of Biodiversity & Environmental Strategies in North East India for Sustainable Development. p: 209-214. St. Mary’s College, Shillong

Hydrological and Water Quality Characterisation of a Tropical Riverine Wetland: Nabajjuzi-Masaka, Uganda

by Najib Lukooya Bateganya

Abstract
In East Africa where wetlands are becoming essential systems for waste water treatment and potable... more Abstract
In East Africa where wetlands are becoming essential systems for waste water treatment and potable water supply, hydrological characterisation is crucial to understand the dynamics of their functioning on a spatial and temporal scale. Beside ecosystem services, basic ecological properties such as vegetation structure and nutrient cycling of wetland ecosystems depend on hydrology. Nabajjuzi wetland, in central Uganda, East Africa is internationally recognised as a Ramsar site and currently used for potable water supply in addition to other essential ecological and social economic services to the riparian communities. To contribute to the limited and scanty information of this ecosystem, the study focussed on hydrological and water quality characterisation using a water-nutrient mass balance as the major output. Also, the flow dynamics of Fe and allochthonous suspended solids loading into the wetland were investigated.

Results show that the water balance of Nabajjuzi wetland is dominated by surface flow, which is influenced by rainy and dry periods. During peak flow, the estimated hydraulic retention time was found to be 1 month compared to 1.5 months during the low flow period. Also, water loss flux due to evapotranspiration in this region is high and in Nabajjuzi wetland, it is twice the daily rate of abstraction. Analysis of long term flow data also revealed that the current water abstraction rate can potentially result in hydrological stress to the system during extremely low flow periods. However, the wetland N and P loading is very low compared to other urban disturbed wetlands. Consequently, high concentration of Fe and suspended solids loading are the major constraints to the surface water quality hence potable water supply. Generally, there is need for a more comprehensive hydrological-water quality study and careful planning of the future catchment land use strategies. This can enhance management and conservation of the wetland to guarantee the crucial ecosystem services it provides.

Keywords: Hydrology, Riverine wetland, Hydrological gradient, Surface-flow, Nutrients, Iron, Mass-balance, Lake Victoria basin.

Umwelterklärung Schubart-Gymnasium Aalen

by Ulf Scharrer

Interdisciplinary Environmental Education: Communicating and Applying Energy Efficiency for Sustainability

by Joshua Pearce

Joshua Pearce and Chris Russill, "Interdisciplinary Environmental Education: Communicating and Applying Energy Efficiency for Sustainability", Applied Environmental Education and Communication, 4(1), 65-72, 2005.

This paper demonstrates that interdisciplinary alliances on environmental education projects can effectively address... more This paper demonstrates that interdisciplinary alliances on environmental education projects can effectively address the gap between complex environmental problems in the real world and disciplinary curricula in a university. We describe an alliance between an advanced communication course and a general science course wherein we addressed interconnections of energy efficiency, economics, and global climate change with respect to their impact on individuals, local businesses, and society. This project established that an interdisciplinary environmental project focused on local solutions to global problems is both a valuable learning tool for students and an effective method of accelerating the application of appropriate technologies.

Re/making the ground on which they stand: Making a school garden with culturally and linguistically diverse students

by Saskia Stille

This article describes a school-university research project involving newcomer and Canadian-born English language... more This article describes a school-university research project involving newcomer and Canadian-born English language learners at the elementary level that culminated in the creation of a school garden. This project built upon and extended the students’ rich knowledge and prior experience and productively connected with curriculum learning and instructional practice.

Place and Pedagogy: Toward an Embodied Environmental Conscience

by Zachary Piso

Presented at the Phi Sigma Tau conference at University of North Texas, 2011

Explores the implications of extended consciousness toward the teaching of environmental sustainable habits. Careful... more Explores the implications of extended consciousness toward the teaching of environmental sustainable habits. Careful attention to the built environment can foster an ecological conscience without requiring an intermediate environmental literacy.

The Ecology of Embodied Culture

by Zachary Piso

Presented at SIU - Carbondale, Building Bridges Conference (Theme: Waste and Philosophy), 2011

Further consideration of the struggles to enact social change given the influence that the built environmental has on... more Further consideration of the struggles to enact social change given the influence that the built environmental has on our habits and values

Comparison of Teachers and Teacher Candidates in terms of Their Environmental Attitudes

by Halil Eksi

Adalet KANDIR Özlem YURT Nilgün CEVHER KALBURAN
Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice - 12(1) • Winter • 323-327

It has been aimed to compare the environmental attitudes of teachers and teacher candidates and to present themore It has been aimed to compare the environmental attitudes of teachers and teacher candidates and to present the
importance of environmental education in teacher training. The sample of the research includes 605 final year
students attending undergraduate programs of pre-school education and child development education in the
universities of Konya, Ankara, Afyon, and Denizli provinces during 2008-2009 academic year and 300 pre-school
teachers attending National Education Ministry In-service Training Programs conducted in Yalova, Aksaray and
Rize provinces during 2008-2009 academic year. “Environmental Attitude Scale” has been used as the data collection
tool. According to t-test and MANOVA results, it has been determined that teacher candidates got higher
scores than pre-school teachers in terms of the total results of environmental attitude scale, and particularly
the sub-factors “Importance of Field Trips in Environmental Education” and “Environmental Conservation Activities”.
Also, it has been stated that the difference between the scores of teachers and teacher candidates
taken from the sub-factors “Requirement of Education for Environmental Problems” and “Environmental Pollution
and Conservation” is not significant. In the light of the findings, researchers and practitioners have been
provided with suggestions.