EDU2441: Environmental Education: Module 8 Week 13

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EDU2441 Environmental Education Module 8
(Week 13)

• Current Events Controversial Issues
• Lecturer Jerry Maroulis
• May 25, 2005

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Lecture Plan

• Humour
• Topic Current Events Controversial Issues
• Sequence
• Brainstorming session
• Mass Media Current Events
• Issues Controversial Issues
• Environmental Incidents
• Future environmental flashpoints
• Web Resources
• Question Time?

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Humour
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Brainstorming Session

• What do we mean by current events?
• Are they useful in teaching? Why?
• What are issues?
• How do they differ from current events?
• Can you name some issues?
• List 2 local, 2 national 2 international issues
• When is an issue controversial?
• Example?
• Should we teach controversial issues in schools?
  Why?
• What strengths/weaknesses are there?
• How do we/you do it?

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Mass Media Current Events

• Various forms of Media - ie TV, print, radio,
  internet
• Information is readily accessible
  user-friendly
• ie idiot proof information sponges eg TV,
  Radio, etc.
• not site specific
• ie world events in your armchair instantly!!
• eg Thredbo Disaster Gulf War Olympics
  Concorde crash etc.
• It is all about money
• ie listening audience selling papers ratings
• Sensationalism sells!! We want the negative
  dont we!
• Media has dramatically improved awareness over
  past few decades
• Technology and media are linked
• increased technologyincreased speed volume of
  information (information saturation??)
• ie internet computers satellites

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Issues

• Issues emerge when people have different views on
  matters of common interestfor instance
• Should Australia mine and export Uranium?
• Should taxes be lowered in times of recession?
• Should automatic firearms be banned from general
  ownership in the interest of public safety?
• Should have Australian forces been committed to
  fight in Iraq?
• Essence of issues is debate and controversy
• Term should indicates issues often require
  moral ethical decisions
• Values attitudes important aspects in study of
  issues

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Controversial Issues

• Arise from events, results or consequences
• Controversy results from different reasoned but
  opposing views.
• Does wilderness have intrinsic value?
• Is population control the key to preventing
  environmental deterioration?
• Should GM foods be utilised to solve global food
  shortages?
• Is nuclear power safe and desirable?
• Are catastrophic climate changes likely to result
  from inadvertent human activity?

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Controversial Issues (cont).

• Common controversial aspects include
• Relations between ethnic groups
• Forms of discrimination on basis of sex or age
• Operations of multinational companies
• Exploitation of natural resources
• Birth control
• Urban sprawl, etc
• There are degrees of controversial as well
• Economic use of national resources (lt
  controversial)
• Oil exploration in GBR or flooding of Franklin
  River, etc (gtgt controversy)

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Controversial Issues (cont).

• Issues significance changes with time due to
• 1. Political sensitivities vary with political
  parties
• Conservatives tend to exploit natural resources
  which results in clashes with conservationists.
• 2. Tech change can increase impact of human
  activity
• Earthmoving equipment irrigation technologies
  have impacted on environment (eg environmental
  degradation salinity).
• 3. Mass media affected general level of public
  awareness (see earlier slide)
• 4. Social Reform trends
• Womens movement, etc

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Importance of Issues Study

• Issues important in the lives of individuals and
  societies.
• Therefore of very high significance in SOSE
• Helps to develop in students
• Ability to make intelligent informed decisions
• Make choices from alternative viewpoints
• Value different viewpoints
• Skills in evaluating information
• Willingness to participate in democratic,
  decision-making process

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Problems teaching Issues

• There are several limiting aspects to issues
  work
• Readiness of students to learn about particular
  issues
• Depends on student knowledge maturity
• Formal directives from employing authority
• Religious views, political ideologies
• Covert influences
• Views of school staff and school community
• Expertise of teachers
• Teachers may need to adopt unfamiliar roles
  contrary to preferred teaching style
• Issue-specific factors
• Breadth of issue being taught
• Lobby group community activity
• ie animal liberationists gun lobby

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Problems teaching Issues (cont).

• Teachers should persevere with issues work as
• Unresolved questions issues are debated in ALL
  subjects
• Provides opportunities for students to trying
  ways of testing their understanding (truth)
• Students should be exposed to the evolution of
  knowledge
• eg The concept that The Earth is not flat was
  controversial 500 years agowhy?
• Many new ideas are controversial until
  criticised, tested verified

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Which issues should be included in SOSE?

