Schoobio: Increasing Biocultural Diversity and Climate Resilience on School Grounds through Student Civic Engagement

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Date
2024-04-23Author
Wilson, Shari L.
Publisher
International School Ground Alliance (ISGA) conference, Hasselt, Belgium
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We are experiencing an international loss of species, with fragmented habitats and climate change primary causes. Biodiversity loss impacts the cultures of many people, as our culture is how we experience the value of nature intrinsically and through provision of ecosystem services. While schools exist in almost every community, most do not manage their grounds for biodiversity or climate resilience. Through a new global curriculum, Schoobio, middle and high school students participate in transdisciplinary activities culminating in their advocacy for biocultural diversity and climate-friendly management on their school grounds. Interacting with other students through a website portal, they share biodiversity data and come to better understand other cultures, as well as their own, and how they relate to nature. The foundation for this innovative curriculum is a biocultural diversity knowledge system (including Traditional Ecological Knowledge) and authentic, experiential, place-based learning. Development of this curriculum is the doctoral dissertation project of the author and examines the questions of how curriculum can affect ecological change on school grounds and what impact learning about biodiversity and culture has on students’ attitudes about representing these concepts on their school grounds. Students use tools and technology to map their grounds, collect biodiversity data, use their maps and data to design their ideal bioculturally diverse and climate-friendly school grounds, learn from local professionals and neighborhood residents, and present their ideas to school and community leaders. The curriculum has been created using Universal Design for Learning, which offers numerous ways for students to access the lessons and express their own thoughts and capabilities. Instructional strategies are focused on learning from the student's perspective, within a 5E Learning Model tying everything together under the Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate framework. The curriculum has been designed to be flexible and use commonly-found materials so that it is accessible to schools around the world. In this session, attendees will participate in curriculum activities and explore the Schoobio.earth website, focusing on what constitutes an ecological school ground that reflects the cultural diversity of their students. Working in groups, the attendees will consider how the activities could fit into their own curriculum in a transdisciplinary manner. They will reflect on how the curriculum could lead to greater understanding of the intrinsic and ecosystem values placed on nature by different cultures, resulting in greater community commitment to environmental sustainability and focus on environmental justice.
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http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/85179Type
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