Teaching Environmental Education through Contentious Environmental Issues

From Biological Sciences Academic Forums

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Dr. Mark Newton
Faculty, Department of Science Education
CSU, Chico

Dr. Mark Newton feels strongly about the importance of scientific literacy in a population, citing the quote, “Democracy is enhanced when all citizens are equipped to confront and evaluate socio-scientific issues knowledgably and rationally.” (Hodson, 2009, p. 6). He expresses concern that, according to the National Science Foundation, only 7.6 percent of bachelor’s degrees awarded in the United States in 2015 were in the natural sciences. Dr. Newton then presents a pedagogical model for science education – the use of contentious environmental issues. For an example of this, he uses the topic of the reintroduction of wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains of the United States.

Recorded: February 9, 2018

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Teaching Environmental Education through Contentious Environmental Issues

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