Originally appears in the Winter 2009-2010 issue

Terminology commonly confuses students when they are first introduced to new topics. Environmental science is no exception. Compounding this problem are the many misconceptions created by some in our society about the radical and left tendencies associated with the environmental fields. Given this backdrop, it is important to begin a high school or introductory college level class that has an environmental focus with a lesson that helps students clarify misconceptions associated with the key terms that stand as a foundation for the class content. The following activity engages, identifies and clarifies students’ understanding of the basic definitions of the main fields in the environmental disciplines.

Activity 1: Exploring Key Terms

Key terms: Science, Ecology, Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, Environmental Education.

Overview

In this activity, the five key terms listed above are introduced one at a time. As students progress through the list, from science to environmental education, they work cooperatively in groups to construct a shared understanding of each term. The sequence of the terms provides two curriculum structures for the class and students. First, defining the terms in this order provides a historical perspective regarding the evolution of the disciplines one from each other. Second, this order of terms provides a sequence of topics the teacher can follow to guide their course of study.

Procedure

  1. Begin by reassuring the students that specialized terminology is rampant in most disciplinary fields and particularly in the sciences. It is therefore valuable to establish a base understanding of the key terms being used in the class so that everyone will have a similar foundation to build from.
  1. Divide the class into groups of three to five. If the class is new, have students introduce themselves and, if time permits, do a simple get-to-know-you activity. Establishing a comfortable environment for discussion and sharing early on is very important because environmental studies involve both learning factual content and exploring feelings and beliefs related to environmental issues. A good activity is the one-on-one interview, in which pairs of students ask each other one or two questions and then introduce each other to the group. Interview questions about where they grew up are particularly effective because the answers provide information about the cultures students come from, which can provide perspective as the class progresses into environmental issues and debates.
  1. Write the first term, “science,” on the board and have students individually write down their definition of the term. Then have them share their definitions with a partner and their group. Once the groups have agreed on a definition, have each group report to the class by writing their definition on the board.

Students’ definitions of the term “science” will have some variability, but the most important thing to draw out of these definitions is that science is a process of inquiry — that science aims to explore the world by observing, asking questions and testing, in a way that allows others to replicate one’s experiments. Through repeated exploration and testing, patterns develop that help answer questions, new questions may emerge, and knowledge is gained in through an “objective” process.

  1. Introduce the term “ecology,” again having the groups discuss and define the term, and then, as a whole class, come to an agreement about its definition. It is important to make several points while cooperatively defining this term. One is that the field of ecology is a relatively new branch of science housed in the discipline of biology. This establishes awareness in students regarding the historical development of these disciplines. Another point is clearly identifying that ecology involves the scientific study of both the structural and functional components of the environment, and of the relationships between organisms and the environment. Since many teachers spend time in their environmental science classes having students study both ecosystem structure and function, including these terms in the initial definition is important.
  1. Next, consider the term “environmental science.” Prior to having students discuss the term in their groups, it may be useful to refer back to the definition of science. In addition, ask students to think about topics that involve the term “environment” to help guide them with this definition. Commonly when you introduce the term environment students will share topics such as acid rain or clear cutting, which characterize human related problems in the environment. As the discussions progress, many students will continue to come up with a definition of environmental science that is essentially the same as the definition given for ecology. This is a useful starting point from which to say that as ecologists studied ecosystems more recently it became obvious one species had a significantly greater impact, humans. In turn the discipline of environmental science began focused on the scientific study of human interaction with the environment and the associated problems that occur. This leads to the next term to explore.
  1. Following the same procedure, introduce the term “environmental studies.” Revisit the term “environmental science” and note that it introduced human impact into the discussion. The focus then turns to the term “studies.” Students usually have a harder time with this term. One helpful strategy for guiding students is to refer to other programs or disciplines that have the term “studies” in their title. For example, in a women’s studies program more than one discipline is involved in exploring, understanding and solving problems and issues. Similarly, in environmental studies one finds law, policy, science and literature, among other disciplines, used to explain and understand the human impact on the environment.
  1. The last term to explore and clarify is “environmental education.” The aim in defining this term is to introduce the most recent and the broadest approach to addressing the impact that humans have on the environment. One way to help students define this term is to have them think about what they are doing when they are engaged in an environmental education experience. Many will describe walking in the woods, looking at plants and animals, some will describe talking about issues and some will describe cleaning up trash.

Revisit all of the terms and explain the historical evolution of the fields they refer to. The progression has been from inquiry and the use of the scientific method in the study of our world (science), to the discovery of and learning about the relationships of living and nonliving things (ecology), to humans’ growth as a species with a unique and excessive impact on our ecology (environmental science), to trying to understand that these problems are complicated and that to solve them we will need many disciplines working together (environmental studies).

This leaves us with the question of what environmental education is. Here one can identify a commonalty among all environmental fields, which is an interest in having humans interact with the environment in a positive way. This means learning to live in a healthy and sustainable manner as part of the environment. In a broad sense, education environmental education aims to promote environmentally responsible behavior through a variety of different approaches with different ages groups.

  1. Have students revisit each of their initial definitions of the terms and compare them to the terms settled on in class before the next class period. This forces students to clarify their misconceptions and rethink the new definitions in preparation for the next activity.

Activity 2: Application of Terms

Having clarified the terms, students now have an opportunity to apply them in a different context. Through reading and discussing articles, students clarify the definitions of each of the terms and see how they are reflected in a professional setting.

Preparation: Select three or four short articles, or excerpts of articles, that focus on the same central topic but reflect the interests of the different fields discussed by dealing with different aspects of the topic. For example, on the topic of birds, I have used a science article about the singing behavior of birds (science), a scientific study about the effect on bird populations of the destruction of forest habitat (ecology, environmental science), and a multidisciplinary report on issues related to the spotted owl in Oregon (environmental studies). For fun, I have also added “Far Side” cartoons, and have included a literature piece to give students different perspectives on dealing with humans’ impacts on bird populations and bird habitat.

Procedure

  1. Divide the class into groups of four. Have students pair off and share their initial definitions of the terms and the definitions constructed in class. Give time for students to clarify among themselves what each of the terms means.
  1. Hand out to each group the three or four articles selected for the activity (see Preparation, above). Ask students to read each article independently, trying to identify whether its focus is science, environmental science or environmental studies. Then ask the group to discuss them and try to come to an agreement on which article represents which field. At the end of the class period, have groups share their results with the whole class. Conclude with a summary of the terms and how they are represented in text. This activity helps student apply the terms discussed and gives them an opportunity to see how they are reflected in the professional community and our society.

Summary

By identifying their preconceptions of each term and, as a group, cooperatively constructing a base definition for each of them, students begin the course from the same starting point. This leads to clearer understanding as the semester progresses and gives students an historical perspective on what the environmental disciplines are and where they fit with regard to each other. Finally, by having the students begin the course discussing and sharing their thoughts, the instructor is creating a learning environment that encourages dialogue, sharing, group work and shared understanding, which will likely grow as the semester progresses.

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Fletcher Brown is Associate Professor of Environmental Education and Science Education at the University of Montana in Missoula.