Integrating geoscience into undergraduate education about environment, society, and sustainability using place-based learning: three examples

Abstract

"Integrating geoscience into undergraduate education about environment, society, and sustainability using place-based learning: Three examples" (2015). Papers in the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. 441. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/geosciencefacpub/441 Abstract From water to energy, and from climate change to natural hazards, the geosciences (marine, Earth, and atmospheric science) have an important role to play in addressing a wide range of societal issues, with particular relevance to how humans can live sustainably on Earth. Although arguably important to developing solutions for many societal issues, more often than not, students have limited exposure to the geosciences in high school or college. To address this geoscience literacy problem, the Interdisciplinary Teaching of Geoscience for a Sustainable Future (InTeGrate) Talent Expansion Center has engaged members of the geoscience community and their colleagues in allied disciplines to implement and support strategies to teach geoscience in the context of societal issues and vice versa. Place-based learning is a particularly useful educational practice in helping link geoscience concepts to societal issues and other disciplines. The three examples from three distinctly different institutions of higher education-University of Utah, Metropolitan State University, and West Chester University-demonstrate the use of place-based educational strategies to connect the geosciences to societal challenges. Each of these courses uses variations of place-based pedagogy to provide students from a variety of disciplines the opportunity to learn about geoscience concepts in the context of environmental challenges in their own area. Each example describes the course in the context of its institutional setting, student audience, type of course, and learning outcomes; the geoscience-related societal challenges addressed, a description of pedagogical strategies, basic assessment information, and reflections on lessons learned and recommendations. These three examples illustrate that local places-on-campus, the surrounding community, and regional landscapes-provide a plethora of opportunities for students to apply their classroom knowledge to real-world issues. The extent to which an instructor will take advantage of the place-based opportunities is only limited by the imagination of the instructor(s) and the extent to which they want to use these pedagogies to achieve their learning objectives. Teaching geoscience in the context of societal issues using place-based educational practices illuminate the process of geoscience and build interdisciplinary problem-solving skills that connect geoscience to economic, societal, and policy issues related to a range of issues. Students think critically, ask critical questions, reflect and act on viable alternatives, and acquire knowledge, skills, and training so they can make a real difference in the world.

Analysis of high‐frequency and long‐term data in undergraduate ecology classes improves quantitative literacy

“…Furthermore, instructors can incorporate additional data into each module (e.g., from the National Snow and Ice Database), providing opportunities for place‐based learning (Gosselin et al. ), particularly valuable if course or institution resources are limited or field trips are infeasible.…”

Merging Earth Science With Environmental Education for Teachers Through Inquiry, Constructivist and Place-Based Learning

“…Studies have shown that indigenous students tend to approach scientific questions through observations and reflections based on casual questions (Beck et al, 1996;Cajete, 2000). Semken (2005) (Gosselin et al, 2016). Each example used a different approach to present ES concepts relating to the particular challenge to the local area.…”

“…All examples supported that place-based learning helped students apply classroom knowledge to their lives. Gosselin (2016) and his colleagues concluded that place-based settings are extremely useful at building problem-solving skills when ES is taught under other contexts such as economy, society, community and policies, since it facilitates critical thinking, questioning, reflections and knowledge and skills acquisition.…”

Sustainable China and the Global Traveling Classroom

“…The language training gives them some confidence to read and engage with locals and native speakers (Allen 2010, Kinginger 2011. The concept of high-impact place-based learning, putting concepts in a specific geo-physical space (Gosselin et al 2016), is central to this objective. For Sustainable China, the syllabus for the prerequisite course includes authors the students will meet in China and case studies of the places they will visit.…”