Inquiry Island - The Prequel: A Critical Ecological Social Studies Experience

Abstract

In addition to the continuing need for citizens who can address the challenges of human communities, growing concerns have arisen regarding all life on the planet. Indeed, one of our most urgent conditions is the decline of the environment upon which all life depends. Yet, despite our concerns, there remain vastly differing views regarding the nature of the challenges, their fundamental causes, and how to address them. Among the reasons for these differing views are widespread misperceptions of the relationships between humans and the environment, and thus between our rapidly deteriorating social and environmental conditions. To correct these misperceptions, I argue that we must help our students develop a critical ecological perspective with which to interpret the basic connections between humans and the world. Inquiry Island—The Prequel: A Critical Ecological Social Studies Experience is a simulation activity designed to help students develop such a perspective. Like the original Inquiry Island, this updated version introduces our social and environmental challenges and explores how to address these problems through civic action. However, the newer version better reflects our current socioenvironmental conditions and more accurately depicts the deep human–environment interconnectedness essential to the development of a critical ecological perspective.