• Two criteria for this selection
• 1. Some issues of significance locally or
  nationally
• 2. How people will react to the issue selected
• School constraints in selection of issues
• 1. Knowledge skill limitations of teacher
• ie specialist knowledge
• 2. School, parish departmental policy
  constraints
• eg religious, political, ethnic composition of
  class, etc
• 3. Timing of particular issues at particular
  times
• eg dealing with 9-11 terrorism sex war etc

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Which issues should be included in SOSE?

• Decision may be related to longevity of the
  issue
• Long Term Middle East conflict Northern
  Ireland global warming
• Short Term Falklands War sinking of Greenpeace
  vessel Rainbow Warrior, etc.
• Schools have responsibility to students to ensure
  proficiency in approaching issues
• ie knowing reflecting and acting components of
  issues
• These 3 components are overlapping
• BUT no one way to teach it (approach dictated by
  the issue)

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Approaches to teaching about issues

• Controversial elements exists in ALL subjects
• Teachers are NOT neutral
• Effective approach involves a combination of
• Inculcation
• Knowledge
• Reflection
• Action

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Inculcation

• Purpose of instilling values in students
• Occurs consciously and unconsciously
• Different to indoctrination (involves ONE
  viewpoint)
• Forms of inculcation include
• Modeling
• Neat teachers work replicated by students
• Positive Negative Reinforcement
• Sarcasm Nagging
• Using biased or incomplete data

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Knowledge

• Base information on issue needed by teachers
  students
• Important aspect as
• Reflection action are well sustained by
  students who possess knowledge of an issue
• Knowledge is often extended in this situation

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Reflection

• Important part of teaching learning about
  issues
• Involves persistent careful consideration of an
  idea in light of supporting evidence ethical
  considerations
• Enables us to
• Recognise consistency of set of related ideas
• Become aware of reconcile multiple realities

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Action

• Taking action represents commitment
• Demonstrates that learning is not inert
• ie made a difference to a students life
• Forms of action are varied
• Writing to businesses govt community groups
• Public statemenmts letters to editor public
  meetings
• Fundraising activities
• Joining organisations
• NB Illegal actions are frowned upon!!

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Dealing with controversial issues in the
classroom Teacher Guide

• 1. Consider students background developmental
  needs
• 2. Create positive learning environment
  encourage sharing of views
• 3. Create atmosphere of openness for students
  parents
• 4. Recognise complexity of issues
• 5. Ensure balanced learning occurs
• 6. Be honest about your own views
• 7. Allow constructive disagreements
• 8. Support students who change their stance

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Methodology

• A range of specific techniques available
• Class discussion
• Values voting
• Moral dilemmas
• Rank ordering
• Values continuum
• Role plays/simulations
• Public interviews
• Group work, etc

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Alarming Environmental Incidents!!

• Q Can you recall any of the following?
• Minimata Disease (Mercury Poisoning) (1953-56)
• Three Mile Island Incident (1979)
• Ozone hole, enhanced Greenhouse Effect Global
  Climate Change (1980s)
• Bhopal (1984)
• Chernobyl (1986)
• Exxon Valdez (1989)
• Darling River (1991)
• Somalia/Ethiopia (1980s-1990s)
• Forest Fires in Southeast Asia (1997-1998)

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Future environmental flashpoints

• Resource depletion/myths eg oil crisis?? IRAQ??
• Antarctica - the last untapped continent (also
  Greenland)
• Vast mineral deposits resources
• Political issues of ownership/land claims on
  Antarctica
• Australias large stake is not internationally
  recognised
• Developing nations want to become developed but
  developed nations want to keep them under
  control eg greenhouse emissions excessive
  resource depletion etc
• Culture vs Economics eg World Bank in India
• Science technology - environmental saviour??
  eg solar energy, clean fuel (hydrogen/helium),
  etc

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Web Resources

• Tasmanian Dept of Education-Teaching for Learning
  Strategies in SOSE http//www.discover.tased.edu.a
  u/sose/teleissu.htm
• Teaching Controversial Issues in Coastal Marine
  Studies http//www.mesa.edu.au/cams/module9/activi
  ties.htm
• CSIRO Research Priorities-Hot Issues
  http//www.clw.csiro.au/priorities
• Current Issues-Human Rights Equal Employment
  Commission http//www.hreoc.gov.au/index.html
  http//www.hreoc.gov.au/info_for_teachers/current
  _issues.html
• The Australian Sociological Association (TASA)
  http//www.tasa.org.au/home.php
• Allyn Bacon Sociology Links http//www.abacon.co
  m/sociology/soclinks
• CQU Library - Sociology Internet Resources
  http//www.library.cqu.edu.au/faculty/arts/sociolo
  gy.htm
• Distributed Communities http//www.it.murdoch.edu.
  au/sudweeks/b483/resources.html

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Any Questions?