Product Description
The conservation of biological diversity depends on people's knowledge and actions. This book presents the theory and practice for creating effective education and outreach programs for conservation. Jacobson, McDuff, and Monroe describe an exciting array of techniques for enhancing school resources, marketing environmental messages, using mass media, developing partnerships for conservation, and designing on-site programs for natural areas and community centers. Vivid case studies from around the world illustrate techniques and describe planning, implementation, and evaluation procedures, enabling readers to implement their own new ideas effectively. Conservation Education and Outreach includes twelve chapters illustrated with numerous photographs showing education and outreach programs in action, each incorporating an extensive bibliography. Helpful text boxes provide practical tips, guidelines, and recommendations for further exploration of the chapter topics. This book will be particularly relevant to conservation scientists, resource managers, environmental educators, students, and citizen activists. It will also serve as a handy reference and a comprehensive text for a variety of natural resource and environmental professionals. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent outreach resource
I have used this as a supplementary for a science outreach service learning group.The book provides a good overview of different techniques needed for informal science education.The sections under each topic concerning planning and implementing are well done.The attention to these activities is often lost in enthusiasm for projects, so it is good to remind readers of the amount of work that goes into a project before it is ready for presentation.It is a good resource. ... Read more

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Ecological education has become increasingly important with the realization that the world's environmental problems cannot be solved without action from the global population. This book reviews progress and communicates ideas and strategies for incorporation of environmental education into formal and informal education.It encompasses a variety of approaches and examples from both developed and developing countries. ... Read more

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Students’ Experiences of e-learning in Higher Education helps higher education instructors and university managers understand how e-learning relates to, and can be integrated with, other student experiences of learning. Grounded in relevant international research, the book is distinctive in that it foregrounds students’ experiences of learning, emphasizing the importance of how students interpret the challenges set before them, along with their conceptions of learning and their approaches to learning. The way students interpret task requirements greatly affects learning outcomes, and those interpretations are in turn influenced by how students read the larger environment in which they study. The authors argue that a systemic understanding is necessary for the effective design and management of modern learning environments, whether lectures, seminars, laboratories or private study. This ecological understanding must also acknowledge, though, the agency of learners as active interpreters of their environment and its culture, values and challenges.

Students’ Experiences of e-learning in Higher Education reports research outcomes that locate e-learning within the broader ecology of higher education and:

• Offers a holistic treatment of e-learning in higher education, reflecting the need for integrating e-learning and other aspects of the student learning experience
• Reports research on students’ experiences with e-learning conducted by authors in the United States, Europe, and Australia
• Synthesizes key themes in recent international research and summarizes their implications for teachers and managers.

Customer Reviews (1)

Scholarly, informative and thought-provoking
This is a great read. Ellis and Goodyear have collated much of the pertinent research about e-learning in higher ed and produced an informative and thought-provoking text. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Another great NSTA book
This book has fantastic inquiry based ecology activities. I ordered mine from the NSTA and I started using it the moment I got it. I teach at a school that is entirely ELL and have had little success using inquiry in the past, but have had great success with the activities that I have used so far. The lesson plans are detailed and provide all the assistance you could ask for as well as great worksheets. They are easy to use, don't require a whole bunch of supplies and are clear and concise. ... Read more

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Trade Paperback. Conservation/American Indian Culture. An important contribution to the body of indigenous cultural knowledge and a way to secure its continuance. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Essential Read
This book reminds readers that indigenous wisdom is not necessarily disjunct from formal education. There are critical intersections.

