>> DR. KRISTA HISER IS A
PROFESSOR OF
COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC AT
KAPIOLANI
COMMUNITY COLLEGE WHERE SHE
TEAM TEACHES
A BIOLOGY AND ENGLISH LEARNING
COMMUNITY
COURSE,
DECADE ZERO: UNDERSTANDING THE
SCIENCE AND RHETORIC OF CLIMATE
CHANGE
WITH DR. WENDY KUNTZ.
SHE HAS PUBLISHED
ON COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT,
SERVICE
LEARNING,
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE,
POST-APOCALYPTIC AND CLI-FI
LITERATURE.
SHE'S A RECIPIENT OF THE BOARD
OF
REGENTS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN
TEACHING
AND THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII
PRESIDENT'S
AWARD FOR LEADERSHIP IN
SUSTAINABILITY.
CURRENTLY SERVING AS THE
UNIVERSITY OF
HAWAII'S SYSTEMS SUSTAINABILITY
CURRICULUM COORDINATOR.
DR. HISER'S
WORK IS TO FACILITATE CHANGE
MANAGEMENT,
COORDINATE SUSTAINABILITY
ACROSS THE
CURRICULUM, AND FACILITATE
INTERDISCIPLINARY DIALOG AND
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
OPPORTUNITIES
FOR FACULTY TO UPDATE AND
TRANSFORM
THEIR COURSES.
DR. HISER HAS AN MA IN
ENGLISH COMPOSITION AND
RHETORIC FROM
SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY,
AND A
PHD IN EDUCATIONAL
ADMINISTRATION FROM
THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII.
HER
DISSERTATION: SUSTAINABILITY
PERSPECTIVES OF STUDENTS AS
STAKEHOLDERS
IN THE CURRICULUM,
FOCUS ON HIGHER
EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT.
NOW,
DR. WENDY KUNTZ IS AN ASSOCIATE
PROFESSOR OF BIOLOGY AND
ECOLOGY AT
KAPIOLANI COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND
IS
FACULTY ON THE COLLEGES:
SCIENCE,
TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING,
AND MATH
PROGRAM.
SHE'S ACTIVE IN PROMOTING
PEDAGOGIES TO SUPPORT STEM
EDUCATION AND
SCIENCE COMMUNICATION.
SHE'S TRAINED AS
A RESEARCH SCIENTIST WITH A PHD
FROM THE
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII,
FOCUSED ON THE
BREEDING BIOLOGY OF ONE OF
HAWAII'S
ICONIC FOREST BIRDS.
I HOPE IT'S THE
EEV THAT I HAD A PICTURE OF FOR
LATER ON
IN THE PRESENTATION.
SHE IS
ACCOMPLISHED IN DESIGNING
UNDERGRADUATE
SERVICE AND RESEARCH PROJECTS
THAT
ENGAGE STUDENTS IN
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
BY CONNECTING THEM TO THEIR
COMMUNITIES.
DR. KUNTZ IS A RECIPIENT OF THE
BOARD OF
REGENTS AWARD OF EXCELLENCE IN
TEACHING
AND AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE
HAWAII TEAM
WHERE THE NSF FUNDED SCIENCE
EDUCATION
FOR NEW CIVIC ENGAGEMENTS AND
RESPONSIBILITY PROGRAM.
AS I MENTIONED
EARLIER,
SHE TEAM TEACHES A BIOLOGY AND
ENGLISH LEARNING COMMUNITY
COURSE,
DECADE ZERO: UNDERSTANDING THE
SCIENCE
AND RHETORIC OF CLIMATE CHANGE
WITH DR.
KRISTA HISER.
AND DR. KUNTZ HAS
DEVELOPED AND SERVES AS THE
FACULTY
DIRECTOR OF THE KAI YAMA
PROGRAM AND
INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION
BETWEEN
KAPIOLANI COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND
KANSAI
UNIVERSITY IN JAPAN THAT
EXAMINES
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE SOLUTIONS
AT THE
CAMPUS LEVEL.
DR. KUNTZ IS A LEADER IN
INTEGRATING SUSTAINABILITY
ACROSS THE
CURRICULUM AND CURRENTLY SERVES
AS CHAIR
OF THE FACULTY SENATE
SUSTAINABILITY
COMMITTEE.
SHE'S PRESENTED AT NATIONAL
CONFERENCES ON COURSE REDESIGN
TO ENGAGE
STUDENTS IN SCIENCE LEARNING
AND PROVIDE
TRAINING FOR FACULTY ON WAYS TO
INCORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY AND
CLIMATE
CHANGE INTO THEIR COURSES.
AND, WITH NO
FURTHER A DUE,
YOU ALL HAVE THE FLOOR.
WELCOME DR. HISER AND
DR. KUNTZ.
>>ALOHA.
>>THANK YOU, BRUCE.
WE WANT TO SHORTEN
OUR BIOS OR MAYBE DO LESS
THINGS, I
DON'T KNOW.
WELCOME EVERYBODY TO THE
WEBINAR.
THE LAST TIME THAT WENDY AND I
PRESENTED THIS MATERIAL WAS AT
A
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATORS
SYMPOSIUM HERE
IN HAWAII,
THAT'S WHERE WE MET BRUCE AND
IT WAS THE LAST DAY OF THE
MEETING.
WE'D HAD A KEY NOTE FROM
HAWAII'S TOP
CLIMATOLOGIST TALKING ABOUT
CLIMATE
CHANGE IMPACTS AND HAWAII KIND
OF AN --
WAS VERY SIMILAR TO TODAY'S
COMMUNITY.
THERE WERE A LOT OF INFORMAL
EDUCATORS,
K12 TEACHERS AND COMMUNITY
COLLEGE
PROFESSORS.
AND AFTER THIS KEYNOTE
ADDRESS WE THOUGHT THAT
EVERYBODY WAS
DONE AND THEY WOULDN'T BE
COMING TO OUR
4:30 PM SESSION, BUT IN FACT,
IT WAS
PACKED.
THE SESSION WAS SUPPOSED TO BE
ONLY 30 MINUTES LONG,
BUT PEOPLE STAYED
FOR LIKE AN HOUR AND A HALF.
>>THEY WENT INTO OUR -- WHICH
IN HAWAII
IS BASICALLY IS YOUR TIME FOR
FEAR.
>>SO IT WAS JUST REALLY CLEAR
THAT
TEACHERS OF ALL KINDS,
ALL LEVELS, WANT
TO KNOW MORE ABOUT HOW TO TEACH
MORE
EFFECTIVELY WITH WHAT YOU
ALREADY KNOW.
>>YEAH,
I THINK WHAT REALLY RESONATED
WITH THE GROUP WAS THAT KRISTA
WAS
TALKING ABOUT COMMUNICATING
FROM A VERY
DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE FROM THE
REST OF
US THAT WERE MOSTLY SCIENTIST
FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATORS.
KRISTA WAS THE
ONLY ENGLISH TEACHER,
YOU WERE THE --
EVERYONE'S REALLY HUNGRY FOR
STRATEGIES
ABOUT HOW TO COMMUNICATE
CLIMATE CHANGE
AND UNDERSTANDING RHETORIC IS
AN
IMPORTANT PART OF THAT.
>>SO BRUCE,
I THINK THIS WOULD BE A
GREAT TIME TO RUN THE WHO'S IN
THE ROOM
KIND OF QUESTION.
I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT
PEOPLE TEACH AND AT WHAT LEVEL
AND A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR
DISCIPLINARY
BACKGROUND.
WHILE THE CALLS RUNNING,
YOU KNOW,
I JUST THINK THAT EVERY
SCIENCE TEACHER SHOULD HAVE A
BUDDY FROM
THE SOCIAL SCIENCES OR THE
HUMANITIES
FIELD.
AND I KNOW THAT WHEN I STARTED
GOING TO SCIENCE MEETINGS AND
THEY SAID,
WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE ENGLISH
TEACHER?
I SAID YOU GUYS SHOULDN'T HAVE
TO DO
THIS ALL BY YOURSELF.
I FEEL LIKE, YOU
SCIENCE TEACHERS ARE CARRYING
TOO BIG OF
A BURDEN.
AND I GO TO MANY NATIONAL
MEETINGS AND I TALK ABOUT THIS
AND IT'S
REALLY WHERE THE DISCUSSION IS
AT.
