A CRITICAL INTRODUCTION TO DEEP ECOLOGY IN HIGHER EDUCATION: AN APPLICATION OF KOLB’S MODEL OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

The shared understanding that different students in higher education do indeed learn differently - or at least prefer to learn - differently [Diaz and Carrtnal, 1999; Lemire, 1996; Snyder, 2000] makes it necessary for educators to use a variety of methods in their classrooms [Doolan and Honingsfeld, 2000; Ebeling, 2001; Nulty and Barrett, 1996], The fuli involvement of students in the learning process could be achieved through active, rather than passive, learning approaches. Active learning, as opposed to passive learning, directly and actively involves students in the learning process. This means that instead of simply receiving Information verbally and visually, students are receiving and participating and doing[McKeachie, 2001]. Active learning includes everything from listening practices, which help students to absorb what they hear, to complex group exercises in which students apply course materiał to “real life” situations and/or new problems

A Natural History of an Environmentalist: Identifying Influences on Pro-sustainability Behavior Through Biography and Autoethnography

This natural history of an environmentalist uses autoethnography through biographical interview to investigate the contextual analysis of influences affecting active pro-sustainability behavior, which is interpreted as environmentalism. Education for sustainability categories of environmental, socio-cultural, political and economic factors were used to identify factors that interact to influence affective and cognitive domains, which affect environmentalist behavior. These influences in reality operated symbiotically but for purposes of analysis they have been portrayed sequentially. The portrayal of the autoethnographer's vocabulary of motives and identity theory applied to group commitment were used as analytic tools. The research methodology employed provides a strategy for investigating biography, which gives access to lived experience as a basis for understanding factors influencing environmentalism. Processes of metacognition and reflexivity, supported by critical engagement with co-researchers, provide access to deep analysis of the biography. Whilst it was not possible to make statistical generalizations from a single case study it was possible to make limited qualitative generalizations, or in other words "moderatum generalizations." Subsequent examination of the natural histories of other life-long environmentalists would certainly not reveal detailed similarities in terms of specific biographical occurrences. However, the abstract categories of influence outlined provide a useful template for further investigating the process of activist identity development which we know little about at the present time

Education for sustainable development : current discourses and practices and their relevance to technology education

Technology education is a well-established field of knowledge whose applications have many ramifications. For example, technology education may be used as a tool in meeting the challenges of sustainable development. However, the usefulness of technology education to the sustainability debate as a whole and to education for sustainable development in particular, has largely been overlooked in the past. Indeed, there is a paucity of academic studies which examine the contribution technology education may provide to education for sustainable development. On the basis of the need to address this knowledge gap, this paper reviews the state of affairs in relation to education for sustainable development and considers its links and appropriateness to technology education. A further objective of this paper is to present examples of initiatives and existing practices around the world, drawing partly from the results of the 1st European Conference on Education for Sustainable Development held in Greece in October 2007, as well as from other initiatives undertaken in Europe and North America. Finally, some measures that may be adopted in order to enhance the contribution of technology education to education for sustainable development are outlined.peer-reviewe

CHARACTERISTICS OF EDUCATORS AND THEIR VIEWS ON THE WORK OF THE ENYIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER OF SOUFLI

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The contribution of education towards meeting the challenges of climate change

This paper outlines the contribution the education sector can provide in meeting the challenges of climate change, worldwide. It offers an analysis of the means via which education, awareness and training can help the global efforts to tackle climate change and lists a set of practical activities which may assist various groups in handling climate matters as part of formal and non-formal education. The paper concludes by providing a warning: without proper emphasis to educational approaches, the desired (and indeed) changes in attitudes and behaviour as well as the motivation needed in order to engage people in reducing the impacts they may have on the climate, may not be fully achieved.peer-reviewe

