Teaching Students Ecological Literacy In the Secondary English Classroom

1686 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Approaches to environmental education

Teaching Students Ecological Literacy In the Secondary English Classroom

In today's world, we are bombarded with industry, economic advancement, and progressivism with new technology. As our world becomes more high tech and produces more products for our consumer world, we may soon face many environmental problems, due to our over-consumption of resources and our excessive, industrial lifestyles. Within all curriculums, I find it highly important to address these issues concerning environmental awareness as well as advocate environmental activism. When many educators think of ways to implement ecological literacy in their classrooms, they tend to find it challenging, and are unable to integrate it into the curriculum. However, students can be taught to think in ecological terms in a plethora of ways. Through researching current methods of integration of ecological literacy in the secondary English classroom and through compilation of my own approaches to these issues, I offer a great proposition for prospective educators like myself. This paper will examine what ecological literacy is, what ways this integration can be successfully achieved, and why it is important to integrate it into the English curriculum.

Ecological literacy is teaching students to view the world around them from an environmental perspective, examine their own practices in relation to nature and society's toll upon the earth. For students to become ecologically literate, they must examine social issues on a local and global level in order to develop their own model of individual responsibility to preservation and respect of our world. As time passes and newer technology develops, students sometimes become more involved i...

... middle of paper ...

... Educators in all subjects, must begin to integrate environmental education, promoting ecological literacy for young adults to promote the sustainability of society and the beautiful world around us.

Works Consulted

Berry, Wendell. What are People For? North Point Press. San Francisco: 1990.

Berry, Wendell. The Selected Poems of Wendell Berry. Counterpoints Publishing. Washington D.C.: 1998.

McConnell, Malcolm. "Miracle at Adobe Creek." Reader's Digest. April 1999: 78-84.

Orr, David. Ecological Literacy: Education and the Transition to a Postmodern World. State University of New York Press. New York: 1992.

Prakash, Madhu Suri, and Gustavo Esteva. Escaping Education: Living as Learning within Grassroots Cultures. Peter Lang Publishing. New York: 1998.

Wigginton. Moments: The Foxfire Experience. Doubleday and Co. Inc. New York: 1975.

Show More
Related

  • The Future of Energy: Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors

    1422 Words  | 3 Pages

    Miller, G.T. and Spoolman, S.E. 2012. Living in the environment. Canada: Nelson Education, Cengage Learning.

    Read More

  • Analysis About the Phenomenon of Racial and Gender Discrimination

    1011 Words  | 3 Pages

    I have read a book written by Darlene E. Clover, which named Global Perspectives in Environmental Adult Education: Justice, Sustainability, and Transformation. This book outlines theories and practices in environmental adult education that are emerging worldwide. The need for environmental adult education arises not from a deficit platform of andlaquo; lack of awareness and andlaquo; individual behavior modification-but rather from the asset belief in an existing - if sometimes hidden - ecological knowledge of the need for a deeper sociopolitical, race, and gender analysis of environmental problems, and the power and potential of democratic participation and collective action. Authors from Canada, the Philippines, Kenya, India, Mexico, Fiji, Australia, Sudan, and the United States examine areas such as racism and the legacy of colonization, self-governance and community resistance, ecological, women's and indigenous knowledge, international development and globalization, feminist pedagogical and arts-based practices, and participatory research practice.

    Read More

  • Collective Deterciousness In Emile Durkheim's Fight Club

    1024 Words  | 3 Pages

    The main theme that is demonstrated in Fight Club is collective consciousness. Collective consciousness is a term coined by Emile Durkheim and it refers to a set of shared attitudes and beliefs that operate within a society as a unified force. They are a way of understanding and acting in the world in a specific way among society members. It was concluded by Durkheim that earlier societies were banded primarily by nonmaterial social facts or a strongly held morality that was common among members of the society. According to Durkheim, social interactions among members of a society lead to the development of a collective consciousness, particularly interactions between families and small communities, among people who have common interests, spend their recreational time together, or who share a common religion. All of these are present in the movie Fight club. The movie begins with a small group of people who are joined together in the act of fighting recreationally. At the beginning, only a small number of people take part in the fighting. Over time, however, more and more people gain an interest in it and eventually the group grows larger, while the members come to know one another within their group. The group is eventually “officially” organized as “fight club”, and with it, certain rules are established that are to be followed by its members. This sets up some of the values and norms that the members of the group follow. These rules become their shared way of understanding and acting in a specific way within the group. Collective consciousness is formed in the group when the individuals in Fight Club act and think in similar ways. More Fight Clubs are developed across the nation, and eventually the main character organizes the...