Wisdom resurfacing
Cajete's book is a fine work, that incorporates traditional Native American practices into the modern world.I recommend it to all teachers and students and American history for within the pages are academic,creative, and wholestic ways to approach learning and living. The bookclearly sparkles with Native American philosophy/religion (ecosophy)whichthought provokiing and clearly stated. The text weaves the traditionalsymbols and Indigenous American social customs into the modern educationalpractices of the USA. Respectful, multifaceted and interesting read. ... Read more

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Praise for Harnessing America's Wasted Talent

"President Obama offered America and the world renewed hope for a better tomorrow. With decades of experience in alternative forms of higher education, Peter Smith grabs that optimistic spirit and seizes the moment to reveal to us the exciting age of Web-based teaching and learning, which is opening access to untold numbers of learners while harnessing the previously wasted talents of millions of people in America and billions around the world. Those seeking insights, a vision of the future, and a chance to join this educational revolution should look forward to Harnessing America's Wasted Talent."
—Curtis J. Bonk, professor, Indiana University, and author, The World Is Open: How Web Technology Is Revolutionizing Education

"Anyone who wants to understand where American higher education is headed should read Harnessing America's Wasted Talent. Peter Smith's vision of the future of higher education is based on several decades of experience—at the national, state, and international levels. He brings a rare perspective that will interest students, educators, politicians, and those American business leaders who are worried about the future of our workforce and the health of our democracy."
—Charles Kolb, president, The Committee for Economic Development

"Harnessing America's Wasted Talent is a must-read for those of us concerned about the increasing economic and education gaps in our country. Peter Smith takes on an important American disconnect: the need for an educated workforce and the fact that most working Americans lack a college degree. Drawing upon his experience in higher education and politics, Smith dissects the problem and presents a contemporary, practical plan to enhance the learning capacity of our country."
—Joseph B. Moore, president, Lesley University ... Read more

Product Description
Classroom teachers, home school educators, naturalists - anyone committed to teaching children about the world in which they live will appreciate these 230 illustrated pages of activities with worksheets and plans for a single lesson or a broader ecology unit. Includes chapters and background info on Geology, Climate, Forest, ABCs of Ecology and Watersheds. Includes interdisciplinary approaches to link curriculum areas together to meet state curriculum goals. Designed for classroom teachers, home school educators, naturalists and nature center volunteers. Lessons geared for 3rd - 8th grade levels, with some appropriate for younger and older grade levels. Created from the first-hand experience of the Ferry Beach Ecology School staff on Maine s coast. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Excellent resource for educators
I work at a municipal resource center and frequently reference this book to help me plan my field trips, camps, and homeschool lessons.I was fortunate enough to work at Ferry Beach Ecology School for a season.This book truly is a "best of Ferry Beach" all in one neat little book.The best part of the book is the introduction preceding the activities in each section.Most books for nature exploration just give disjointed activities.This book gives a comprehensive overview of the topic followed by suggested lesson plans (with multiple activities and guiding questions) and thorough explanations of the activities.

An excellent guide, and I am so happy to see it for sale on Amazon!

Amazing Resource for Learning about the World!
Fantastic resource for any educator!!!

The Ferry Beach Ecology School takes a very engaging, narrative approach to ecology education that helps students access ecology concepts through multiple disciplines.Having used this curriculum many times, I have seen from experience how these activities and the overall teaching approach connect my students with the world around them and even get them excited about ecology!

Where sustainability is such a complex issue to approach with students, I also appreciate the "Food for Thought" and "Connections" curriculum, which approaches sustainability as applied human ecology. This makes SO much sense and makes the subject of sustainability approachable, understandable, and teachable!

Heartily recommend this amazing resource!

Amazing Resource!
Ferry Beach Ecology School has the knowledge and skills to engage kids in science.This is an amazing resource for teaching ecology.I highly recommend it for formal and informal educators.FBES - you are phenomenal!

Great science resource for hands on activities!
This book was recommended by a colleague of mine last summer when teachers at my school were trying to incorporate more hands-on science into our curriculum.As a principal, I am always looking for more ways to help get our students outside during the day.We have a great schoolyard, but teachers were hesitant to mix time on the playground with learning.It was a blast to see students learning about niches and adaptations while playing the game "Red Squirrel Grey Squirrel" and teachers were amazed that our small piece of land was enough to find signs of animals during one of the scavenger hunts!