Recreation in the Area of River Ardas: The Views of Elementary School Pupils

River Ardas in Greece is an area of outstanding natural beauty and used as a recreation area. Each year the area is visited by people of all ages. Children visit the place either with their school or with their parents. It is important to study their views about the river as a recreation area. The children asked were pupils of the elementary schools of the region. All of these children had visited the area before. The majority of the children declare satisfied from their visit in the area and assess the landscape positively. However, most of them have a less positive view about the provided recreation services. Through the use of hierarchical loglinear analysis it becomes clear that pupils who declare from totally to very satisfied regarding their visit in the recreation area of Ardas also find that the provided recreation services range from very good to good. The same pupils also believe that that the river constitutes from very small to fair danger to their safety and visit the place more than five times a year. In addition, the pupils who visit the area more than five times a year think that the river constitutes from very small to fair danger to their safety. Most of the pupils think that the diversity of plants ranges from big to very big while the diversity of animals ranges from small to very small. There is a need for improved infrastructure in the area, e.g. observatories, so that pupils can discover the wild animals that live there. The love of the children for animals becomes obvious from the fact that they do not wish the prohibition of pets in the place. Most of the pupils like the idea of camping in the area with their parents but the idea of doing so with their fellow pupils is even more popular. The children think that their parents would find it easier to grant permission to them to camp in the area if they themselves accompanied their children and not if their children did so together with their fellow pupils. Through the test of independence it becomes obvious that the will of the children to camp in the area depends on the will of their parents

Recreation in the Area of River Ardas: The Views of Elementary School Pupils

River Ardas in Greece is an area of outstanding natural beauty and used as a recreation area. Each year the area is visited by people of all ages. Children visit the place either with their school or with their parents. It is important to study their views about the river as a recreation area. The children asked were pupils of the elementary schools of the region. All of these children had visited the area before. The majority of the children declare satisfied from their visit in the area and assess the landscape positively. However, most of them have a less positive view about the provided recreation services. Through the use of hierarchical loglinear analysis it becomes clear that pupils who declare from totally to very satisfied regarding their visit in the recreation area of Ardas also find that the provided recreation services range from very good to good. The same pupils also believe that that the river constitutes from very small to fair danger to their safety and visit the place more than five times a year. In addition, the pupils who visit the area more than five times a year think that the river constitutes from very small to fair danger to their safety. Most of the pupils think that the diversity of plants ranges from big to very big while the diversity of animals ranges from small to very small. There is a need for improved infrastructure in the area, e.g. observatories, so that pupils can discover the wild animals that live there. The love of the children for animals becomes obvious from the fact that they do not wish the prohibition of pets in the place. Most of the pupils like the idea of camping in the area with their parents but the idea of doing so with their fellow pupils is even more popular. The children think that their parents would find it easier to grant permission to them to camp in the area if they themselves accompanied their children and not if their children did so together with their fellow pupils. Through the test of independence it becomes obvious that the will of the children to camp in the area depends on the will of their parents

Assessing uncertainties in climate change adaptation and land management

The entire cascade of scenario generation, global and regional climate modeling, as well as concrete measures towards climate adaptation are subject to uncertainties. An exact prediction of how the climate will change in the coming years, and how it will affect land use, is not possible. There is thus a perceived need to identify ways via which uncertainties can be addressed. Based on the need to address the research gap in this area, this paper reports the findings of a study on uncertainty in a climate change adaptation context, and how it is perceived. It consists of a multi-stakeholder survey among climate change professionals, including academic staff at universities, representatives from international agencies, members of NGOs, policymakers, and representatives of industry from 50 countries, including a balanced representation of industrialized and developing nations. The results obtained suggest that uncertainties are often a hindrance to engagement in climate change adaptation efforts, and to land management. Furthermore, there is a range of tools to reduce climate change adaptation uncertainties, whose deployment may help to address them. The paper concludes by providing a list of lessons learned and suggestions as to how uncertainty can be better communicated, and by doing so, how a reduction in the levels of climate change vulnerability may be achieved, and how land management may be fostered

A CRITICAL INTRODUCTION TO DEEP ECOLOGY IN HIGHER EDUCATION: AN APPLICATION OF KOLB’S MODEL OF EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

The shared understanding that different students in higher education do indeed learn differently - or at least prefer to learn - differently [Diaz and Carrtnal, 1999; Lemire, 1996; Snyder, 2000] makes it necessary for educators to use a variety of methods in their classrooms [Doolan and Honingsfeld, 2000; Ebeling, 2001; Nulty and Barrett, 1996], The fuli involvement of students in the learning process could be achieved through active, rather than passive, learning approaches. Active learning, as opposed to passive learning, directly and actively involves students in the learning process. This means that instead of simply receiving Information verbally and visually, students are receiving and participating and doing[McKeachie, 2001]. Active learning includes everything from listening practices, which help students to absorb what they hear, to complex group exercises in which students apply course materiał to “real life” situations and/or new problems