TY - GEN
T1 - The blue planet earth systems approach (BEPESA) for the study of water related systems
AU - Ben-Zvi-Assaraf, O.
AU - Orion, N.
AU - Ronen, D.
PY - 2008/12/1
Y1 - 2008/12/1
N2 - This paper calls for an environmentally-oriented program that is based not only on environmental education towards awareness, but a program that helps develop environmental insight and understanding. The Israeli chapter of the IHP and the Israel National Commission for UNESCO present the Blue Planet Earth Systems Approach (BEPESA). The main goal of BEPESA, presented here, is to encourage junior-high school students to develop system-thinking as a basis for environmental literacy. BEPESA is an earth system-based curriculum package focusing on water-related issues in an environmental context. It has been applied and tested in Israel since 2000 in association with cognitive-based research that disclosed unusual positive results. High order thinking skills, such as system thinking skills, can indeed be taught at the junior high-school level, leading to considerable gains in students' reasoning and abilities. Furthermore, students involved in the learning process through knowledge integration activities, scientific inquiry, and with a concrete connection with the outdoor learning environment, achieved meaningful improvement in their systems-thinking skills.
AB - This paper calls for an environmentally-oriented program that is based not only on environmental education towards awareness, but a program that helps develop environmental insight and understanding. The Israeli chapter of the IHP and the Israel National Commission for UNESCO present the Blue Planet Earth Systems Approach (BEPESA). The main goal of BEPESA, presented here, is to encourage junior-high school students to develop system-thinking as a basis for environmental literacy. BEPESA is an earth system-based curriculum package focusing on water-related issues in an environmental context. It has been applied and tested in Israel since 2000 in association with cognitive-based research that disclosed unusual positive results. High order thinking skills, such as system thinking skills, can indeed be taught at the junior high-school level, leading to considerable gains in students' reasoning and abilities. Furthermore, students involved in the learning process through knowledge integration activities, scientific inquiry, and with a concrete connection with the outdoor learning environment, achieved meaningful improvement in their systems-thinking skills.
KW - Earth science education
KW - Sustainable development
KW - System thinking
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=58449136616&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2495/CENV080151
DO - 10.2495/CENV080151
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:58449136616
SN - 9781845641085
T3 - WIT Transactions on the Built Environment
SP - 161
EP - 168
BT - COASTAL ENVIRONMENT 2008
T2 - COASTAL ENVIRONMENT 2008: 7th International Conference on Environmental Problems in Coastal Regions
Y2 - 19 May 2008 through 21 May 2008
ER -