HOW
CAN WE EXPAND CLIMATE EDUCATION
ACROSS
THE DISCIPLINES SO THAT THE
REST OF US
TEACHERS, ARE HELPING SCIENTIST
COMMUNICATE THIS?
AND SO THAT WE ARE
GETTING A MORE MULTI-FACETED
PERSPECTIVE
ON THIS QUESTION OF,
HOW DO WE PREPARE
STUDENTS FOR THE FUTURE THAT
THEY WILL
INHERIT.
IT'S NOT JUST WHAT SKILLS AND
CONCEPTS THEY LEARN IN OUR
CLASSES, BUT
HOW DO WE MODEL FOR THEM
DIFFERENT WAYS
OF THINKING AND BEING AND DOING
AND HOW
DO WE WORK AS A TEACHING
COMMUNITY TO
PROMOTE HOPE AND SELF-EFFICACY
AND
RESILIENCE.
>>SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR
--
>>DID THE POLL RESULTS COME IN
BRUCE?
>>YES.
IF YOU -- CAN YOU SEE THEM ON
YOUR SCREEN?
>>NO.
>>WELL, IF YOU CANNOT,
THEN IT LOOKS
LIKE 20 PERCENT OF OUR
ATTENDEES ARE
ELEMENTARY OR MIDDLE SCHOOL
TEACHERS, 13
PERCENT ARE HIGH SCHOOL
EDUCATORS, 15
PERCENT ARE IN COMMUNITY
COLLEGE OR
FOUR-YEAR UNIVERSITIES AS
EDUCATORS, 34
PERCENT ARE INFORMAL EDUCATORS
AND 18
PERCENT ARE PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
PROVIDERS TO EDUCATORS.
>>FASCINATING,
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
SO
WE'RE GOING TO GIVE AN OVER
VIEW OF OUR
COURSE AND IT'S A VERY -- ONE
OF THE
GREAT PARTS ABOUT HAVING TWO
INSTRUCTORS
FROM DIFFERENT ASPECTS.
FROM THE
ENGLISH SIDE,
FROM THE SCIENCE SIDE THAT
OUR STUDENTS REALLY GET TO SEE
THIS
INTERCHANGE BETWEEN FACULTY.
AND I KNOW
FOR ME IT WAS A LITTLE LIKE
GOING BACK
TO SCHOOL AND GOING BACK AND
LEARNING
SOME OF THE COMMUNICATIONS
TECHNIQUES
THAT I PROBABLY WAS INTRODUCED
TO AS AN
UNDER-GRADUATE BUT HAD
FORGOTTEN.
SO IT
WAS ALSO A CHANCE TO GET TO --
I GOT TO
BE A STUDENT AND ENGLISH CLASS
AND READ
BARBARA KINGSOLVER FLIGHT
BEHAVIOR BOOK,
WHICH WAS REALLY COOL.
>>I LOVE THIS BOOK,
FLIGHT BEHAVIOR.
THE WAY THE MAIN CHARACTER
FALLS IN LOVE
WITH A SCIENTIST WHO COMES OUT
TO
INVESTIGATE THE BUTTERFLY
PHENOMENON.
SHE FALLS IN LOVE WITH THE
SCIENTIST,
BUT I THINK REALLY,
SHE'S FALLING IN
LOVE WITH SCIENCE.
AND I THINK WENDY
READING THAT BOOK WITH THE
STUDENTS IN
OUR CLASS,
I THINK YOU CONVERTED AT
LEAST THREE OF OUR FEMALE
STUDENTS INTO
SCIENCE, DON'T' YOU?
>>WELL,
THEY WERE ALL MOSTLY -- WHEN WE
FIRST TAUGHT THIS CLASS IT WAS
ALL
FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS,
SO THEY WERE ALL
FRESHMEN AND MANY OF THEM
HADN'T DECIDED
WHERE THEY WERE GOING,
BUT IT WAS REALLY
GREAT TO HAVE THEM BE ABLE TO
CONNECT
THE SCIENCE LEARNING WITH THE
ABILITY TO
COMMUNICATE.
AND HEY, I ACTUALLY COULD
BE A SCIENTIST AND THINGS LIKE
READING
BARBARA KINGSOLVER'S BOOK,
KIND OF
OPENED UP DIFFERENT WAYS OF HOW
SCIENCE
WORKS AND WHO A SCIENTIST IS.
SOME OF
OUR STUDENTS BECAME AVID BIRD
WATCHERS
AND ONE'S EVEN PRESIDENT OF THE
ECOLOGY
CLUB.
>>AND THEN THERE WAS THE GUY
WHO CAME
BACK A YEAR LATER AFTER OUR
FIRST
OFFERING OF THE COURSE,
WANTING TO
CHANGE HIS MAJOR FROM
ACCOUNTING TO
BIOLOGY.
YEAH, SO SOMETIMES I MEAN THAT
JUST SHOWS THE RESONANCE OF IT
AND THAT
SOMETIMES WE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE
TO
MEASURE THE LEARNING OUTCOMES
OF A
COURSE LIKE THIS ON THE FINAL
EXAM OR IN
THE SEMESTER,
BUT WE REALLY SEE RIPPLES
WITH THESE GROUPS OF STUDENTS
ACROSS
CAMPUS.
SO TODAY'S AGENDA, WE'RE GOING
TO GIVE YOU A DESCRIPTION OF
OUR COURSE,
WHICH WE CALL DECADE ZERO.
THIS OF
COURSE COMES FROM NAOMI KLEIN'S
WORK AND
REFERS TO THE URGENCY OF THE,
NOW.
AS
WE SET AND THEN PASS MARKERS
LIKE 350
PARTS PER MILLION -- THE PARIS
ACCORD
AND THEN HOW SOME OF THIS IS
ACCELERATING FASTER EVEN THAN
WE THINK.
DECADE ZERO,
WE THINK CAPTURES THAT IN A
COMPELLING WAY FOR STUDENTS.
WE'LL TALK
ABOUT LEARNING COMMUNITIES,
SERVICE
LEARNING AND THE ASSESSMENT
TOOL THAT WE
USE.
AND THEN WENDY IS GOING TO TALK
ABOUT HOW SHE TEACHES THE
EARTH'S ENERGY
BALANCE AND WHY IT'S SUCH A KEY
CONCEPT
FOR TEACHING CLIMATE CHANGE.
>>KRISTA IS GONNA TALK ABOUT
COMMUNICATING CLIMATE CHANGE,
COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIES AND
THEN
BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION.
>>RIGHT,
AND THEN WE'RE HOPING TO LEAVE
A LOT OF TIME AT THE END FOR A
REAL TALK
STORY,
WHICH IN HAWAII IS HOW WE JUST
SHARE OUR EXPERIENCES SO THAT
WE CAN
CREATE MEANING AND BEST
PRACTICES
TOGETHER OUT OF OUR
EXPERIENCES.
SO IT
SOUNDS GOOD?
>>I THINK WE SHOULD GIVE AN
OVERVIEW OF
THE COURSE.
ON THE SCREEN HERE, WE
ACTUALLY HAVE TWO IMAGES,
THE ONE ON THE
LEFT IS THE FLYER THAT WE USED
TO
ADVERTISE THE COURSE -- POSTER
THAT
KRISTA AND I MADE WHICH WILL
UNPACK A
LITTLE BIT AS WE GO THROUGH.
BUT I WANT
TO JUST START BY KIND OF GOING
OVER WHAT
A LEARNING COMMUNITY IS.
SO THIS IS
WHERE TWO DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES
COME
TOGETHER AND WE HAVE A
CONVERSATION AND
THROUGH THE LENS,
USUALLY OF ONE TOPIC,
SO FOR US IT WAS CLIMATE
CHANGE.
IN
THIS COURSE,
WE ACTUALLY HAD -- I'LL
JUST GO BACK A SLIDE,
WE HAD TWO COURSES
-- WE TRIED THIS TWICE AND BOTH
TIME
THERE ARE -- STUDENTS ARE
TAKING SIX
CREDITS.
SO THREE CREDITS OF ENGLISH
100 AND THREE CREDITS OF
BIOLOGY 124,
WHICH IS AN INTRODUCTORY
ENVIRONMENTAL
SCIENCE COURSE.
THE FIRST TIME WE DID
IT IN 2015,
WE HAD THE CLASSES BACK TO
BACK AND THEN IN 2016 WE TRIED
IT WITH
THE CLASSES WITH A LITTLE BIT
OF
SEPARATION.
