Tag Archive for: educational tool

Ocean Literacy: a toolkit by Unesco

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“The ocean is a source of food, energy, minerals, increasingly of medications; it regulates the Earth’s climate and hosts the greatest diversity of life and ecosystems, and is a provider of economic, social and aesthetic services to humankind – write Vladimir RyabininES/IOC-UNESCO and QianTangADG/ED in the foreward – Knowing and understanding the ocean’s influence on us, and our influence on the ocean is crucial to living and acting sustainably”.

It is made of two parts. The first part presents the history of ocean literacy, and describes its framework made of 7 essential principles, and connects them to international ocean science programs that contributes to enhancing ocean knowledge and observations. Moreover, marine scientists and educators were interviewed to share their professional experiences on ocean literacy as well as their views on its future. The last chapter of part 1 describes the existing challenges to marine education, as well as the path for the development of successful ocean literacy activities in the context of the 2030 Agenda. One of the most important factors identified is related to the creation of multi-sector partnerships among the education, government, and private sector that have jointly built ocean literacy programs for all formal educational levels from the primary school to the university level as well as for non-formal learners. Worldwide examples of such programs are presented.

The second part, after introducing the methodological approach based on the multi-perspective framework for ESD developed by UNESCO, presents 14 activities that could provide tested examples and support for the implementation of marine education initiatives. The aim is not to provide a one size-fits-all ready to use collection, but rather to offer support and examples of what could be then adapted for different geographical and cultural contexts. The resources are designed to be relevant for all learners of all ages worldwide and to find their application in many learning settings, while in their concrete implementation they will, naturally, have to be adapted to the national or local context

«We hope that this publication will inspire the readers – scientists, educators and learners – to take greater personal responsibility for the ocean, as well as to enable them to act as citizens, working through partnerships and networks, sharing ideas and experiences and developing new approaches and initiatives in support of ocean literacy. The ocean is the great unifier and it is our shared responsibility to preserve it for the current and future generations»

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CALL: Environmental Education experiences at the time of COVID-19

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As educators and environmental educators of the WEEC Network, having overcome these difficult months of lockdown, we feel more than ever the importance of dedicating a focus to teaching methodologies.

For this reason, we are launching a call addressed to all educators and environmental educators: we are looking for testimonials and stories on how the way of working and doing environmental education has changed and what strategies and tools have worked in this period.

Send us your testimony by August 31!

The objective is to activate a comparison on the good practices that emerged, on the methodologies adopted and on the feedback obtained. The testimonies and experiences collected will be shared in the next events of the WEEC Network 2020.

In environmental education, the relationship with nature and outdoor activities are fundamental. How to respond to the paradox that in recent months it has been necessary to do environmental education through a screen at home? Was the opportunity also taken for education in a new and truly interactive use of new technologies? And how can the relationship with nature “at a distance” be maintained?

FILL THE SURVEY: Call EA and covid-19

 

Coronavirus Covid-19 Crisis: EE is a fundamental tool to build resilience

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The world environmental education network (WEEC) is close to everyone in these long months who are experiencing painful moments and a situation of social isolation all over the world.

For teachers at schools and universities, the pandemic means that they have to give up their relationship with millions of young students. Online courses are a remedy that cannot replace the educational relationship, and there is a digital divide that increases the disadvantage of people living in socio-economic conditions, thus creating even greater educational poverty.

Measures to tackle the infection also deprive young people and adults of the opportunity to go outdoors, go to natural parks, take advantage of museums, theatres, libraries and other educational opportunities.

For environmental education, all this is a heavy brake: the Coronavirus crisis paralyses all environmental education activities.

At the same time, today the environmental education also has a more significant task. The origin of the pandemic and its impacts, which mainly affect people weakened by a polluted environment and unhealthy lifestyles, remind everyone of the importance of restoring the balance of the planet upset by global warming and the destruction of Nature.

Environmental education has a pivotal role and is a crucial tool to build resilience in the face of disasters and catastrophes, natural or made by humans.

The Walking Curriculum, a new tool for Environmental Education

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The Walking Curriculum is an innovative interdisciplinary resource for educators K-12 who want to take student learning outside school walls. Walking Curriculum activities can be used in any context to develop students’ Sense of Place and to enrich their understanding of curricular topics. Based on principles of Imaginative Ecological Education, the 60 easy-to-use walking-focused activities in this resource are designed to engage students’ emotions and imaginations with their local natural and cultural communities, to broaden their awareness of the particularities of Place, and to evoke their sense of wonder in learning. Through walking we can enrich our students’ sense-making abilities, we can enhance their very being and, as we go, we can seed with meaning the contexts in which they spend so many hours learning.

In the 60 walks described in this resource you will see a variety of themes, perspectives, and motivations. For example, students may be asked to find different things (such as shapes, spaces or lines, evidence of growth or change, “the best” hiding places), to change perspectives (imagine being a beetle, a detective, or a visitor from outer space), to encounter the world differently (emphasizing one sense over another or moving through space differently), to seek evidence of human-nature relationships, to identify patterns, or to locate natural or human systems in action. In all cases, the intent is to broaden their  awareness of the particularities of Place. The activities are designed to: engage the body, emotions, and imagination in ways that can increase students’ familiarity with the local natural context in which they go to school; increase students’ attention to detail and their attunement with Place; connect Place-based learning activities with cross-curricular goals; and serve as examples for your own, Place-inspired teaching ideas.

Overview: Introductory chapters provide a rationale for the Walking Curriculum and describe the underlying educational philosophy it reflects. Detail is provided so you can prepare to use the resource as well as extend and enrich your students’ learning. The walks themselves are divided into three sets: The 30 walks are paired with guiding questions and an imaginative activity or prompt to engage students’ emotions. These are the easiest walks for you to employ; they require little direct teaching or guidance ahead of time. They are readily adaptable for students of all ages. The second set contains 15 walks requiring some direct instruction and guidance; they will work better if they are properly introduced and contextualized. The final set of 15 walks is specifically designed for High School students and reflects interdisciplinary curricular outcomes.

Where To Get The Walking Curriculum

Get a paperback/ebook HERE in USA or HERE in the UK. Ebooks available in CANADA HERE. (Other markets available, so just search in Amazon) NOTE: All proceeds from sales support imaginED—a blog for imaginative educators by imaginative educators (free for all teachers)

About The Author

Dr. Gillian Judson is a member of the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University in B.C., Canada, one of the directors of the Imaginative Education Research Group (IERG), and coordinator of Imaginative Ecological Education initiatives. Her work is primarily concerned with the role of imagination in learning (PreK-Higher Education). As an educational consultant she explores imagination in the context of ecological education, educational program design, higher education, educational change, educational leadership, and Museum Education. She has written two books on Imaginative Ecological Education: Engaging Imagination In Ecological Education: Practical Strategies For Teaching (UBC Press; 2015) and A New Approach To Ecological Education: Engaging Students’ Imaginations In Their World (Peter Lang, 2010). Learn more about the Imaginative Ecological Education, or IEE, approach here.