I spent the weekend learning at the Green Schools National Conference, and I had some time to think about infusing Education for Sustainability into our schools and how the ideas play with the Next Generation Science Standards. The new standards are a great set of ideas to spark conversations surrounding what is important in science education, but it seems like it is impossible to construct simple standards. Is there ever a time when science could be as simple as studying three things? More and more, it seems like science education could be about the deep study of food, water, and energy.
It sounds too simple, but it comes from the idea that if we are hoping to grow students that have the drive, passion, and ability to solve the complex problems of our planet, then there doesn't seem to be any more pressing issues than how to feed 9-10 billion people, how best to share the precious and scarce resource that is fresh water, and the national security concerns surrounding energy. In a time when providing excellent instruction is more and more complex, it makes some sense to really synthesize the breath of the content that we are bringing into our students. Would we be OK with science being food, water, and energy? What am I missing?
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