Connecting Earth Science, Indigenous Perspectives and Environmental Education in Place-based Learning Setting

Grant program: Teaching and Learning Development Grant (TLDG)

Grant recipient: David Zandvliet, Faculty of Education

Project team: Eileen van der Flier-Keller and Kevin Cameron, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, Barbara Wilson and Frank Ma, research assistants

Timeframe: May 2017 to October 2018

Funding: $6000

Course addressed: EDUC 452 – Environmental Education

Final report: View David Zandvliet's final report (PDF)

Description: Environmental education explores environmental issues and engages in problem-solving and action to improve the environment. Earth science seeks to understand the processes involved with Earth systems and addresses change in these systems both in the context of recent and deep time. Increasingly, First Nations Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) is also informing our notion of environmental issues and place-consciousness.  Each of these can therefore provide an important perspective for environmental issues. We envisage this as a collaborative design project to connect Earth science, First Nations principles and environmental education in a place-based learning setting.

Questions addressed:

• How do we marry Earth science with other (interdisciplinary) environmental perspectives?
• How do we navigate between, and integrate with, the different frameworks, approaches and pedagogical styles characteristic of Earth science and environmental education?
• How will we weave together Earth science, environmental science and Indigenous knowledge in the experiences/activities/materials we design?
• How do students assess the experiences/materials we have developed and implemented in terms of supporting their learning?

Knowledge sharing: Presentations at SFU’s Teaching and Learning Centre’s workshops and conferences. Other workshops focused on pedagogy and post-secondary education.

Keywords: Place-based Education, Constructivism, Inquiry, Learning Environment