I THINK BOTH OF US ACTUALLY
PREFERRED THE BACK TO BACK,
BECAUSE IT
GAVE US A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME
WITH THE
STUDENTS.
>>RIGHT.
SO I WAS IN WENDY'S CLASS.
I'VE TAKEN BIOLOGY MANY TIMES
NOW AS A
STUDENT.
SO I WAS IN WENDY'S CLASS AND
SHE WAS IN MY CLASS.
SO STUDENTS GOT TO
SEE US TALKING WITH EACH OTHER,
FREQUENTLY.
IT WAS GREAT MODELING AND
THEN THE KIND OF DOUBLE BLOCK
ALSO GAVE
US TIME FOR GOING OUT ON FIELD
TRIPS.
SO WE WENT TO THE ALA WAI AND
WE WENT
DOWN TO WAIKIKI,
WHICH IS ABOUT FIVE
MINUTES AWAY FROM OUR CAMPUS TO
REALLY
LOOK AT SEA LEVEL RISE.
>>RIGHT,
AND THAT WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE
BECAUSE WE GOT TO MEET EXPERTS
FROM NOAA
AND OFTEN STUDENTS WILL KIND OF
FALL
INTO, I WANT TO SAY VERY SIMPLE
RHETORIC,
WHERE THEY'RE LIKE OH,
WAIKIKI,
WHICH IS OUR BIG TOURIST HUB,
IS GOING TO BE UNDER WATER.
BUT THE
SCIENCE IS ACTUALLY NOT SHOWING
--
THAT'S NOT EXACTLY ACCURATE IN
TERMS OF
THE SCIENTIFIC.
IT WILL -- BUT IT'S NOT
GOING TO BE TEN FEET UNDER
WATER.
>>IN OUR CLASS, OH, SO LEARNING
COMMUNITIES WERE A WAY OF
EMBODYING SOME
OF THE THINGS THAT DR. MARTHA
MONROE
TALKED ABOUT LAST WEEK.
I THOUGHT THIS
WAS A WONDERFUL SYNTHESIS THAT
SHE GAVE
ON EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTIONS
FOR CLIMATE
EDUCATION.
SO ME AND WENDY'S CLASS IS
AN EXAMPLE OF AN EDUCATIONAL
INTERVENTION ON THE FINDINGS
FROM HER
ANALYSIS,
WAS AND I JUST LOVE THIS, THAT
GOOD CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION
IS GOOD
EDUCATION.
IT'S JUST CHALLENGING
TEACHING THIS WAY.
I THINK WE KNOW WHAT
WE NEED TO DO,
IT'S JUST HOW CAN WE HELP
EACH OTHER TO DO IT
EFFECTIVELY.
AND
THEN SOME MORE TIPS THAT SHE
GAVE ARE
LEARNING COMMUNITY COURSE
REALLY GAVE US
A CHANCE TO DO ALL OF THESE --
LIST IS
CONNECTING STUDENTS TO
SOLUTIONS AND
THAT'S XXXX FOR OUR COURSE
SERVICE
LEARNING ALSO WAS A BIG
COMPONENT OF THE
COURSE.
STUDENTS NEED TO SEE MODELS,
ROLE MODELS OF PEOPLE IN THE
COMMUNITY
WHO ARE WORKING TOWARD SOLUTION
AND
ADDRESSING THESE THINGS AS PART
OF THEIR
DAILY WORK.
SO SERVICE LEARNING WAS A
HUGE THREAD ACROSS BOTH
COURSES.
WORTH
CREDIT IN BOTH COURSES.
WENDY AND I
CHOSE FIVE DIFFERENT PROJECTS
AND
STUDENTS WORKED IN GROUPS DOING
STREAM
MONITORING,
WORKING WITH ELEMENTARY
STUDENTS ON THE FOOD FARM --
>>IN THE RAIN GARDEN ON OUR
CAMPUS.
>>YEAH,
SO THEY ALSO GOT ANOTHER ROLE
MODEL WITH THE LEADER OF THAT
SERVICE
LEARNING PROJECT,
SO THAT WAS ALSO VERY
KEY.
AND THEN THIS DISCUSSION GROUP
THAT I SHOW HERE,
THIS WAS SORT OF THE
STRUCTURE OF MY SIDE OF THE
COURSE.
I
HAD THE CLI-FI BOOK CLUB,
WHICH IS WHERE
WE READ THE BARBARA KINGSOLVER
BOOK, AND
BY THE WAY LAST WEEK I LEARNED
ABOUT A
CLIMATE GENERATION BOOK CLUB.
CLI-FI
BOOK CLUB AND I JUST JOINED
THAT ONE SO,
ASK BRUCE ABOUT THAT AFTER THE
SESSION.
THE DISCUSSION GROUP HERE IS
USING THESE
NORTHWEST EARTH INSTITUTE
DISCUSSION
GUIDES THAT I THINK ARE AWESOME
AND
THEIR REALLY USEFUL FOR A
VARIETY OF
READING LEVELS.
I USE THE BOOK CALLED,
CHANGE IS OUR CHOICE.
THESE BOOKS ARE
DESIGNED AS DISCUSSION GUIDES
TO EMPOWER
ORDINARY PEOPLE TO TALK ABOUT
CLIMATE
CHANGE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.
SO I
ACTUALLY USED THIS AS MY TEXT
BOOK AND
AS A MAJOR ASSIGNMENT IN THE
COURSE,
WHICH I'LL TALK ABOUT IN A
MINUTE.
>>-- INTEGRATED COURSE IN TERMS
OF THE
LEARNING COMMUNITY IS THAT WE
WERE
AIMING TO HAVE OUR STUDENTS NOT
ONLY
KNOW THE SIGNS OF CLIMATE
CHANGE, FROM
MY PERSPECTIVE AS AN
ENVIRONMENTAL
SCIENCE EDUCATOR,
BUT ALSO BE ABLE TO
COMMUNICATE THE SCIENCE OF
CLIMATE
CHANGE.
AND SO, THIS IS SOME RESULTS
FROM THE END OF THE COURSE FROM
OUR
FIRST YEAR LOOKING AT -- USING
THAT
STUDENT ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING
GAINS IN
TERMS OF HOW CONFIDENT THEY
FEEL IN
EXPLAINING THE SCIENCE OF
CLIMATE CHANGE
AND HOW -- MAYBE MORE
IMPORTANTLY, HOW
CONFIDENT THEY FEEL IN
COMMUNICATING
THAT WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
SO THIS
WAS -- WE FELT THAT ALL OF OUR
STUDENTS
HAD GAINS OVER THE COURSE OF
THE
SEMESTER.
>>AND THEIR OWN PERCEPTION OF
THEIR OWN
GAINS, WHICH IS GREAT.
THEY HAD A HIGH
LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE.
>>SO WHEN WE STARTED THIS CLASS
I
REORGANIZED THE MATERIAL THAT
AS THE WAY
I USUALLY PRESENT IT FOR AN
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE COURSE.
I SHIFTED
MY COURSE DESIGN TO THE LENS OF
-- HOW I
PRESENTED MATERIAL AND THE
ENTIRE COURSE
WAS THEN PRESENTED THROUGH THIS
LENS.
AND WE STARTED THE COURSE AND
THEN
CONTINUED THROUGH COURSE USING
THE
GLOBAL ENERGY BALANCE.
AND THIS IS A
MODEL THAT WE -- THE STUDENTS
BECOME
VERY COMFORTABLE WITH AND THEY
CAN
EXPLAIN IT, IT'S HANDS ON.
AND IT'S A
TWO-DIMENSIONAL MODEL THAT
REPRESENTS
ALL OF THE MODELS IN CLIMATE
CHANGE.
SO
STUDENTS,
WHEN WE LEARN ABOUT RESEARCH
THAT'S COMING FROM THE IPCC,
ALL OF
THESE MODELS IT CAN BE A LITTLE
DIFFICULT TO GRASP FOR
STUDENTS, BUT IF
THEY START WITH THE
TWO-DIMENSIONAL AND
THEY SEE THE INPUTS AND THE
OUTPUTS FOR
THE GLOBAL ENERGY BALANCE,
THIS ALLOWS
THEM TO REALLY BETTER GRASP THE
KIND OF
COMPUTER MODELING DATA THAT
COMES OUT.
