Browsing by Subject "Science Education"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    The Anthropocene as we know it: Posthumanism, science education and scientific literacy as a path to sustainability
    (2021) Jeong, Sophia; Sherman, Brandon; Tippins, Deborah
    As products of the Anthropocene, the epoch of human ecological impact, models of environmental and social sustainability have been rooted in humanism, centering human agency and taking humanity as the prime reference point in understanding the world. Discourses around sustainability pose questions of how we are trying to sustain our world and our central place in it. With these questions in mind, we examine the role of science education for sustainability and as a tool for enacting societal change and interacting with the world responsibly. Science education is particularly concerned with helping learners cultivate tools and develop scientific literacy for understanding and interacting with the world. This is key to the ability of current and future generations to meet the challenge of building and maintaining a sustainable world. Yet, these tools are rooted in anthropocentric and Western ways of understanding our relationships with and in the world, which maintains myths such as the neutrality of digital technology or linear forms of progress. We turn to posthuman perspectives to consider an alternative onto-epistemological stance that decenters human agency and foregrounds the co-constitutive and intra-active nature of the world. We argue that scientific literacy and science education for sustainability can act as channels for our species to move beyond ecological sustainability to an understanding of humanity's entanglement with the world. Life in all its forms, from micro to macro is about relationships with cultural and natural ecologies. Any changes in these relationships can lead to the sustaining, altering, or threatening of these ecologies. In light of this recognition, we explore the implications of posthumanist thought for science education and literacy as learners seek a more sustainable world and a more harmonious place for humanity within it.
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    Classroom use of narrative and documentary film leads to an enhanced understanding of culture and diversity in science
    (Association of College and Biology Educators, 2016) Gonzalez, Edward L. F.; Lewis, C. T.; Slayback-Barry, D.; Yost, Robert W.
    For a first-year seminar, Windows on Science, the authors developed a cooperative learning activity around film designed to meet two of the campus-wide Principles of Undergraduate Learning. The teaching method utilizes the power of storytelling by screening narrative and documentary films. In the process, the methodology helps students to realize the contributions of many cultures, specifically African Americans, to our knowledge of science and the advancement of scientific methodology. Additionally, students are exposed to issues that focus on ethical conduct in the sciences and that provide an opportunity to discuss the leadership role that women have played in advancing science and technology. A pedagogical approach using narrative and documentary film in a freshman science course is an effective means for promoting an understanding of the endeavors and contributions of minorities and women in science, and for developing an increased awareness of issues concerning diversity and ethics.
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    Using expansive framing to enhance personal relevancy and engagement in science
    (The Hoosier Science Teacher, 2018) Radloff, Jeffrey; Chase, Anthony