Much of the content necessary for understanding the concept of sustainability is already present in curricula of K-12 and higher education. Included in these curricula are a plethora of natural and social science concepts, which when pieced together, could form a sufficient knowledge basis regarding sustainability Yet, even though sustainability is an emerging area of interest, evidence suggests that current educational activities fail to prepare high school and college graduates to engage in evidence based discussions regarding key environmental issues threatening socioecological systems. Thus, our education system must be reformed in a way that allows students to connect the dots between natural and social science concepts, allowing them to participate in evidence based discussions and make responsible decisions that are in line with their values. Ecology educators are in a key position to enact this necessary reform. In this presentation, we present two case studies of current projects that aim to improve student understanding of coupled human/natural systems.
Results/Conclusions
First, specializations in sustainable agriculture and food systems are being created for both undergraduate and graduate students at Michigan State University. These specializations have two main requirements; 1) completion of coursework focused on sustainability in agriculture, and 2) experiential learning or group project. These specializations thus provide a focused educational opportunity in sustainability for students from any department. Second, we are partnering with numerous ecologists and educators at U.S. universities to inform national curricula based on the pathways that students learn socioecological concepts, which is in contrast to the current fragmented science and sociology curricula. The target age levels for this work span from elementary school students to K-12 science teachers, and the primary goal is to identify the key steps by which students become ecologically literate. Understanding this pathway to ecological literacy will lead to 1) improved curricula for K-16 students, 2) superior professional development for science teachers, and 3) increased use of active teaching strategies such as inquiry based learning and the use of formative assessments. These case studies highlight two promising methods to enhance ecological literacy at the local and national levels, potentially leading to informed decision making regarding sustainability.