I REALLY WANT STUDENTS TO KNOW
THIS
MODEL.
I KIND OF JOKED THAT THEY
SHOULD
BE ABLE TO DRAW IT ON A
COCKTAIL NAPKIN
BY THE END,
BECAUSE IT BECOMES A TOOL
FOR THEM.
SO WE USE THE MODEL AS THE
TOOL,
IT'S A WAY THAT THEY CAN
DISCUSS
CLIMATE CHANGE WITH OTHER
PEOPLE AND
AVOID GETTING TRIPPED UP.
RIGHT.
SO
SOMETIMES THERE ARE PEOPLE --
IT'S EASY
TO GET TRIPPED UP WHEN YOU'RE
TALKING
ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE,
ESPECIALLY WAYS TO
MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE OR
EXPLAINING
THE CAUSES OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
IF YOU
HAVE THE MODEL IN FRONT OF YOU
AND YOU
CAN DRAW IT,
THEN YOU CAN KIND OF WALK
YOURSELF THROUGH THE PROCESS
AND IT'S
REAL USEFUL TOOL.
>>SO THIS IS WHERE THE LIGHT
COMES IN,
IN ONE'S SPECTRUM.
I'M GOING TO GIVE IT
A TRY HERE WITH MY COCKTAIL
NAPKIN.
AND
THEN SOME OF THAT IS ABSORBED
AND THEN
SOME IS REFLECTED WITH THE
ALBEDO
AFFECT,
THAT'S THINGS THAT ARE WHITE,
LIKE SNOW AND ROOFS.
HOW AM I DOING?
>>YOU'RE DOING PRETTY GOOD,
BUT SEE THIS
IS THE ADVANTAGE IF YOU'VE
DRAWN THIS,
NOW YOU CAN WALK YOURSELF
THROUGH IT,
RIGHT?
SO THIS IS WHERE IT GIVES
STUDENTS THE TOOLS TO KIND OF
--
>>IT'S NOT JUST LIKE A BLANKET?
>>WELL,
THEY CAN USE THIS MODEL TO KIND
OF TALK ABOUT WHAT THE BLANKET
ANALOGY
IS ALL ABOUT; RIGHT?
>>THE COTTON CROCHET BLANKET
VERSUS THE
WOOL BLANKET; RIGHT?
>>YEAH.
>>I'M GETTING BETTER,
I'M GETTING
BETTER.
I'VE REALLY LEARNED A LOT.
I
WANT TO ASK YOU WENDY ABOUT
THIS,
ANOTHER WEBINAR THAT I WATCHED
WITH DR.
JOYCE PARKER,
SHE SAID THAT 12 PERCENT
OF FIRST YEAR STUDENTS,
COLLEGE FRESHMEN
CAN GIVE A REASONABLE
EXPLANATION OF A
MODEL OR A GRAPH SUCH AS THIS,
12
PERCENT.
DO YOU THINK THAT'S GOOD OR
BAD?
>>WELL,
I THINK IT'S ABOUT WHAT I WOULD
EXPECT.
IF YOU WENT TO MANY OF OUR
PRACTICING SCIENTIST, YOU KNOW,
THEY
STILL MIGHT HAVE A LITTLE
TROUBLE
SOMETIMES BECAUSE IF YOU'RE NOT
USING
THE MODEL EVERY DAY,
YOU KIND OF LOOSE
TRACK OF WHAT THE INPUTS AND
OUTPUTS
ARE.
SO IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS IN
OUR
CLASS WE REALLY KEPT COMING
BACK TO THE
MODEL SO THEY WOULD BECOME
COMFORTABLE
WITH IT.
BUT MOST OF OUR STUDENTS
COMING IN HAVE HAD, YOU KNOW,
JUST A FEW
YEARS OF HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE.
AND SO,
YOU KNOW,
THIS IS NEW TO THEM AND BEING
ABLE TO APPLY THAT MODEL IS A
WHOLE
OTHER LEVEL.
>>SO IF WENDY IS TEACHING THIS
EARTH'S
ENERGY BALANCE AND I AM HAVING
STUDENTS
FORM THIS NORTHWEST EARTH
INSTITUTE
DISCUSSION GROUP,
YOU CAN SEE HOW THESE
WORK TOGETHER.
STUDENTS ARE HAVING TO
EXPLAIN CLIMATE SCIENCE AND
TALK ABOUT
SOLUTIONS,
CARBON FOOTPRINT AND THINGS
LIKE THAT WITH A DIFFERENT
GROUP, RIGHT.
AS I'LL TALK ABOUT WHEN I GET
TO
COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIES,
EXPLAINING
SOMETHING TO THE PERSON NEXT TO
YOU IN
YOUR CLASS IS NOT NEARLY AS
HELPFUL AS
-- BOUNDARIES.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, STUDENTS
HAD TO FORM A DISCUSSION GROUP
OF
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN OR A
COUPLE
OF STUDENTS DID GRANDPARENTS OR
ELDERLY.
ONE GROUP CONNECTED WITH A
GROUP OF ESOL
SECOND LANGUAGE LEARNERS HERE
ON CAMPUS
AND THEY ACTUALLY TOOK THEM
HIKING AND
ON SOME OUTINGS AND EXPLAINED
EARTH
ENERGY BALANCE TO THIS GROUP OF
STUDENTS
WHO WERE FROM CHINA.
SO THEY GOT TO LEARN NOT JUST
ABOUT AIR
QUALITY ISSUES IN CHINA,
BUT THEY GOT TO
LEARN WHAT THE CHINESE STUDENTS
UNDERSTOOD ABOUT EARTH'S ENERGY
BALANCE
AND CLIMATE MODELING.
AND THAT'S WHERE
I THINK THE BREAKTHROUGHS COME,
NOT IN
EXPLAINING IT TO SOMEONE IN
YOUR CLASS,
BUT SOMEONE FROM A DIFFERENT
DEMOGRAPHIC.
>>SO TO FOLLOW UP KIND OF ON
THE SCIENCE
AND THE CONVERSATIONS WHEN THE
STUDENTS
ARE HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH
EACH
OTHER,
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT THEY
CAN USE THEIR MODEL TO IDENTIFY
SOLUTIONS TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
AND THAT'S
WHERE I THINK THE POWER OF THE
SCIENCE
CAN BE PULLED INTO THE
RHETORIC; RIGHT?
SO THE STUDENTS CAN POINT --
LEARN ABOUT
PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND LEARN ABOUT
THE
CARBON CYCLE.
THEY LOOK AT HOW THOSE
CONNECT TO THE EARTH'S ENERGY
BALANCE
AND SO,
WHEN YOU BRING UP THINGS LIKE
THE BLANKET AROUND THE EARTH OF
CARBON
DIOXIDE, YOU KNOW,
HOW DO WE MAKE THAT
BLANKET THICKER OR THINNER,
RIGHT?
HOW
DO WE REUSE THE AMOUNT OF
CARBON DIOXIDE
IN THE ATMOSPHERE?
AND THEN THEY CAN
POINT TO DIRECT SOLUTIONS USING
THEIR
UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT HAPPENS
IN THE
CARBON CYCLE.
AND THIS GIVES THEM A LOT
MORE CONFIDENCE WHEN THEY'RE
DISCUSSING
THE SCIENCE AND IT KIND OF
LEAVES,
HOPEFULLY,
THEY'RE CONVERSATIONS WITH A
MORE SOLUTION ORIENTED RATHER
THAN KIND
OF JUST DOOM AND GLOOM.
>>THEY JUST WANT TO -- THE
SCIENCE.
THEY SAY,
WHY AREN'T WE JUST PLANTING
MORE TREES IT SEEMS LIKE AN
EASY
SOLUTION?
SO BRUCE, I HAD A QUESTION
THERE ABOUT WHAT SOLUTIONS ARE
PEOPLE
TEACHING AND THEN THAT I THINK
HELPS US
TO THINK ABOUT HOW WE CONNECT
WHAT WE'RE
TEACHING TO THE SOLUTIONS THAT
WE THINK
ARE GOING TO WORK RATHER THAN
JUST
PRESENTING A PLATE OF POSSIBLE
IDEAS.
WHICH ONE'S ARE WE ACTUALLY
MOVING
TOWARDS?
SO BRUCE, CAN YOU RUN THAT
QUESTION POLL?
