The authors of this article explain how two Veconlab class "experiments" can be used to clarify common points of confusion about the cost curves (sunk, marginal, and average). In each case, the experiment can be motivated, framed, or explained with environmental policy applications that are provided in the suggestions-for-discussion…

Today's world is characterized by the extensive production of data in different scenarios that everyday citizens need to understand for their informed participation in society. With the increase in the availability of data in a society defined by the industrious production of data, the educational system needs to think of possibilities to bring…

In this inquiry, I explore, expose, and extrapolate upon sociopolitical and environmental absurdism as an environmental academic and educator based in Alberta, Canada--a well-known, and somewhat infamous, centre of oil and gas production and energy development in general. Moving beyond Alberta as a catalytic example, I introduce and discuss…

Environmental and sustainability initiatives seek to respond to the challenges of ecological crises and ongoing environmental degradation by supporting students to develop knowledge and dispositions to respond to the challenges of and live in a climate changed world. However, these initiatives are often marginalised in curriculum and hamstrung by…

Subjectification in environmental movement education comprises an influx of more-than-human 'others,' including the classical elements: air, water, earth, fire. In this conceptual article, I consider what environmental movement education research, which includes inquiring into processes of political subjectification, might entail, when thinking…

Within socio-economic transformation processes, the task of education is often reduced to short-term economic factors, that is, a suitable qualification profile of the local population. Transformative education should, however, be based on the broader claim that education contributes to successful transformation processes in the sense of…

In this article, we argue that students' unfolding discourse on socio-scientific issues (SSI) can be fruitfully analyzed by using dialogical theories of language and communication (Bakhtin 1986; Linell 2009). While research in science education often reports on how individual reasoning changes when bringing SSI into the classroom, we argue for the…

The corporate control of energy production and the reach of fossil capital into civil and political society can be understood as a regime of obstruction that is preventing necessary action on climate change and blocking a just energy transition. In addition to overt forms of economic power and influence, hegemonic power is central to the fossil…

This article argues that language students and teachers are changemakers and that, in keeping with progressivist philosophy and the bottom-up social paradigm, they can play a powerful role in creating a better world. As our understanding of the world continues to increase, both students and teachers can use this increased understanding to initiate…

Avogadro's conception of the structure of gases was not widely accepted by his contemporaries--probably because the hypothesis was not supported by direct evidence. This problem is rarely addressed in schools. This article discusses the difficulties that accompany the acceptance of new ideas. Such difficulties may be associated with the ways in…

An instructional program using four simulation applets was used to facilitate understanding of gas and liquid pressure concepts among twenty-two students in a Year 9 class from an independent secondary school in Singapore. A comparison group consisting of twenty-two students was taught using traditional didactic, chalk-and-talk instruction.…

The study designed to contribute to existing research on Problem-Based Learning (PBL) chose a focus group comprising 16 MSc. Petroleum Engineering students (six females). Using PBL as the method of instruction, students examined a real-life petroleum engineering problem that highlighted numerous areas of their existing curriculum. They worked in…

This case study stresses the need to broadly consider an entire system, including all of the energy inputs and outputs involved, to determine the real efficiency of that system. It also asks its student audience to consider the role that scientific input plays in policy decision-making processes. It emphasizes that, despite the importance of this…

Energy issues have moved up the public agenda in recent decades, and were highlighted in President Bush's State of the Union address when he declared, "America is addicted to oil...." and pledging to "replace more than 75 percent of oil imports from the Middle East by 2025." The author observes that oil dependence and energy independence will be…