Mankind could not exist without the earth to which it owes its life and could not have continued to exist to this day. This earth we call our world is an ecosystem. Mankind could not survive alone in this ecosystem. Mankind was able to continue its existence to the present day forming a whole with the other elements of this ecosystem. Aware of…

The year 2014 marks the end of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). All educational domains and levels, including primary and secondary science education, have been working to contribute to education enabling younger generations to become responsible citizens and promote sustainable development in our world.…

The authors have worked to meet the demands of the 21st century by using the Urban EcoLab, an urban ecology curriculum based on the National Science Education Standards. This curriculum emphasizes the local and community-based nature of science and is freely available for teachers to view, download, and use. As part of the curriculum the authors…

This article reports on our work of developing a learning progression focusing on K-12 students' performances of using energy concept in their accounts of carbon-transforming processes in socio-ecological systems. Carbon-transforming processes--the ecological carbon cycle and the combustion of biomass and fossil fuels--provide all of the energy…

This research draws on developments in educational research where "learning progressions" are emerging as a strategy for synthesizing research on science learning and applying that research to policy and practice, and advances in the natural sciences, where "interdisciplinary research on coupled human and natural systems" has become increasingly…

Although the natural sciences are dedicated to understanding the natural world, they are also dynamic and shaped by cultural values. The sciences and attendant technologies could be very responsive to a population that participates in and uses them responsibly. In this essay, Nancy Brickhouse and Julie Kittleson argue for re-visioning the sciences…

Science education reform is an ongoing process. In recent years many have begun to look not only to teachers for change, but they are also insisting on the involvement of administrators, parents, community members, and some business organizations to bring about this change. This book presents facts and insights regarding science education reform…

The philosophy of the Science, Technology, and Society (STS) model is illustrated in this planned course outline on a thematic unit on corn. Parts of the lesson include the instructional objectives, instructional strategies, projects, and evaluation. Students will learn about the role of corn as a source of energy, the importance of crop yield and…

Details the development of a professional development program by teachers, for teachers focused on the use of a pond ecosystem. Explores watersheds, water flow, and water composition. (DDR)

Trans-disciplinary educational approaches hold the promise of helping students see real-life issues in an organic rather than a fragmented manner and be able to apply knowledge to address these issues in an organic manner. Presents reasons for organizing trans-disciplinary instruction around contemporary environmental issues. (Contains 14…

The Council for Environmental Education (CEE) publishes this annual review that reflects the changes that have brought environmental education in from the fringes and now attracts considerable political and educational attention. This edition brings together a selection of important statements by leading public figures and other papers and…

Presents research founded on a socio-ecological approach to environmental education that includes individual and structural aspects of environmental awareness and problem solving. Presents one instrument used in discussions with teacher teams. Contains 23 references. (DDR)

This document describes the curriculum model developed by the Faculty of Environmental Studies (FES). The FES Model is based on connected concepts of "environment" and "study." In this approach "environmental" not only is the focus of what is to be studied but also describes the experiential way in which the study is…

Describes a module in which students seek to gain an understanding of factors that interact in the ecological system of their school. Presents sample questions for use in reinforcing concepts and evaluating student learning, directions for four task activities, and topics for some of the remaining task activities. (RT)

Details an ocean-based lesson and provides background information on the designation of 1998 as the "Year of the Ocean" by the United Nations. Contains activities on the poster insert that can help raise student awareness of coastal-zone hazards. (DDR)