Week Three: Learning about the Target Audience

Hope everyone's week has been great!

This week I read Beyond Ecophobia by David Sobel. This book focuses on the do's and dont's of environmental education at different stages in students' lives. 

Interestingly enough, he feels that we bombard young students (before 5th or 6th grade) with environmental issues such as deforestation in the Amazon, or pollution in the oceans. However, students do not feel a close connection with these issues; they are simply too abstract and complicated for younger students to understand. Therefore, the lessons we teach these students do not create a deep impact on the students' behaviors or attitudes (and many times 
students come to simplified conclusions).

It's funny to read this and think back to my 1st grade year when I learned about deforestation in the Amazon. I learned about all the different plants and animals (panthers are the coolest), but I never really felt a drive to do anything about it. I learned that people who cut down trees are bad, and that's really it. 

In reality, the issue is much more complicated. We have native people who need to utilize the deforested land to raise cattle. Other populations are booming, and they need places to live. Around the world there is a high demand for paper and lumber. Solving the deforestation issue means we must solve each of these issues first, and explaining this accurately to younger kids would be too advanced for them. 

Sobel argues that we first need to create a bond between students and their local environments. We need to allow students to discover the importance of the outdoors on their own. Let the kids play, wander, meander, and most importantly, do not rush them. First, they should experience the joys of the outdoors, and then develop a bond on their own.

Later on, around 5th and 6th grade, we can then introduce students to social activism in the environment. However, we still should not focus on the big tragedies, but on something far more local. Then, we can expect to see more caring and active students.

Picture Canyon

The Project

I was able to meet with Mrs. Tapia's third grade class again to finish our habitat projects. I also had the opportunity to meet two 6th grade classes at the Alpine Leadership Academy within Mount Elden Middle School, which focuses on experiential learning through the outdoors. It's amazing to see the difference in the two age groups. While the first 6th grade class was a little wild (it was right after lunch), you could tell how much young students develop intellectually in a few short years. I'm looking forward to developing a presentation for them, and I hope to integrate some of Sobel's points in my lesson. The students will have the opportunity to travel to Picture Canyon later this year and will learn about the struggles the canyon faced.