I hope you enjoyed my Vlog!

Eco-literacy needs to be given much more attention in school settings so we can ensure children are given the opportunity to learn and be immersed in the natural world. As a society, we must refrain from always painting animals in a happy joyful environment and begin to dig a bit deeper as to how to get the message across in an age-appropriate fashion. We needn’t be scared to share the truth with our children as it is their generation and the ones after them that are being given the difficult task of trying to reverse some of the environmental damage left to them by previous generations.

This unprecedented time in history is upon us and we need to act now before it is too late…

‘This is … the great challenge of our time: to create sustainable communities, ie social and cultural environments in which we can satisfy our needs and aspirations without diminishing the chances of future generations.’ (Capra, 1997:4)

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For my developmental project, the areas I wanted to improve were…

• Reading more

I have definitely been reading more. I am really trying to focus on core pieces/articles and collating information to compare and contrast them. By doing this, I have managed to improve the quality of my critical and analytical skills which has definitely improved the content of my writing. I still struggle to find much time due to my busy schedule but when I do read, I feel I am more focused on what’s important and skipping over the information I don’t necessarily need.

• Improve my note taking and file my work

I have been using One Note in all subjects and by doing this I have become more organised and efficient. I am going to continue doing this in Year 2 of my degree and beyond. To be honest I haven’t really filed my work, but have put it into separate folders, not necessarily in the correct order. This is why One Note has been so fantastic for my work and organisation.

• Expand my glossary

I have been adding to my glossary but not as much as I would like and this is something I plan to work on next year.

In conclusion, I feel I have partially achieved my targets but need to continue to improve my note taking skills and be more efficient with my time. I have enjoyed this project and the extra reading it entailed has evoked a certain passion for eco  literacy which I wasn’t necessarily expecting.

Thank you for reading my Vlog. I hope you have enjoyed it!

References

Bigger & Webb, W. (2010) Developing Envionmental Agency and Engagement Through Young People’s Fiction. London: Routledge.

Capra, F. (1997) The Web of Life. London: Harper Collins.

Garrard, G. (2005) Ecocriticism. London: Routledge.

Gifford, T. (2000) Pastoral, Anti-pastoral, Post-pastoral . London: Routledge.

Stribbe, A. (2012) Animals Erased: Discourse, Ecology and Reconnection with the Natural World. Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press.

The Tiger who came to tea is an incredibly famous and popular children’s book.  However, some might argue it teaches the child nothing about the endangered species, the tiger, and even worse shows them to be almost human.  Although it seems a sweet enough story, the point is it’s totally miseducating young children about tigers as a species.  It hits none of the eco-critical points I have raised in my other posts.

This is the truth about the awe-inspiring tiger…

Tigers are on the endangered species list.

There are 3900 tigers in the world.

Affected by: Illegal wildlife trade , Human wildlife conflict , Habitat loss and fragmentation.

The beautiful tiger is one of the world’s most iconic animals. However, wild tiger numbers dropped by more than 95% since the beginning of the 20th century. Now, for the first time in conservation history, their numbers are on the increase.

When we depict any endangered species in a human context, we are missing an opportunity to really teach children the truth behind that animal and its place on our planet.  It is important we get this message across to ensure this magnificent creature doesn’t become extinct.

The Gaia hypothesis (theory) demonstrates  the seminal work of James Lovelock.  This theory proposes that the biosphere and the physical components of the Earth are closely integrated to form a complex interacting system that helps the Earth maintain its correct climate for optimal habitat of life.

http://https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/23/one-in-eight-birds-is-threatened-with-extinction-global-study-finds

Empowering Young Readers

Environmental responsibility is encouraged when young people are brought face-to-face with dilemmas and contested values, and encouraged to make up their own minds.  Engaging with fiction is a mechanism for this and can offer young people different perspectives and role models to consider.‘ (Bigger & Webb, 2011:409)

When we look at children’s literature in an ecocritical sense, there are certain aspects that should be present…

• (Literature that inspires) awe in attention to the natural world.
• The recognition that our inner nature can be understood in relation to external nature.
• An awareness of both nature as culture and culture as nature.

(Gifford, 2000:221).

