The Seri people, of Sonora state (Mexico), have traditionally fished and hunted turtles in the Gulf of California and gathered plants in the Sonoran Desert. Intergenerational transmission of the intricate environmental knowledge needed for these activities was accomplished through storytelling and observational learning, but is now threatened by…

Describes the results of a survey designed to ascertain details of student teachers' knowledge and misconceptions about the greenhouse effect, acid rain, and ozone layer depletion. Results indicate familiarity with the issues but little understanding of the concepts involved and many commonly held misconceptions. (JRH)

Describes the development of a thematic ecosystem curriculum for a K-8 school, in partnership with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in which park interpretation is merged with formal curricula. Notes that teachers and interpreters should work closely to develop curricula, and that interpreters must be familiar with textbooks and subject…

Discusses the Tadpoles Project at Schofield Middle School in Aiken, South Carolina. A basin was excavated to create a pond so that students could study various disciplines in a wetlands setting. Presents guidelines for obtaining support for such an effort. (NB)

Addresses higher education, specifically universities, and their role in moving toward a sustainable, ecologically-sound, and vibrant society. Suggests that universities are caught between two competing visions. (Contains 24 references.) (DDR)

Describes a college course enhanced by hands-on science applications and a service-learning project. Requires registered students to participate in volunteer training at a nature center and offers certification in several environmental education curricula. Reports successful outcomes with regard to conceptual development and teaching experiences.…

Outdoor education should broaden its scope beyond outdoor activities to include education for sustainability. Provides practical ideas for incorporating holistic environmental awareness into programs by exploring the concepts of connection and consequence with such basic elements as water, air, food, shelter, darkness, solitude, time, and nature.…

Focuses on cultural influences in environmental education. Examines some of the means of transmission of culture and ideology that a society adopts including metaphors, myths, and institutions. Establishes a close link between inequalities of social classes, ideology, and resource use. Contains 20 references. (DDR)

Factors influencing racial diversity in environmental education were studied by interviewing 50 people representing a racial cross-section of the United States. Discusses barriers to participation in environmental education, the role of outdoor experiential education in overcoming these barriers, the interrelationship between cultural identity and…

The Toronto District School Board (Ontario) established a department of environmental education to lighten the school board's impact on the environment and to increase ecological literacy among students. School programs have been developed in the areas of eco-literacy, energy conservation, waste management, and school yard greening. One program…

Relates the story of when Mexico's Yaqui Indians split into two different agricultural camps in the 1950s, their children became a test group for the effects of pesticide exposure. (Author/DDR)

Contends that because lyrics and music of popular songs can represent alternative perspectives to the dominant ideologies of a particular time or place, they can be used effectively in classrooms to provide the voices rarely heard in textbooks. Describes several songs and offers teaching suggestions for implementing this approach. Argues that…

Identifies and describes misconceptions held by pre-service high school science teachers regarding three environmental issues: the greenhouse effect, ozone depletion, and acid rain. Indicates that many pre-service high school teachers possess an array of misconceptions about the causes and effects of each. (Contains 24 references.) (Author/YDS)

Discussed are the importance of earth science, how earth science should be taught, and when and to whom earth science should be taught. Topics which should be taught in a modern earth science course are suggested. (CW)

Described in this article are some of the ways in which teachers of environment-based subjects can use the information derived from the media in their routine activities. Included are ideas on how to select sources of information, themes, and approaches. (KR)