>>ABSOLUTELY.
>>THANK YOU.
I REALLY LIKE THE PAUL
HAWKINS NEW BOOK, DRAW DOWN.
IT'S A
BEAUTIFUL BOOK WITH
ILLUSTRATIONS AND IT
TAKES 100 SOLUTIONS,
CLIMATE SOLUTIONS
AND HE ENGAGED A WHOLE TEAM OF
RESEARCHERS TO ANALYZE THE COST
BENEFIT
ANALYSIS AND THE IMPACTS OF 100
DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS AND THEN --
COULD
POTENTIALLY BE A GREAT TOOL IN
THE
CLASSROOM.
YOU LOOK UP A SOLUTION AND
ITS, YOU KNOW NUMBER SIX,
IT'S NUMBER --
EDUCATING GIRLS IS NUMBER SIX
AND I KNOW
THAT'S ALWAYS ONE THAT STUDENTS
ARE
REALLY SURPRISED AT HOW BIG THE
IMPACT
IS.
SO I'D LIKE TO TURN US TO
LOOKING
AT SOLUTIONS IN BOOKS LIKE
THAT.
>>OKAY.
SO WE HAVE THE POLL UP RIGHT
NOW AND PLEASE SELECT YOUR TOP
THREE
OVER HERE.
EITHER, REDUCING EMISSIONS,
DECREASING INDIVIDUAL CARBON
FOOT
PRINTS, PLANTING TREES,
REDUCING
DEFORESTATION, GEOENGINEERING,
TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS OR
SPACE
EXPLORATION,
REDUCING POPULATIONS OR
OTHER.
AND IF YOU SELECT OTHER, FEEL
FREE TO TYPE IN WHAT THAT OTHER
MAY BE
IN YOUR QUESTION PANEL.
WE'VE GOT ABOUT
75 PERCENT OF FOLKS VOTING.
WE'RE JUST
GOING TO LEAVE THIS OPEN FOR
ANOTHER
MOMENT OR SO.
>>AND THAT'S ALSO SOMETHING WE
CAN COME
BACK TO IN OUR TALK STORY AT
THE END.
>>WELL,
WE'VE CLOSED THE POLL AND IT
LOOKS LIKE ABOUT 92 PERCENT OF
FOLKS
FOCUS ON REDUCING EMISSIONS,
DECREASING
INDIVIDUAL CARBON FOOT PRINTS.
67
PERCENT FOCUS ON PLANTING
TREES,
REDUCING DEFORESTATION.
28 PERCENT
GEOENGINEERING, TECHNOLOGICAL
INNOVATIONS, SPACE EXPLORATION.
35
PERCENT FOCUS ON REDUCING
POPULATIONS
AND 18 PERCENT ON OTHER AND
WE'LL SEE
WHAT THAT IS WHEN THEY TYPE IT
INTO
THEIR QUESTION PANELS.
>>GREAT, THANK YOU.
SO WE'LL COME BACK
TO THOSE.
I'M GOING TO DIGEST THAT FOR
A MINUTE AND WE'LL COME BACK TO
THAT.
THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT
SOLUTIONS
THAT WE'RE TEACHING AND KIND OF
HAVE
SOME -- TAKES US WITH ALL OF
THESE
DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS.
I WANT TO SHIFT
GEARS AND SHARE SOME OF THE
RESEARCH ON
CLIMATE COMMUNICATION,
AS A SORT OF
COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC
PERSON.
THIS
FIELD RIGHT NOW IS REALLY HOT
IN TERMS
OF CLIMATE COMMUNICATIONS,
A LOT OF
ENGAGEMENT ABOUT HOW WE CAN
TEACH THIS
AND HOW WE CAN DO THIS BETTER.
THAT
CLIMATE COMMUNICATION IS
GROUNDED IN
NEUROSCIENCE,
SO I WANT US TO START BY
THINKING ABOUT HOW OUR BRAINS
WORK.
WE'RE ALL EDUCATORS,
WE'RE ALL TEACHERS
SO WE UNDERSTAND THE CONCEPT OF
SCHEMA.
WHEN WE'RE GOING TO LEARN
SOMETHING NEW
FIRST WE ACTIVATE OUR PRIOR
KNOWLEDGE
AND THAT IS THE DENDRITES
BECOME
ACTIVATED AND THIS IS HOW WE
ASSIMILATE
NEW INFORMATION BY SORT OF
PAIRING IT TO
THE INFORMATION THAT'S IN OUR
MINDS.
SO
IF YOU HAVE NOT READ,
DON'T EVEN THINK
ABOUT IT: WHY OUR BRAINS ARE
WIRED TO
IGNORE CLIMATE CHANGE,
THIS TO ME IS THE
BEST STARTING POINT.
MOST OF WHAT I
UNDERSTAND ABOUT CLIMATE
COMMUNICATION
BEGAN IN THIS BOOK,
IT'S A REALLY
WONDERFUL INQUIRY.
HE'S BASICALLY
SAYING HOW CAN WE ALL KNOW THIS
AND YET
SEEM SO PARALYZED IN WHAT TO DO
ABOUT IT
AND IT HAS TO DO WITH OUR
BRAIN.
WE
HAVE TWO TYPES OF BIAS THE WAY
THE BRAIN
WANTS TO ABSORB AND CONNECT
INFORMATION,
NEW INFORMATION IS KIND OF
CONFOUNDED BY
CONFIRMATION BIAS AND
AVAILABILITY BIAS.
AND UNFORTUNEATLY BOTH OF THESE
WORK
AGAINST SCIENCE AND
PARTICULARLY CLIMATE
INFORMATION.
YOU KNOW, IF IT'S A
PERFECTLY NICE DAY OUTSIDE THEN
THE
INFORMATION THAT I'M LEARNING
IS SUBJECT
TO -- MAKES SENSE TO MY
COGNITIVE BRAIN,
RIGHT.
NOW,
IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS
WHEN WE'RE BEING SLAMMED BY
MULTIPLE
HURRICANES,
SUDDENLY THE AVAILABILITY
BIAS CHANGES AND PEOPLE START
TO MAYBE
PAY ATTENTION AND THEIR BRAINS
RELAX
BECOME A LITTLE MORE OPEN TO
ABSORBING
ASSIMILATING THAT INFORMATION.
AND THIS
IS ALSO CALLED COGNITIVE
DISSONANCE, HOW
WE KNOW ONE THING AND DO
ANOTHER THING.
HOW WE UNDERSTAND THIS PROBLEM
AND YET
DRIVE A CAR EVERY DAY.
WE ALL ARE
CAUSING THE PROBLEM EVERY DAY
EVEN AS
WE'RE STUDYING IT IN AN
AIR-CONDITIONED
CLASSROOM.
SO IT'S REALLY COGNITIVELY
DIFFICULT FOR US AND YOU ALL
KNOW THAT
DRAWING ATTENTION TO AN
UNCOMFORTABLE,
UNDESIRABLE IDEA BACKFIRES.
AND THE WAY
OUR BRAIN WANTS TO DEAL WITH
THAT IS BY
JUST GRABBING ONTO ITS
CONFIRMED
AVAILABLE INFORMATION.
THE INFORMATION
-- THE PERSON DOING IT IT'S THE
PHYSICAL
BRAIN,
THE NEURAL WIRING WANTS TO DO
THAT.
SO I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WITH A
CLASS OF 35 AND YOU'RE TEACHING
AND ALL
THIS IS GOING ON,
YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE
PROBABLY HAVE STUDENTS WHO ARE
RECORDING
INCORRECT INFORMATION.
SO THAT'S
COGNITIVE SCIENCE.
THEN A SECOND WAY OF
LOOKING AT CLIMATE
COMMUNICATION COMES
FROM CLASSICAL RHETORIC, RIGHT,
ETHOS
LOGOS AND PATHOS.
I THINK THIS WAS THE
PART THAT WENDY REALLY ENJOYED
IN MY
CLASS.
>>WELL,
HAVING TAKEN ENGLISH 100 MYSELF
MANY YEARS PRIOR,
I PROBABLY HAD
FORGOTTEN SOME OF THESE AND SO
IT WAS
REALLY NICE TO SEE HOW WELL
THESE FIT
INTO MODERN COMMUNICATION OF
SCIENCE.