    Read More

  • Leading Improvement in Literacy Instruction

    1277 Words  | 3 Pages

    Culture and environment – reflecting on environmental features that which have been shown to support literacy instruction

    Read More

  • Explain The Importance Of An Integrated Holistic Approach To Teaching And Learning

    152 Words  | 1 Pages

    An integrated holistic approach to teaching and learning should allow children to make connections to the natural world. Practitioners should adapt to children’s ability of learning and their understanding of the natural environment and the connections they have between

    Read More

  • Ecopsychology

    3887 Words  | 8 Pages

    Mary Oliver's (Clinebell, 1996, p.188) poem has a lot to say about the relatively new approach to conservation called ecopsychology. Ecopsychology combines the human element from psychology, with the study of how biological systems work together from ecology. A more in depth explanation of ecopsychology is that it seeks to help humans experience themselves as an integral part of nature (Strubbe 1997). When this is accomplished, humans can proceed to commit to "helping heal the earth, as well as healing ourselves" (Strubbe 1997, p. 293). In the past, environmental action has consisted of scaring and shaming those who over consume or do not recycle, which proved to be quite ineffective. Ecopsychology, in contrast, attempts to create positive and affirming motivations, derived from a bond of love and loyalty to nature (Bayland, 1995). Before tackling the principles, religious aspects, therapy, actions and education included in ecopsychology, it is essential to unde...

    Read More

  • Why I Want to Study Computer Science Engineering

    1046 Words  | 3 Pages

    I am fully aware that yours curriculum requires that I summon all my resources and I aver that I have the necessary commitment, intelligence and stamina to look forward to do it all. I believe that my experience of working on various projects coupled with my professional working ethics will not let your expectations down. I am convinced that my study at your department would be meaningful and rewarding experience to achieve my objective of life. I look forward to have a long and profitable association with your esteemed college. I especially thank you for giving me the opportunity to express about myself.

    Read More

  • A Personal Statement for a Masters in Computer Science

    631 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ram.I am aware of the kind of dedication and resilience I will have to show over the years. I feel that I am adequately prepared for that, both in having technical qualifications and the right mind-set. My interest in the field of Computer Science and my eagerness to pursue Masters in the field strengthened when I came across the University of xxxx website for Computer Science. I intend to participate in the ongoing research in the campus. I am sure that the peerless faculty, the excellent facilities and the stimulating academic environment among the students of the University of xxx will prove immensely fruitful and facilitate my development as an individual researcher in my field.

    Read More

  • Statement Of Purpose In Computer Science

    650 Words  | 2 Pages

    I am aware of the hard work and perseverance necessary for research work and I know that it is not always as exciting as the published results seem to indicate. Nevertheless, I am sure that my aptitude and drive will see me through the challenge. It is with this in mind, that I look forward to a long and rewarding relationship with your university as a graduate student, I take this opportunity to thank the University faculty for their patient perusal of my application.

    Read More

  • The Impact of Internet on Education

    1889 Words  | 4 Pages

    A dusty, one-room schoolhouse on the edge of a village. An overworked teacher trying to manage a room full of boisterous children. Students sharing schoolbooks that are in perpetual short supply, crammed in rows of battered desks. Children worn out after long treks to school, stomachs rumbling with hunger. Others who vanish for weeks on end, helping their parents with the year-end harvest. Still others who never come back, lacking the money to pay for school uniforms and school supplies. Such is the daily dilemma faced by many young people in the developing world as they seek to obtain that most precious of all commodities, an education.

    Read More

  • Statement of Purpose for a Masters in Information Technology

    748 Words  | 2 Pages

    Computers and Technology have fascinated me right from my childhood and I have always had it in my mind to choose Information Technology for my engineering. As the years passed my eagerness grew and so did my thirst to attain higher education and now is the perfect time for me to ignite the spark in me. This has given me the courage to analyze the fact that I have a herculean task ahead in order to comprehend an extensive proportion of subject and enjoy it while assimilating the problems.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Sustainable Education

    2006 Words  | 5 Pages

    The future, it seems so far off; depending on one’s perspective, it is a week, a month or years. The future, from an environmental perspective is now. Changing behaviour in the present will set the world up for a better future. Understanding sustainability and what it means to be eco-literate is seemingly hard for some, which begs the question, when should ecologising education begin? This essay aims to summarise the extent of educating for a sustainable future and analyse how relevant it is. The concept of ecological literacy is explored along with its benefits and limitations. This essay was written from the viewpoint that everyone has a role in moving towards sustainability, beginning as early as early childhood.

    Read More

  • Ecocriticism: Literature and The Physical Environment

    2896 Words  | 6 Pages

    Ecocriticism asserts that humans are “peoples of 'place'” (Bressler 231), our lives defined by the environment that we inhabit and the necessities of survival that are dictated by nature. The more we recognize this innate and deep connection—for example, through the reading and analyzing of the nature-human dynamic in literature—the stronger and healthier this relationship will become. We as humans will recognize our dependence on the earth instead of our dominance over it; we will recognize ourselves as “guardians” and learn how to better appreciate and protect the environment for future generations of authors and poets to continue to explore.

    Read More

  • Statement of Purpose as a Computer Engineer

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    This perfectly holds true for me in the world of Computer Engineering where novel ideas are not a novelty. It is this novelty that entices me to this field and gives me a deep sense of professional pride. In this context, I would like to pursue my graduation in Computer Engineering, which not only supplements the knowledge that I possess but also provides a strong platform for my future career goals.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Carrefour

    1661 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1959 Carrefour supermarket company is set by Fournier, Badin and Defforey families Who run discount supermarket in Annecy.

    Read More

More about Teaching Students Ecological Literacy In the Secondary English Classroom

Open Document