Eco-Literacy... in Science!
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| View from Eight Dollar Mountain near Selma, OR Photo credit: One of my classmates |
It makes sense to me to start with looking at teaching E.L. in science given that by it's very nature science is entirely focused on understanding the world around us. No matter whether we're talking about biology, physics, or chemistry, ultimately what we are talking about are the phenomena and processes that enable life's existence. In that regard, the study of science is the foundation of E.L. as students need to gain a strong understanding of core ecological principles before they can apply them to disciplines outside of science.
There are a number of means for incorporating E.L. into a standard science classroom. For students at all grade levels these could include:
- working and exploring in a classroom or community garden
- exploring individual student's or organization's ecological footprints and generate ideas to reduce them
- start and maintain a compost (or vermicompost) and use that to study decomposition, soil chemistry, bacteria, and more
- engineering or computer science students could design a tool based on biomimicry
- in chemistry or biology, explore how ocean acidification affects shellfish growth and development
- asking students to create a building based on sustainable and ecological design principles
- in physics or chemistry, explore how how to generate renewable energy or improve energy efficiency within existing electrical systems
- conduct or join citizen science surveys to help track specific at risk species
- do repeated water quality tests and look for macro invertebrates in a local waterway
However E.L. gets incorporated, it's important to keep lessons inquiry based and close to home. When I say inquiry based, I mean that students not only have the ability to make choices about their own learning, but they are engaged in learning in order to solve a problem or answer a question. There has been discussion about how curiosity or inquiry based learning helps to keep students focused on the topic and encourages them to make connections between previously learned and knew information.
Keeping the focus 'close to home' is in part about utilizing place-based education. The school playground can offer just as many opportunities for learning as the state park 30 minutes outside of town. 'Close to home' is also about helping kids to build personal connection to their local environment, and to develop a sense of place within it and responsibility for it.
Here are some additional resources worth checking out:
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