The Infusion of Environmental Activities into a Secondary Biology Curriculum

Abstract

THE YEAR 1976 calls for an emphasis and expansion of environmental education, in light of such issues as the supersonic Concorde, Alaskan pipeline, and the federally required environmental impact statements that are constantly before us plus the new interest young people have in experiencing the wilderness. Many teachers see the necessity of environmental activities, but wonder how and where we fit them into the curriculum. Do we create new courses, calling them environmental studies or ecology, or do we revise the existing curricula? During the 1975-76 school year, I tried on a pilot basis the infusion of adventure-type environmental activities into existing biology and advanced biology courses at Santa Fe (New Mexico) School. As a biology teacher I believe that it is important to know not only how, but why, I use the approach that I do with the students. Therefore, it is essential to have a knowledge of the theories of learning and reasons for my applying them. I will therefore present a brief background of several of the process learning theories of science education.