ESCI 302
Throughout my education, I have learned about the importance of the environment and how we as humans can factor into helping it. Now that I am becoming a teacher I realize that I can be a part of that change and can be an influence. This class has expanded my knowledge and views on environmental education immensely. I grew up on an acreage always around nature. This has contributed to my appreciation for the environment. I believe environmental education includes both the teachings and learnings of our natural environment as well as how individuals observe and interact with it. My own relationship with the environment has altered in multiple ways after this course. I now see that there are so many different aspects of environmental education. One aspect of environmental education that will always stick with me is environmental literacy.
At first, I saw literacy and environmental education as two very separate concepts. Now I see that environmental literacy is being aware of the natural environment and the issues behind it, having experiences and relationships with the environment, and taking knowledge and applying it by taking action. I think that now I have a better understanding of environmental literacy, I am now able to see my own relationship with the environment. I am now starting to notice the little things I do to contribute to sustainability and the environment more than before. These little things could be as simple as carpooling rather than taking two vehicles uptown or asking my sister in grade three what they are learning about in terms of the environment and making sure she understands those concepts.
My little sister, who is in grade three, has had a big impact on my view during this class. After school, she would always sit in this class with me for the last few minutes and listen with me. We would talk about how what I am learning in this course connects to what she is learning in school. For assignment four my group and I focused on grade three. This was great because when I showed my sister our lesson plan and all our videos she gave me great feedback and became very interested in the topic. She motivates me to do the little things as well like when we go pick up garbage on my acreage and she always makes me walk to the store instead of drive. Aside from family, the other aspects that have contributed to my eco-philosophies and ecological identity are mainly certain readings and sections from this course. I now have a better understanding of traditional ecological knowledge as well as Indigenous ways of knowing. These concepts appear consistently throughout one’s education in almost every course. ESCI has allowed me to better understand Indigenous peoples and their relationship with the land.
By implementing activities and hands-on learning, students will start taking action at a young age which will hopefully continue throughout their lives. We as humans are an essential component of our environment; therefore, it is up to us to have the proper education in order to preserve and sustain our environment and up to me as an educator to provide my students with the proper opportunities and experiences.