Related Papers
Environmental Education and Biodiversity
Arjen Wals
Wals, A.E.J., (Ed.) (1999). Environmental Education and Biodiversity. National Reference Centre for Nature Management, Wageningen, The Netherlands, 108 p. (Revised open-access edition 2014) Abstract: Despite all the confusion about biodiversity, one thing is clear: there is no one single perspective or definition of biodiversity that accurately describes it in all situations or contexts. Biodiversity can have different meanings depending on the user and the context in which it is used. Even within the scientific arena a great number of biodiversity meanings and interpretations can be distinguished. It is not uncommon to find that scientific, political and symbolic meanings are used interchangeably by the same person. Both the knowledge base and the value base of biodiversity are variable and to a degree unstable and questionable. Although these characteristics of biodiversity can render the concept useless or reduce it to a rhetorical instrument, they can also add to its strength when handled with care. Certainly from an environmental education perspective, but also from a policy-making perspective, these characteristics offer some worthwhile advantages: 1) Biodiversity brings together different groups in society that are searching for a common language to discuss nature conservation issues in relation to sustainability issues. 2) This dialogue allows the socio-scientific dispute character of “science-in-the-making” to surface. Participation in such a dispute is an excellent opportunity to learn about a highly relevant, controversial, emotionally charged and debatable topic at the crossroads of science, technology and society. 3) Making such a concept meaningful to the lives of citizens requires a procedure that could be utilised when developing educational programmes that focus on similar topics (i.e. education for sustainability). This book provides a justification and rationale for developing biodiversity as a leading concept for environmental education for human development. Furthermore it proposes a stepping stone procedure that recognises the socio-scientific dispute character of biodiversity and provides a tool for turning biodiversity into a meaningful and existentially relevant issue. T
Euphytica
Biodiversity as a bridge between nature conservation education and education for sustainability
2001 •
Arjen Wals
Erten, S. (2015). Sample course material for biodiversity and sustainable education.
Prof. Dr. Sinan Erten
This study was done in a period when there are attempts to develop a framework for the sustainable development and sustainable education in order to emphasize the universal significance of biodiversity, sustainable development, and sustainable education. The research reported here is a case study carried out in the spring semester of 2012-2013 academic year. The participants of the study were student teachers enrolled in a general biology course in a preservice science teacher education program at a major research university in central Turkey. The study was designed as a qualitative study and the data of the study were collected through semi- structured interviews and observation forms. The aim of the study was to develop teaching materials about the sustainable education and the sustainability of biodiversity. In parallel to this aim, an experiment of frog breeding was designed and the experiment was carried out by the participants under the supervision of the author. More specifically, the participants were involved in feeding the frogs and cleaning the aquarium. They recorded their observations together with the author. The whole process was shared in the biology co urse. In short, the participants observed how larvas come out from frog spawn that were put in the aquarium and how larvas became adult frogs. Adult frogs were transferred to the nearest creek after the completion of the observations. At the end of the process the attitudes of the participants towards living beings changed positively as their reports indicated. Key words: Sustainability, Sustainable education, Biodiversity, Loss of biodiversity, Agenda 21
A Curriculum for learning nature values
Ioan Bîca
Sample course material for biodiversity and sustainable education
IJEMST JOURNAL, Prof. Dr. Sinan Erten
This study was done in a period when there are attempts to develop a framework for the sustainable development and sustainable education in order to emphasize the universal significance of biodiversity, sustainable development, and sustainable education. The research reported here is a case study carried out in the spring semester of 2012-2013 academic year. The participants of the study were student teachers enrolled in a general biology course in a preservice science teacher education program at a major research university in central Turkey. The study was designed as a qualitative study and the data of the study were collected through semistructured interviews and observation forms. The aim of the study was to develop teaching materials about the sustainable education and the sustainability of biodiversity. In parallel to this aim, an experiment of frog breeding was designed and the experiment was carried out by the participants under the supervision of the author. More specifically, the participants were involved in feeding the frogs and cleaning the aquarium. They recorded their observations together with the author. The whole process was shared in the biology course. In short, the participants observed how larvas come out from frog spawn that were put in the aquarium and how larvas became adult frogs. Adult frogs were transferred to the nearest creek after the completion of the observations. At the end of the process the attitudes of the participants towards living beings changed positively as their reports indicated.
American Journal of Agricultural and Biological Sciences, v. 8(1), p. 12-27, 2013
Environmental Education and Biodiversity Concern: beyond the ecological literacy
2013 •
Carlos H Saito
This is a review article on environmental education. The focus of the discussion is the relationship between environmental education and Biodiversity concern and the emergence of the concept of Biodiversity education. The position described here configures as a disagreement of the insertion of these innovative terminology, defending the maintenance of the term environmental education and its general framework, reserving to Biodiversity concern a position of one issue to be coped by environmental education. The general framework for environmental education arises from documents of the main international conferences, such as The Belgrado Charter, resulted from the international workshop on environmental education, the recommendations of the intergovernmental conference on environmental education held in Tbilisi and the treaty on environmental education for sustainable societies and global responsibility, in Rio de Janeiro. The present discussion also reject the criticism that environmental education is not enough socially relevant and interdisciplinary and it brings back those recommendation from the conference of Tbilisi which addressed goals for environmental education. These highlighted goals are relative to the encouragement of those ethical, economic and aesthetic values, the provision of a wide range of practical skills required in the devising and application of effective solutions to environmental problem, by linking educational processes to real life. Ecological literacy is considered limited if analyzed in its isolated form and it is defended that environmental education should go beyond a simple ecological literacy. Some concepts such as empowerment and some theoretical-methodological approach such as dialogical problem-posing can help environmental education to correctly accomplish its goals and principles. A Brazilian experience on production of a didactic material known as Probio-EA for its Ministry of Environment is commented in means of the accomplishment to this theoretical proposition.
Education for Biodiversity Conservation - Handprint from schools
Pramod K Sharma
International Journal of Progressive Education
A Participatory Action Research Study of Nature Education in Nature: Towards Community-based Eco-pedagogy
2010 •
Emel Okur
Contemporary nature education is exploring different ways to develop awareness for change and initiate action. Such educational activities go beyond creating understanding and awareness in order to develop a sense of commitment for individual and collective action. This participatory action research study aimed to improve teachers’ sensitiveness towards nature, and to achieve environmental literacy and sustainability by inspiring community action and educational opportunities that support sustainable and thriving environments for a Community-based Eco-pedagogy. The study further explores the possibilities of helping the adults -through communication and collaboration with each other and their communities to re- evaluate and discover the diversity and importance of their surrounding environment while utilizing pedagogical strategies which will involve the participants to the in- depth study of the nature, history, the culture, the traditional customs, and the natural environment.
Education for Sustainability, Biodiversity, Ill-Definedness and Respect for Pluralism
2000 •
Arjen Wals
Limnetica
Biodiversity, ecosystem services and teaching: do our students understand how the functioning of ecosystems contributes to human well-being?
2017 •
María Luisa Suárez Alonso
