Week 1: Why Am I Here?

May 09, 2017

        I have always wanted to be an educator at a young age and saw myself in the shoes of teachers that I have had throughout my education experience.  I specifically became interested in this course because I did not major in the science disciplinary but wanted to gain more knowledge and ideas on how to present scientific knowledge in a more creative and unique way.  In addition, I felt that if I wanted to teach my future students to become good and responsible citizens then why not learn about environmental education? I believe that teaching environmental education is one of the best strategies to have students aware of their impact of their lifestyles and choices on the environment and community that they live in. 

        I myself am not perfect, and fall into the trap of creative marketing techniques that tells that society that we need more.  However, as I have matured over the years I have learned about the impact of consumerism on our land.  For example, I recently learned about this idea of living a minimalist lifestyle where one purchases only the really necessities.  We don’t have to have 10 t-shirts of different colors, or have different bags for different occasions because the impact of supply and demand of these products plays such a huge role on the amount of waste and resources we use.  It is not just clothes it can also be our food the meat we eat and vegetables.  Living in a society where buying bigger or more and in bulk is encouraged has such devastating effects.  I also follow PETA where some of their videos I can’t even view, and the sad reality is we as consumers turn the other cheek and blame the companies for unethical treatment of these animals and feel that we don’t have a direct responsibility to what is happening when we do.  These are the principles, knowledge, and values I want to pass on to the future generation so that they can be aware ad hopefully find the passion and motivation to take initiatives in their own action to change our lifestyle that so negatively affect the world we live in.   This is probably one of the main reasons why I am in this course to be better educated myself so that I can provide an impactful education to the future generations.

        Upon reading Environment Learning and Experience, I can see a distinct parallel on how one can integrate environment learning with placed based education.  One of the most powerful ways we can create a greater impact in learning is to have the learning itself be relatable to the students.  If we can integrate placed based education, where students can look at their own environment and create an inquiry on how their daily activity affects their environment has the potential to increase both awareness and motivation within students to take ownership of their learning, as well as become more responsible in their action to increase sustainability.  “Facilitating environmental education in the learning of all subjects, rather than isolating it, models for students how the environment is connected to their daily lives and relationships within their communities (Ministry of Education, pg8). 

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        Teaching for me is more than just providing students with facts.  I want to be able to provide students with all kinds of different perspectives so that they can start to discover and create their own understanding in all areas of life.  A part of this is being aware of the responsibilities we as highly intelligent beings have in taking care of the place we live in.  As stated in the First Peoples Principle of Learning, learning involves recognizing the consequences of one’s actions, and that learning supports the well-being of the land.  For this is what environmental education is all about, and I would like to be able to help students create a sense of value in their surroundings that they can take throughout their life.  Therefore, how can we set up the class or create a lesson in such a way that achieves this goal?

Reference

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BC Ministry of Education.  (2007).  Environmental Learning and Experience: An interdisciplinary guide for teachers.  Retrieved from http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/teaching-tools/environmental-learning/environ_learning_exper.pdf