ABCs of Ecology a great classroom resource!
I was a 4th grade teacher when I first discovered this book.I remember thinking, "Holy cow!Someone created a hands-on, outdoor-based science curriculum that's classroom and teacher friendly!"The "ABCs of Ecology" is an incredible resource to introduce and support your study of general life and earth science.Ecology serves as an effective organizing concept for any systems based instruction, and this guide is a valuable asset to any science curriculum.Buy this book! ... Read more

Product Description
Children naturally are fascinated by the world around them, exploring the make-up of their world, including the animals, plants, and organisms that inhabit it, at an early age. Hands-On Ecology develops children's fascination with their world by giving them a front-row seat in the exploration of various ecological habitats. The book gives teachers the tools they need to create an extensive, in-depth study of ecology, including background information on ecosystems, how to set up a hands-on study of their local ecosystem, a look at how human populations affect the environment, and viable ways classrooms can contribute to conservationism.

Grades 3-5 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A guide filled with activities for parents, babysitters, educators, and home schoolers
Gifted intervention specialist Colleen Kessler presents Hands-On Ecology: Real-Life Activities for Kids, a guide filled with activities for parents, babysitters, educators, and home schoolers meant to teach conservation and environmentalism to kids in grades 3-5. Featuring in-depth activities for Earth Day, some hands-on classroom suggestions include building a mini-woodland habitat, basic composting, crafting a milk carton birdfeeder, studying photosynthesis, and much more. Black-and-white illustrations and reproducible activity forms round out this excellent educational supplement. ... Read more

Product Description
For over twenty years the public has been led to believe that there is a serious educational response underway regarding the environmental problems of the earth. It is not true. The environmental movement has been led astray:+ trivialized by mainstream education+ diluted by those with other agendas+ co-opted by the very agencies and industries that have contributed so much to the problems

This book proposes another direction--an alternative that many environmental leaders and teachers around the world have already taken. It is called The Earth Education Path, and anyone can follow it in developing a genuine educational program made up of magical learning adventures.

Earth education aims to accomplish what environmental education set out to do, but didn't: to help people improve upon their cognitive and affective relationship with the earth's natural communities and life support systems, and begin crafting lifestyles that will lessen their impact upon those places and processes on behalf of all the earth's passengers.

If you care about the health of our troubled planet, then you should read what this internationally known educator has to say about how we lost a whole generation of teachers and leaders and what you can do to help them find their way again. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Take the good, ignore the bad
If you can overlook the illustrations of black-eyed mushroom-headed gnomes (what's that about, anyway?) and "in-your-face" style, this book has a few good gems.I wish the author didn't seem to clobber everything around him,and my gut says it shouldn't take well over 300 pages to convey the information, but in the end I think this book will probably have some effect on my nature-education volunteer work.

Earth Education is the answer
I borrowed this book from a highschool teacher while I was teaching grade 5 in an international school, hoping to find some new ways to get across to students important aspects of environmental systems.What I came away with was a totally new and oh so comfortable way of looking at the world.More importantly, I was teaching it to children in a way that I hope will stay with them forever. Environmental education always seemed too clinical for me.Here was something that resonated and created a paradigm shift in me as a person sharing this planet with countless other forms of life.It is a view I now show my own children who happily express their wonder and reverence for nature.Thank you for this book!! I have recommended it to others and would love for it to be required reading by all educators.

A few good points, but narcissistic
I can't totally bash this book because Van Matre did have several ideas that should be incorporated into Environmental Ed (especially 'avoid twenty questions' and 'removing disguises').But it was so tiring to slog through his ego trip.The first chapter does nothing but denigrate every existing EE program that Van Matre could think of.Nothing is good enough for him, and he doesn't even allow that many of these programs do have positive points as well as negative.The second chapter basically says, "thank goodness I have come along, for you were all wandering blind without me!"Finally, starting in about the third chapter, VM starts to expound on his ideas.Scattered throughout are distracting anecdotes that, taken together with the first 2 chapters, only make him appear more egotistical.He included several cute gnomish illustrations and fancy fonts, so the book does have some visual appeal.However, for an environmentalist, there was one thing about his book that puzzled me... Why did he leave a 2 1/2 inch margin along one side of the text?To make the book look longer?Many times there is just one illustration in this huge blank space.Shouldn't an environmentalist be trying to save paper by using as much of a page's surface as possible?If you are interested in EE, I think you should definitely read this book AFTER the first 2 chapters.But don't bother buying it if you don't have to.Look for it in a library first.Failing that, buy it used for as cheap as possible.