AND IN GENERAL,
SCIENTIST ARE STRUGGLING
WITH HOW DO WE COMMUNICATE THAT
THIS IS
ESPECIALLY CLEARER WHEN WE'RE
TALKING
ABOUT CLIMATE SCIENCE RESEARCH.
>>THAT'S RIGHT,
AND MY BASIC SUGGESTION
IS TO ALWAYS USE AT LEAST TWO
AT ONCE.
THE PROBLEM THAT I SEE
SCIENTIST HAVING
IS A PROBLEM OF ETHOS RIGHT
NOW, IT'S
JUST A COMPLEX ETHOS TO BE A
SCIENTIST.
AND THE WAY THAT SCIENTIST --
WHAT I'VE
SEEN THE WAY SCIENTIST GAIN
ETHOS IS
THROUGH DEVELOPING TRUST AND
THROUGH
BEING IN THE FIELD.
WHEN WENDY'S
STUDENTS ARE OUT KNEE DEEP WITH
HER IN
THE MUD IN MONALOA BAY PULLING
OUT
INVASIVE SPECIES AND MAPPING
THE OCEAN,
SHE HAS AN INCREDIBLE ETHOS AS
COMPARED
TO LECTURING IN THE FRONT OF
THE
CLASSROOM.
SO I THINK THAT ETHOS IS
ALSO STRENGTHENED BY FIELDWORK,
BY
TRUST,
BY CONSISTENCY AND BY REPEATING
YOUR MESSAGE.
PATHOS OR AUDIENCE, HAS
TO DO WITH UNDERSTANDING WHAT
-- AND
WHAT THEY CARE ABOUT.
WE HAVE TWO
EMOTIONS: FEAR AND LOVE.
WHAT DO
PEOPLE CARE ABOUT AND HOW IS IT
GOING TO
BE IMPACTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE
AND WHAT
ARE PEOPLE AFRAID OF AND HOW
CAN WE
SPEAK TO THOSE CONCERNS?
SO IF WE USE
ONE OF THOSE RHETORICAL
STRATEGIES ALONG
WITH THE LOGOS OF THE EARTH'S
ENERGY
BALANCE,
WHICH IS ULTIMATELY VERY
LOGICAL, IT MAKES SENSE.
THEN THE
COMMUNICATIVE VALUE IS
STRENGTHENED,
YEAH,
THROUGH THE RHETORICAL
TRIANGLE.
SO HERE'S AN EXAMPLE,
I'M A LITTLE
SCARED TO EVEN BRING THIS UP
BECAUSE
IT'S SUCH AN INCREDIBLY
SENSITIVE TOPIC,
BUT FROM A COMMUNICATIONS
PERSPECTIVE
THE CONTROVERSY AROUND
VACCINES.
MY
UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THERE WAS
ONE
SCIENTIFIC STUDY IN 1998 THAT
MADE A
CONNECTION BETWEEN THE MMR
VACCINE AND
AUTISM AND THAT THAT STUDY WAS
LATER
RETRACTED.
IS THAT CORRECT; WENDY?
>>YES.
IT TOOK A FEW YEARS, BUT IT WAS
EVENTUALLY RETRACTED.
>>OKAY.
SO HOW DOES ONE STUDY CREATE 20
YEARS OF MISPERCEPTION ABOUT
THIS
CONNECTION,
YET TO AN EXTENT THAT WE'RE
NOW HAVING A MUMPS OUTBREAK IN
HAWAII?
YOU KNOW,
NOT TO GET INTO THE ISSUE, BUT
THIS IS -- WE ACTUALLY USE THIS
EXAMPLE
IN OUR CLASS BECAUSE IT'S VERY
SIMILAR
IN TERMS OF HOW WE'RE ABLE TO
ENGAGE
WITH SCIENCE.
WE CAN'T THINK CLEARLY
ABOUT VACCINES AND AUTISM.
HOW DID THIS
HAPPEN?
WELL, I COMPARE IT TO THE GAME
ROCK, PAPER,
SCISSORS OR WE CALL IT IN
HAWAII,
(INAUDIBLE.) THE PATHOS OF ONE
CHILD WITH AUTISM IS SO -- LIKE
THAT A
SCIENTIFIC EXPERT COULD
PRESENT.
IT'S
SO MUCH STRONGER THAN THAT ONE
PAPER WAS
TAKEN BACK IN 1998,
YEAH THAT PATHOS
OVERRIDES THE LOGOS.
AND THEN THE ETHOS
OF PARENTS MAKING DECISIONS
ABOUT THEIR
CHILDREN'S HEALTH IS JUST SO
MUCH
STRONGER THAN ANY ETHOS A
SCIENTIST
COULD PRESENT.
SO AGAIN, IT JUST KIND
OF OVER WEIGHS AND BECAUSE OF
THE POWER
OF THESE RHETORICAL STANCES,
WE'RE
UNABLE TO SEE CLEARLY THIS
ISSUE TO THE
POINT WHERE WE DON'T EVEN WANT
TO BRING
IT UP BECAUSE IT'S BECOME,
YOU KNOW,
SUCH A TOUCHY SUBJECT.
SO COGNITIVE
SCIENCE AND THEN RHETORICAL
CONCEPTS AND
THEN LASTLY,
EMERGING SORT OF RESEARCH
FROM SOCIAL SCIENCES,
THIS IDEA COMES
ALSO FROM A BIG -- THE WAY YOU
THINK
ABOUT CLIMATE SCIENCE IS ALMOST
-- IS SO
EASY TO PREDICT BASED ON WHO
YOU ARE.
BASED ON YOUR SOCIO-ECONOMIC
STATUS,
LEVEL OF EDUCATION,
WHERE YOU LIVE, WHO
YOU LIVE WITH,
AND WHAT YOUR HOBBIES
ARE.
BASICALLY, AND HOW YOU VOTE
DETERMINES WHAT YOU BELIEVE,
WHAT YOU
THINK, FEEL,
KNOW AND DO ABOUT CLIMATE
CHANGE.
SO THIS IS A CLUSTER OF HOW
PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES
FEEL ABOUT
CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS ALMOST
PERFECTLY
CORRELATED WITH DEMOGRAPHICS AS
I JUST
DESCRIBED.
MOST PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED TO
SOME DEGREE AND CLIMATE DENIERS
ARE
ACTUALLY A VERY TINY,
TINY FRAGMENT, BUT
THIS IS ALSO VERY INTERESTING
RESEARCH
AND SPEAKS TO GETTING STUDENTS
OUTSIDE
OF THEIR DEMOGRAPHIC GROUP AND
THEIR
SOCIAL BELIEF SYSTEM.
AND I THINK IT
ALSO SPEAKS TO HOW WE MIGHT, AS
EDUCATORS,
ENGAGE WITH THAT FAMILY
GROUP.
BECOME MORE INVOLVED WITH
COMMUNITY GROUPS, FAMILIES,
CHURCH
GROUPS, THINGS LIKE THAT.
THAT'S WHERE
STUDENTS GET THEIR KNOWLEDGE,
INFORMATION AND BELIEFS.
SO I'M JUST
GOING TO GO THROUGH SOME
STRATEGIES.
YOU MAY BE READING THIS CLIMATE
COMMUNICATIONS STUFF ON YOUR
OWN, BUT WE
MAY NOT HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT
-- HOW
IS TRANSLATES INTO THE
CLASSROOM.
YOU
KNOW, SO FOR EXAMPLE,
WHAT IF ALL OF US
JUST AGREED THAT WE WOULD NOT
ACCEPT
WHAT I CALL GREEN RHETORIC.
AND THIS IS
THE CONCLUSION PARAGRAPH THAT
SAYS, IF
WE ALL WORK TOGETHER AND PITCH
IN, WE
CAN SAVE THE EARTH ONE PLASTIC
BOTTLE AT
A TIME.
YOU KNOW, I LITERALLY CROSS
THAT -- HOW YOU REALLY FEEL
ABOUT THIS
VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE.
WE JUST CANNOT
ACCEPT THIS TYPE OF GREEN
RHETORIC.
CLIMATE COMMUNICATION TELLS US
NOT TO
RELY ON CHILDREN,
FUTURE OR THE EARTH AS
RHETORICAL STRATEGIES,
THEY ARE TOO
ABSTRACT AND TOO FAR AWAY.
WE WOULD
LIKE OUR THINKING TO BE SEVEN
GENERATION
THINKING,
BUT THAT'S WHERE OUR PROBLEM
LIES SO WE DON'T WANT TO BASE
OUR
COMMUNICATIONS AROUND DOING IT
FOR THE
CHILDREN.
