Giuliano Reis

A Feeling for the Environment: Emotion Talk in/for the Pedagogy of Public Environmental Education

Emotions are important aspects in/for the pedagogy of environmental education (EE). However, the literature on the relationship between emotions and EE has not explored how emotion talk furnishes teaching identity claims and mediates instruction in/about the environment. Therefore, the present study draws on two ethnographic case studies to investigate the rhetorical and situational use of emotion discursive categories in interviews and authentic EE learning situations. Our findings suggest that rather than just being an outcome of effective instructional models designed to instill an environmental consciousness in students, emotion discourses are means to help account for and concretely realize the pedagogy of EE.

The Death and Life of a School-Based Environmental Education and Communication Program in Brazil: Rethinking Educational Leadership and Ecological Learning

This article presents an exploratory case study of the sustainability of an environmental education and communication (EEC) project at an elementary public school in Brazil. Our analysis shows that a narrow view of institutional educational leadership and ecological learning negatively affected the resilience of that particular EEC development. We conclude our study by suggesting that the idea of distributed leadership be expanded into the field of environmental education and communication as a potential solution to the unsustainability of similar projects. It is hoped that our discussion will assist those interested in making decisions that will have the longest positive influence on the social, physical, and natural environments of schools.

Provoking EcoJustice—Taking Citizen Science and Youth Activism Beyond the School Curriculum

In this three-part chapter, the authors draw on their own educational experiences to exemplify how ecojustice, citizen science, and youth activism come together to be enacted in three different (but interconnected) settings: a youth expedition to the Arctic (Part I), a class of elementary student teachers working on a media project in collaboration with a local aboriginal community (Part II), and a lesson on the social aspects of “genetic disorders” with a class of high school biology student teachers (Part III). Adopting a broader definition of education (in opposition to schooling) across all sections, we seek to illustrate ways in which teachers, students, and community members can collaboratively expand the implications of science education for promoting a society that is more socio-environmentally sound.

Responsible Stewards of the Earth: Narratives of Youth Activism in High School (Science)

The present chapter explores significant factors influencing the successful implementation and development of youth environmental activism in high schools from the perspective of a group of teachers and students in Ontario (Canada). According to participants, the emergence and perceived long-term positive influence of a particular youth environmental action initiative in their school—an environmental club founded by a science teacher—depend largely on the existence of environmentally-motivated teachers and students who are committed to developing a (social, intellectual and action-oriented) venue for activism, are open to mentorship activities, and who believe in the possibility of making a positive difference in their communities through collective enterprises. Our discussion offers insight into how (science) teachers and students can work together with(in) different disciplines to support environmental youth activism in schools.

A Socio-culturally Sensitive Science Curriculum: What Does It Have to Do with Our Bodies?

In the teacher education milieu, the preparation of future science teachers who are socio-culturally sensitive in their practice is highly praised. On the other hand, there is still a considerable gap between what is taught in the teacher education programs and what is eventually transferred into the reality of science classrooms. In other words, this sociocultural sensitivity has not found a place in typical science classrooms, where much emphasis still exists on the individual’s cognitive capacity to memorize information (and subsequently regurgitate it on a test). This, in turn, renders such teacher training programs rather ineffective in promoting the type of transformative (emancipatory) education that has been advocated for years. In addition, it casts doubt on the value of this training for those entering the teaching profession and the development of their ability to teach science in a more appealing, inclusive and relevant (meaningful) manner. In this context, the way that teachers take up science curriculum documents in schools can also complicate matters further. Drawing on a broad range of past and current research in the field of science and teacher education, out-of- and in-classroom personal experiences and discourses, and a brief analysis of the Ontario science curriculum, in this chapter I seek to reiterate (if not revalidate) an approach to science education that focuses on the body as the primary site for knowing and learning in/for science. Rather than a philosophical treatise, it is meant to be a practitioner’s narrative on possible courses of action to explore and revitalize the socio-cultural sensitivity—or lack thereof—of science curriculum practices. The implications of this methodological program in/for science (teacher) education praxis are also discussed.

