GEOETHICS IN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABILITY AND ITS TEACHING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

• Type: Article in International Conference Proceedings Book
• Date: 2015

Authors

Clara Vasconcelos (Author) FCUP; Torres, J (Author) Other; Vasconcelos, L (Author) Other; Moutinho, S (Author) Other

Conference proceedings International

Title: ICERI2015: 8TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF EDUCATION, RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

Pages: 2555-2560

8th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (ICERI)

Seville, SPAIN, NOV 16-20, 2015

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 0 Citations

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00P-C0E

Abstract (EN): For some years Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has overlapped or at least coincided with the conceptual knowledge of Environmental Education. Indeed, the environmental pillar of sustainable development has been receiving the teaching focus whereas the economic and social pillars require further reflection and concern. At the same time, Geoethics is evolving at a faster pace and with strong links to the three pillars of Sustainable Development. Geoethics is a recent and emerging field that aims at the following: to promote the sustainable use of natural resources; to foster accurate information regarding natural hazards; to promote the social role of Geosciences; to guide policy makers towards a more sustainable development path; to contribute to the development of more environmentally friendly technologies; to bring about awareness of the importance of the geological heritage; to contribute to the accuracy of the information conveyed by Geosciences museums; to implement rigorous scientific studies; to promote links between the scientific community and society; and to create educational resources related to these principles. These purposes highlight the environmental and social responsibility of geologists, clarifying their contribution to the resolution of problem situations that are susceptible of generating social conflicts when searching for a more sustainable future. In addition, the need for appropriate protocols, issues of scientific integrity and the demand for code of good practices - regarding the study of the abiotic world - are also addressed by this discipline. The concept of Geoethics gained relevance in several international conferences in the last two decades. Studies on planetary geology (lato sensu) and astrobiology also require a geoethical approach. This definition introduces other relevant aspects such as the promotion of the social role of Geosciences in terms of raising awareness of the importance of geological heritage, and its relation with formal and non-formal educational institutions so as to assist an accurate conveyance of scientific information. In order to analyze the relations between Sustainable Development and the teaching of Geoethics across the curriculum, an interview-based study was carried with eight teachers from elementary, middle and secondary schools. The interviews were conducted by two members of the research team and were audio taped for a better and more reliable transcription. Content analysis was subsequently established with the help of the Q.S.R. N Vivo 10 qualitative data analysis package. Results showed that teachers consider that there are many themes aligned with the curriculum where this approach can be developed. For example, teachers seem to consider rather easy to integrate concerns related to Geoethics within the teaching of socio-scientific issues.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 6