Can we teach nature? This months SUN magazine has a feature article about the Center for Ecoliteracy.
http://www.ecoliteracy.org Teaching awareness of nature was popular at one time but now it is considered a waste of time and money. Instead we focus on basic skills and career development. But those associated with Ecoliteracy claim: "If we are to survive as a species, we need to shape minds capable of grasping ecological understanding" Today children are mostly influcened by things like: Television, computers, consumerism, advertising, and peers. People who live in contact with nature are not visable or held up as role models. Instead most children discuss movie stars, sports heros, rock muscians, and interpersonal relationships. Is the answer a shift back to teaching nature. Some people claim it can't be done. How does one grade a pupils ability to appreciate nature. We can probably test awareness of how nature works and call it science. But, is this really nature or just a narrow interpretation of nature? For example, what does the following quote tell us: If the aborigine drafted an IQ test, all of Western civilization presumably would flunk it. -- Stanley Garn This tells us our view of nature is dictated by our cultlure. Still, i agree with the Center for Ecoliteracy. We need to move nature away from textbooks, and media presentation towards hands on experience. Nature involves lots of dirt and dirt ins't found in textbooks. jeff