Making Science Relevant: Conceptual Change and the Politics of Science Education

The present is a commentary on the previous four chapters that collectively make up this section of the book (“Positions and Perspectives”). As such, I have selected one major theme common to the four contributions to discuss its relevance to the field of science education research. In addition, I articulate (or bring forth) an issue that I believe was missing in all four texts. My intention is to provide readers with something that they have not yet encountered in any of the pieces individually—at least not as explicit as they will here. Ultimately, the present chapter contemplates another aspect of what has been carefully laid out on the prospect of re-uniting psychological and sociological perspectives within the context of conceptual change. Thus, I am supplementing and deepening the conversation amongst all four pieces that were intentionally positioned in this part of the book.

Environmental Education: Nurturing a Relationship with Everything, Everywhere

Environmental education (EE) has been deemed capable to re-connect today’s youth with the natural environment, thus helping them to become more ecologically responsible citizens. Put differently, EE must be able to challenge people’s perceived sense of dis-connection from the planet. This chapter explores ways of nurturing the re-examination of our co-responsibility to life by investigating the content of one course assignment (reading response) submitted by a student teacher and the narratives and actions of a group of young people who embarked on a 10-day canoe trip in Canada. The discussion that follows also serves as a segue into an introduction to the structure of the book.

Sources of Anxiety and the Meaning of Participation in/for Science Fairs: A Canadian Case

Although anxiety is a significant emotional element of formal school science, little is known about how anxiety is originated and managed in the context of science fairs. The purpose of the present study was to investigate how a group of students in Grades 7 to 12 discursively (re)produce anxiety and its management from the perspective of their participation in a national science fair competition in Canada. Based on the analysis of participant’s talk during a focus group interview, our findings suggest that performance anxiety is an emotion inherent to participation in all stages of the event: from choosing a project to the administration of time, performing in front of an audience, and gaining public recognition. In this context, recurring participation emerges as an effective strategy for coping with this feeling. In exploring the ways that academically successful science students talk about how anxiety is generated and regulated, we advance knowledge about science fair participation and contribute to current discussions on how to create more captivating school science learning environments for all.RésuméLa présente étude analyse les façons dont des étudiants de la 7e à la 12e année (re)produisent discursivement l’anxiété et la gestion de l’anxiété liée à leur participation à un concours de type Expo-sciences au Canada. Fondé sur l’analyse des communications des participants au cours d’une entrevue dans le cadre d’un groupe de discussion, nos résultats suggèrent que l’anxiété liée au rendement est une émotion inhérente à cette participation, quelle que ce soit l’étape de l’événement en question, qu’il s’agisse du choix du sujet, de la gestion du temps, de la performance en public ou de la notoriété acquise au cours de l’événement. Dans ce contexte, la participation répétée s’avère une stratégie efficace pour affronter cette émotion.

INCIDENCE DES CARACTÉRISTIQUES DES ÉLÈVES SUR LEUR DEGRÉ DE MOTIVATION À PARTICIPER À UNE EXPO-SCIENCES

As feiras de ciencias sao cada vez mais populares entre os jovens alunos. O presente estudo visa identificar aquelas fatores que influenciam os alunos para participar em tais eventos. Para este fim, criamos um questionario para medir o grau de motivacao dos participantes de uma feira nacional de ciencias no Canada . Nossos resultados indicam que os participantes se sentem bastante motivados. No entanto, e contrariamente a pesquisas anteriores, descobrimos tambem que o grau de motivacao dos participantes e influenciado pela idade e serie. Concluimos nosso artigo apresentando algumas das limitacoes do nosso estudo e sugerindo areas para pesquisas subsequentes.

Sociocultural Perspectives on Youth Ethical Consumerism: An Introduction

This chapter introduces the theme of the book and proposes important reflections for the readers to consider, including more generally how youth build their identity as consumers, how science and media influences this process, and what role education plays in encouraging more ethically-oriented rather than hyper-consumeristic habits.