ANY VISUALS THAT WE USE
SHOULD BE CONCRETE AND RELATED
TO DATA.
NO CLIP ART,
NONE OF THE STUFF ON THIS
PAGE, RIGHT, NO POLAR BEARS,
JUST NO
MORE POLAR BEARS RIGHT.
THAT'S WHAT
NAOMI KLEIN SAYS,
THE POLAR BEARS JUST
AREN'T DOING IT FOR ME.
SO FOR AN
EXAMPLE OF WHAT SUGGESTION LIKE
THAT
MIGHT MEAN,
THIS IS A FLYER THAT I WAS
ASKED TO REVIEW AND THE IMAGE
AT THE
TOP,
THE MAP WITH THE OCEAN
TEMPERATURE
DATA IN THERE WAS A CLIP ART OF
A
MELTING GLOBE.
AND I SAID, YOU KNOW,
IT'S NOT MELTING ACTUALLY,
CAN WE USE
SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY MEANS
SOMETHING?
SO IT GOT THEM TO REPLACE THAT
CLIPART
WITH THIS DATA INFO GRAPHIC
THAT AT
LEAST HAS MEANING,
BUT THEY REFUSE TO
TAKE THE TREE GROWING OUT OF A
BOOK OFF
THE FLYER.
SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT
MEANS BECAUSE TREES DON'T GROW
OUT OF
BOOKS,
BUT THAT'S ANOTHER STRATEGY.
USING FACTS WHEN STUDENTS SAY,
WAIKIKI
WILL BE UNDER WATER OR THE
PLANET IS
MELTING,
WE NEED TO BE REPEATING
SPECIFIC FACTS,
WHATEVER THEY MIGHT BE
IN YOUR LOCATION.
YOU KNOW, TWO FEET OF
SEA LEVEL RISE BY THE YEAR 2020
OR
WHATEVER NUMBER IS MOST
COMPELLING FOR
YOU IN YOUR AREA -- IMPACTS.
WENDY
TAUGHT ME LIKE WHEN I FIRST MET
HER
EARLY ON,
SHE TOLD ME THAT SCIENTIST NO
LONGER ENGAGE IN DEBATE.
>>WELL, WE NEVER REALLY DID.
SO THIS IS
SOMETHING THAT COMES FROM THE
SOCIAL
SCIENCES AND THEY OFTEN WANT TO
HAVE A
DEBATE ABOUT A TOPIC,
BUT SCIENCE
DOESN'T WORK BY WHO WINS A
DEBATE PER
SE,
IT'S BASED ON THE PREPONDERANCE
OF
EVIDENCE.
>>THIS IS ANOTHER REASON WE
SHOULD BE
WORKING TOGETHER ACROSS THE
DISCIPLINES
BECAUSE I CAN TELL YOU THAT
THERE ARE
LOTS OF COURSES THAT ARE HAVING
STUDENTS
WRITE PAPERS ON BOTH,
AIR QUOTES HERE,
SIDES OF THIS CONVERSATION AND
THERE ARE
NO SIDES.
THERE IS THE CLIMATE SCIENCE
AND THERE IS THE SOLUTIONS AND
WHAT
WE'RE GOING TO DO.
YOU GUYS MAY OR MAY
NOT KNOW THAT THE TERM,
CLIMATE DENIER,
ACTUALLY IS NO LONGER ACCEPTED
BY THE
AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL
ASSOCIATION.
SO
IN THE STYLE MANUAL,
WHICH IS WHAT WE
TEACH IN ENGLISH COURSES,
THE CORRECT
TERM IS THOSE WHO REJECT
MAINSTREAM
CLIMATE SCIENCE.
AND I THINK THAT'S
ABOUT THE MOST RADICAL THING
THAT THE
APA STYLE BOOK COULD EVER DO.
SO LITTLE
THINGS LIKE THAT.
ALWAYS USING TWO
RHETORICAL STRATEGIES,
TAKING THE TIME
TO ACCESS PRIOR KNOWLEDGE SO
THAT YOU
CAN BE CAREFUL THAT YOU DON'T
REINFORCE
ERRONEOUS KNOWLEDGE.
CONNECTING TO
MEASURABLE ACTIONS AND WORKING
WITH
SOCIAL CONNECTORS.
WHO ARE THE
IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN A STUDENT'S
LIFE AND
HOW CAN THAT PERSON BECOME PART
OF AN
EMERGING UNDERSTANDING ABOUT
CLIMATE
SCIENCE?
FOR STUDENTS ON WHAT I TRY TO
OBSERVE WITH WENDY'S CLASSES,
IS THAT
STUDENTS NEED TO GET THAT
CLEAR,
CONSISTENT EXPLANATION OF THE
EARTH'S
ENERGY BALANCE.
THAT IS THE BEST --
HAPPENING WITH THE SCIENCE.
>>AND THAT OFTEN TAKES
PRACTICE, SO
THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE
SCIENCE
IS THAT BY COMMUNICATING YOU
ACTUALLY
ARE LEARNING THE SCIENCE AND
PRACTICING
IS HOW YOU GET TO YOUR CLEAR
AND
CONSISTENT EXPLANATION.
>>RIGHT.
I ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO CHOOSE
THREE OR FIVE CLEAR FACTS THAT
THEY CAN
UNDERSTAND AND NOT FEEL
RESPONSIBLE FOR
THE WHOLE TOPIC OF
CONVERSATION, BUT TO
KNOW DEEPLY THE ONE THING THEY
CARE THE
MOST ABOUT.
WHETHER IT'S CORAL OR
BEACHES OR ANIMALS OR HUMAN
IMPACTS,
PICK ONE THING AND UNDERSTAND
CLEAR
FACTS THAT YOU CAN REPEAT.
WHAT THE
NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR SCIENCE
AND THE
ENVIRONMENT RECOMMENDS,
IS THAT WE EACH
DEVELOP A CONSISTENT MESSAGE
DELIVERED
FREQUENTLY BY A TRUSTED
MESSENGER.
THIS
IS A FRAMING WORKSHEET THAT I
MADE FOR
OUR CLASS.
I'D BE HAPPY TO SHARE IT
WITH ANYONE AND THE LITTLE
SENTENCES
HERE -- HERE A THROUGH G.
RIGHT.
JUST
AS AN EXERCISE TO HELP STUDENTS
PREPARE
THEIR OWN COMMUNICATION AND
THIS CAN BE
DONE AT ANY LEVEL.
WHAT ARE THEY GOING
TO CONTRIBUTE TO A CONVERSATION
ABOUT
CLIMATE CHANGE?
HOW CAN THEY PICK A FEW
OF THESE THINGS AND FRAME WHAT
THEY WANT
TO CONTRIBUTE IN CONVERSATIONS?
>>AND THIS IS AN ACTIVITY THAT
KRISTA
PULLED OUT OF THE NORTHWEST
EARTH
INSTITUTE, THE SMART.
KIND OF HAVING
STUDENTS GO THROUGH THE SMART
LIST,
BEING SPECIFIC,
BEING MEASURABLE,
ATTAINABLE, RESULT ORIENTED AND
TARGETED.
AND THIS IS A REALLY GOOD
EXAMPLE OF WHERE STUDENTS
REALLY NEED TO
MAKE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN
WHAT THEY
SAY AND THAT GLOBAL ENERGY
BALANCE
MODEL.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS WE WOULD
HAVE STUDENTS DO IS IF THEY
START
TALKING ABOUT CUTTING THEIR
HOME ENERGY
USAGE BY 25 PERCENT,
THEY REALLY NEED TO
CONNECT THAT BACK TO THE
EARTH'S ENERGY
BALANCE, TO THE CARBON CYCLE.
HOW IS
THAT GOING TO CHANGE THE
INPUTS?
IS
THAT GOING TO CAUSE -- WOULD WE
CAUSE A
POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE FORCING OF
THE
MODEL?
IS THAT GOING TO RESULT IN
TEMPERATURES GOING UP OR DOWN?
AND SO,
IT'S REALLY A GOOD TOOL FOR
STUDENTS TO
KIND OF MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS
ALL THE
WAY THROUGH.
>>YEAH.
WE HAVE ONE MORE SLIDE.