• Narratives attempt to reconnect the reader with nature, so encouraging greater protective agency.
• Are ‘post-pastoral’, accurately informed by science, balancing intellectual engagement and emotional appeal.
• Highlight the dependence of the human species upon healthy ecosystems while sounding an alarm  call about ecosystemic fargility
• Propose alternative stories of partnership ethic and environmental sustainability.
• Attempt to provide pleasurable narratives which are accurately informed by science, and which balance intellectual engagement with emotional appeal.

(Gabriel, 2017)

So often, children’s literature depicts to the young reader a pleasant and happy picture of the world around them.  In this scenario, seemingly complex problems are often fixed easily, usually by some kind of magical intervention.  Although it can be difficult to explain and expose young children to the harsh reality of our current environmental problems, it seems prudent to acknowledge that as we try to navigate our way through this unprecedented time in history, surely it makes more sense to educate children about the reality of the environment and the world around them.  If we fail to do this, then we miss the opportunity to educate them and as a result are unable to implement changes to their attitudes and habits.

Being eco literate means seeing the world as an interconnected whole , where we understand that all living systems support each other.  ” The ecosystems of the natural world are sustainable  communities of plants, animals and microorganisms.  There is no waste in these ecological communities, one species’ waste being another species’ food.  Thus matter cycles continually through the web of life.  The energy driving these ecological cycles flows from the sun, and the diversity and cooperation among its members is the source of the community’s resilience.  Being ecologically literate means understanding the basic principles of organization of ecological communities and being able to embody them in the daily life of human communities” (Capra, 2014).

Capra states that ‘ ..environmental concerns have become of paramount importance. We are faced with a whole series of global problems which are harming the biosphere and human life in alarming ways that may soon be irreversible.’  Capra goes on to say that ‘ our problems must be seen as different facets of one single crisis, which is largely a crisis of perception.  It derives from the fact that most of us, and especially our large social institutions, subscribe to the concepts of an outdated world view, a perception of reality inadequate for dealing with our overpopulated, globally interconnected world.’

‘Ecocriticism is unique amongst contemporary literacy and cultural theories because of its close relationship with the science of ecology.  Ecocritics may not be qualified to contribute to debates about problems in ecology, but they must nevertheless transgress disciplinary boundaries and develop their own ‘ecological literacy’ as far as possible’ (Garrard, 2004:5).

Why should we teach narratives that are more eco-literate?

• Climate change
• Environmental degradation
• Mass increase in human population
• Rapid species loss
• Survival

(Hayden, 2017)

MASS EXTINCTION

Professor Robart May states that ‘the impending sixth mass extinction will be unique in the history of the planet, being the first to result not from environmental changes as such, but rather from the extraordinary population growth and associated activities of one single species. Homo sapiens now sequester for its own use somewhere between 25% and 50% of all terrestrial net primary productivity.  This state of affairs is without precedent, and in this sense makes the coming extinction spasm qualitatively different from all previous ones’ (May et al, 1995:20).

In this video you will see how our lifestyle is damaging our children. Children are not connected with nature anymore and are more connected to their tablets and phones.  This is creating a generation of children who are living sedentary lifestyles and in turn, are suffering from more anxiety and depression than ever before.  It is acknowledged that spending time in nature can have long-term positive effects

children and their mental state as well as their physical health.

‘…contact with nature is a critically important part (of stabilising children’s lives).’

‘…a research study at the University of Illinois has suggested that contact with nature can have a significant ‘detoxing’ effect on children with attention deficit disorders and the greener the setting, the greater the relief.’

Research from Tokyo found that 529.6% of children living within the city had ‘never seen a sunset or sunrise’

Palmer (2006:47) cited in Hayden (2017).

‘Western culture (is) suffering increasing alienation from the natural world’ (Stribbe, 2012:168)

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https://youtu.be/Blc1mU4cd6Y

For my developmental project I have chosen to research Eco-literacy as it’s a subject I feel very passionate about.  My main criteria for my project when I originally set my targets was to find time to read and study more as I am under serious time constraints having a large family and a baby.  I have enjoyed immersing myself in this topic and I feel it’s a subject that needs to be given attention.  I have also been trying to use One Note more as I have been finding it hard to file any paper documents.  Another area I have been working on is expanding my glossary of useful words.

I hope you enjoy my Vlog…

https://youtu.be/h0EsEzh0CDk