Environmental education at its best...magic and clarity...
Everyone working in the field of environmental education should read this book as a foundation for methodology, philosophy and the true spirit of why we do what we do.

Steve Van Matre is a visionary, with a deeply rooted commitment to teaching children how to love nature and act responsibly in it's honor. His books create an understanding that EE is not just science education, nor is it just holding hands and singing the garden song. EE is about a relationship with and responsibility to the ecological systems and their magical life giving, spirit renewing mysteries.

This book provides insight into the author's sometimes abrasive, usually entertaining and sometimes painfully honest view of how EE should and should not occur. Van Matre gives simple descriptions of natural systems and the educational process called earth education.

Earth education is a series of carefully crafted outdoor learning experiences with lots of theatrics, teaching tools materials, and clearly defined outcomes. The author strongly protests "activity" based programs like Project Wild and Project Learning Tree, and the idea of integrating EE into classroom curriculum is without value or success in his view. Van Matre's program promotes immersion into nature, carefully designed learning experiences using hooks and experiential activities with goals and teasers that inspire children to return and learn more.

Van Matre's ecological concepts, teaching style and strong opinions are a foundation for many environmental programs world wide. I see his influence within programs that don't realize they are using his materials.

Not only is this book inspirational and timeless, but an important reminder to not give in to all the pressures that would cause us to integrate, white wash, compromise and otherwise lose track of our goals. ... Read more

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In this study the author begins with the ecological, economic and cultural dimensions of the environmental challenge in education and then applies this discussion to a critique of three philosophies of education (back-to-basic, progressive and holistic). ... Read more

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The articles in this collection examine the issues arising from the use and abuse of the term "ecology" in environmental education to encourage ecologists to become more engaged with education at all levels. Although great efforts have been made to improve understanding of the environment via programs offered by educational establishments, government agencies and others, it is sometimes perceived that environmental "education" actually entails the "advocacy" of particular values and beliefs. ... Read more

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Ecological Education in Action celebrates the work of innovative educators in North America who explore ecological issues in school and non-school settings. These educators demonstrate how to reshape the thinking of children and adults to affirm the value of sufficiency, mutual support, and community.

Courses in environmental education often focus on scientific analysis and social policy--not cultural change. Children are exposed to information regarding environmental problems and explore such topics as endangered species, the logging of tropical rainforests, or the monitoring of water quality in local streams and rivers. Some adopt manatees or whales, or create school-wide recycling programs. These topics and efforts are without question commendable, however, missing is a recognition of the deeper cultural transformations that must accompany the shift to a more ecologically sustainable way of life.

Contributors to this volume describe courses, programs, or projects that are transformative in nature, aimed at engendering the experience of connectedness that lies at the heart of moral action. The first six chapters describe educational efforts in K-12 schools throughout North America. The next six chapters consider the work of people in higher education and non-formal educational settings and their attempts to instill an ecological perspective into the learning of college students and adult community members. The book thus creates an image of what an ecologically grounded form of education for our own era could look like. ... Read more

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Covering the key questions of how to develop diversity in education, this is a book for policy-makers, teachers, governors and parents to use to bring about positive change. Leading educationists from Britain and the USA give the case for diversity of school provision. Three case studies from Christian, Muslim and Steiner schools give guidance on the problems of "opting in" to the state system. The rights of parents, children and teachers to greater choice with a more equitable state system are thoroughly explored. The book arose from the Oxford University 1995 conference on educational choice and freedom in Europe. Features of the book include: information about greater diversity and choice amongst state-supported schools in the USA, Holland, Denmark and Germany; state schools are shown how to free themselves from the National Curriculum and gain extra resources as a result; useful addresses, contacts and resources are provided; the rights of pupils, parents and teachers to freedom of education and state funding as stated by the European Parliament, the UN and the UK Parliament; and suggestions as to what parents, teachers, officials and pupils can do as next steps. ... Read more