Posts Tagged ‘ Global Thinking Project ’

Holistic Teaching: Integrating ideas of Vernadsky & Lovelock into science teaching

April 19, 2009

The opening sentence in John Miller’s book, The Holistic Curriculum is that holistic education attempts to bring education into alignment with the fundamental realities of nature. Nature at its core is holistic,interrelated and dynamic. As such we have much to learn about curriculum from environmental education, and the science-technology-society (STS) movement (each developed In previous posts.

The essence of Vernadsky’s concept of the biosphere, and Lovelock’s Gaia theory reflect Miller’s construct.… Read more

Global Thinking & the Gaia Theory

By Jack Hassard

April 13, 2009

In 1989 I met Dr. Anatoly Zaklebyney, professor of environmental science education, the Russian Academy of Education, Moscow. I was working with American and Russian teachers on a project that had emerged from teacher and researcher exchanges that I directed for the Association for Humanistic Psychology.

Our project in Russia was organized by the Russian Academy of Education, and it was through that connection that Anatoly and I met and became close friends.… Read more

The Gaia Theory: Implications for Science Teaching

By Jack Hassard

April 11, 2009

I returned this week from a two week trip to Texas, and waiting for me in the mail was a book I had pre-ordered from Amazon. The title of the book is James Lovelock: In Search of Gaia, and it was written by John Gribbin & Mary Gribbin. Here’s what the book is about:

In 1972, when James Lovelock first proposed the Gaia hypothesis–the idea that the Earth is a living organism that maintains conditions suitable for life–he was ridiculed by the scientific establishment.

… Read more

Paradigm shifts: Education about, in and for the environment

By Jack Hassard

March 25, 2009

Education about, in, and for the environment represent three different paradigms useful in helping us view environmental education and environmental science programs and activities. Based on research by Rachel Michel (1996), these three paradigms can briefly be described as follows:

Education about the environment is viewed as an approach in which information about the environment (concepts, facts, information) is transmitted by teacher to students.

From Volcanoes in Your Backyard to Snow in Mine

By Jack Hassard

March 1, 2009

About a week ago, I wrote a post entitled Volcano in Your Backyard, which was initiated by the Governor of Louisiana’s comment that spending money on volcano monitoring was an other example of wasteful spending by the government.

February 8, 1984, I was on board a Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta to Portland, and as we approached the region, I was able to take this picture of Mount St.… Read more

Track II Diplomacy and Science Teaching

By Jack Hassard

January 28, 2009

In yesterday’s post, I used the phrase “track II diplomacy” when I was reporting an interview with Dr. Peter Agre, the new president of the AAAS. It turns out that Dr. Agre agrees with a group of American scientists who wish to talk with North Korean scientists, in a sort of “informal diplomacy,” discussion, and perhaps future collaboration.

In this form of communication, “non-officials” (educators, teachers, musicians, scientists) enter into discussion and talks, or simply a sharing of expertise.… Read more

Paradigm 2 Schools: Some Examples

By Jack Hassard

November 25, 2008

Georgia Bracey, from Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, commented with an important question regarding the existence of schools that might be based on the humanistic paradigm (Paradigm 2) outlined in the previous post. There are many schools around the nation that embody a humanistic, student-centered character. I’ll talk here about a few of them.

When I first moved to Atlanta, and began teaching geology and science education at Georgia State University, I made my first visit to a new school, The Galloway School and met the founder of the school, Elliott Galloway.… Read more