THIS
IS OUR RESOURCE SLIDE,
SOME OF THE
THINGS THAT WE MENTIONED OVER
THE COURSE
OF TODAY'S CONVERSATION.
AND I THINK
WITH THIS WE ARE READY TO RUN
THE LAST
QUESTION.
WE SAID WE WERE GOING TO TALK
ABOUT SOME OF THE PROBLEMS WE
HAD WITH
OUR COURSE,
BUT THEN IT WAS SO MUCH FUN
TO TALK ABOUT THAT WE DIDN'T
WANT TO,
BUT --
>>BUT WE'LL ASK YOU YOURS.
>>YEAH.
WE'LL ASK YOU WHAT PROBLEMS YOU
HAVE.
OUR LAST QUESTION, BRUCE IF --
OBSTACLES THAT YOU ALL FACE IN
TEACHING
CLIMATE EFFECTIVELY.
AND THEN WE'LL GO
RIGHT INTO THE Q AND A IF
THAT'S OK WITH
YOU, BRUCE?
>>FINE WITH ME.
OKAY OUR POLL IS UP.
AS WE SEE WHAT OBSTACLE OR
OBSTACLES
PREVENTING YOU FROM TEACHING
CLIMATE
CHANGE EFFECTIVELY.
PLEASE CHOOSE YOUR
TOP THREE ANSWERS AND SELECT
ALL THAT
APPLY.
WE'LL GIVE EVERYBODY JUST ABOUT
A MINUTE OR SO.
AND YOU KNOW HOPEFULLY
YOU'RE ONE OF THE FOLKS THAT
DOESN'T
HAVE TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION.
>>THESE CHALLENGES CAN ALSO BE
LOGISTICAL,
WHICH IS SOME OF WHAT KRISTA
AND I RAN INTO.
>>ONE OF MY CURRENT RANTS IS
ABOUT
WORKLOAD ISSUES.
WHEN I LOOK AT A
COMMUNITY COLLEGE CLASSROOM AND
WENDY'S
WORKLOAD IN PARTICULAR,
WE TEACH A FIVE
FOUR TEACHING LOAD.
WHICH MEANS WE
TEACH FIVE CLASSES IN THE FALL
AND FOUR
COURSES IN THE SPRING.
THIS IS A VERY,
VERY HIGH TEACHING LOAD AND
SOMEONE LIKE
WENDY,
IS GOING TO HAVE MULTIPLE
PREPS.
AND WHAT REALLY GETS ME IS THAT
HER
CLASSROOM IS DESIGNED -- THE
CLASSROOM
AND WHAT SHE SUPPOSED TO COVER
IS
DESIGNED TO HAVE 35 STUDENTS,
WHICH
WOULD BE OKAY,
IF SHE WAS DOING A
LECTURE EVERY DAY,
A MIDTERM AND A FINAL
THAT WERE GRADED BY A BUBBLE
EXAM.
BUT
IF SCIENCE TEACHERS ARE
TEACHING THE WAY
RESEARCH TELLS US WE NEED TO BE
TEACHING,
THEN THAT'S A MISMATCH WITH
THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH THE
TEACHER
IS WORKING.
SO IT REALLY -- I FEEL LIKE
WE SAY, OH,
CHANGE EVERYTHING ABOUT THE
WAY YOU TEACH EXCEPT FOR THE
CONDITIONS
UNDER WHICH YOU'RE TEACHING,
RIGHT?
--
PERIOD THE CLASSROOM AND THE
NUMBER OF
CLASSES IS, I THINK,
THE BIGGEST BARRIER
TO WENDY BEING THE AMAZING
TEACHER THAT
SHE IS.
I SEE HOW MUCH IT TAKES OUT OF
WENDY AND OTHER SCIENCE
EDUCATORS.
THEIR GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND IN
ORDER TO
BE EXCELLENT CLIMATE TEACHERS.
>>AND WE ALSO JUST RAN INTO
LOGISTICAL
CHALLENGES IN TERMS OF
SCHEDULING
LEARNING COMMUNITIES.
RIGHT, SO THERE'S
A LOT OF SUPPORT FOR THE IDEA
OF A
LEARNING COMMUNITY UNTIL IT
COMES DOWN
TO BEING IN TWO DIFFERENT
DEPARTMENTS
WITH TWO DIFFERENT DEPARTMENT
CHAIRS AND
TWO DIFFERENT SCHEDULING
AGENDA'S AND
THAT CAN BE -- TAKE A LOT OF
FINESSING
TO WORK OUT,
BUT IT'S WORTH IT IF IT CAN
BE DONE.
>>OKAY.
WELL, WE'VE CLOSED THE POLL AND
I'VE POSTED THE RESULTS AND IN
FACT, AS
YOU MAY HAVE GUESSED,
59 PERCENT OF OUR
RESPONDENTS NOTED THAT TIME,
WORK LOAD
IS IN FACT ONE OF THE LARGEST
OBSTACLES.
COMING IN SECOND IS THE SUBJECT
OVERWHELMS THE STUDENTS,
THIRD IS THAT
THEY DON'T KNOW APPROPRIATE
WAYS TO
TEACH CLIMATE CHANGE
EFFECTIVELY AND
THEN WITH THE FOURTH,
IS OPPOSITION OR
LACK OF SUPPORT FROM
ADMINISTRATION,
COLLEAGUES OR OTHERS.
AND FINALLY, THEY
DON'T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THE
SCIENCE.
JUST ONE MORE NOTE,
THAT ONE OF OUR
LONG-TERM PARTICIPANTS WROTE
DOWN,
ANOTHER OBSTACLE BEING THAT
STATE
STANDARDS,
THEIR STATE STANDARDS DON'T
FULLY SUPPORT CLIMATE SCIENCE.
AND
BEFORE I TAKE ANOTHER BREATH,
I WANT TO
NOTE THAT A NUMBER OF OUR
PARTICIPANTS
WROTE IN ASKING HOW YOU
ACTUALLY, SORT
OF,
WENT OVER AND ABOVE YOUR --AND
TO
SOME DEGREE YOUR TIME WORKLOAD
ISSUES
AND ANY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT
YOU MIGHT
HAVE,
LIKE YOU KNOW FOR INSTANCE,
JOINING CLIMATE STEWARDS
>>WELL,
INITIALLY IN OUR FIRST YEAR WE
HAD A SMALL SUPPORT,
WHICH ALLOWED ONE
OF US, ME,
TO TAKE SOME WHAT WE CALL,
RELEASE TIME HERE AT MY COLLEGE
SO, I
WAS TEACHING ONE LESS CLASS.
AND IT WAS
REALLY VALUABLE BECAUSE WHAT
THAT MEANT
IS I WAS ABLE TO ATTEND ALL OF
KRISTA'S
CLASSES AND VICE VERSA.
SO WE ACTUALLY
FELT THE LEARNING COMMUNITY
WORK THE
BEST WHEN WE WERE BOTH
PHYSICALLY
PRESENT.
THE SECOND TIME WE TRIED IT,
WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT LUXURY AND
SO WE RAN
THEM AS KIND OF TWO SEPARATE
CLASSES
WITH A PARALLEL KIND OF AGENDA
AND
TRAJECTORY,
BUT WE DO THINK THAT THE
FIRST ONE WORKED THE BEST.
THERE'S
ACTUALLY A REASON WE'RE NOT
TEACHING IT
THIS FALL,
BECAUSE WE'RE TRYING TO
REGROUP AND SEE THE BEST WAY TO
GET US
BACK TO THE WAY WE LIKED IT.
>>I THINK THAT THE VALUE OF
ASSESSING
THOSE BAR CHARTS FROM THE SALG,
THE
STUDENT ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING
GAINES,
AND THE FACT THAT WE WERE
REALLY ABLE TO
SHOW,
LOOK WHEN WE DID IT THIS WAY WE
GOT THESE LEARNING GAINS,
WE GOT THESE
TYPE OF RESULTS,
IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
AND STUDIES LIKE THE ONE THAT
WAS
PRESENTED LAST WEEK ABOUT
EDUCATIONAL
INTERVENTIONS AND THEIR
IMPACTS.
I
THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT
THAT WE
START TAKING THIS CONVERSATION
TO
ADMINISTRATORS,
TO FACULTY UNIONS, TO
SCHOOL BOARDS, PARENTS.
YOU KNOW, HOW
DO WE THINK DIFFERENTLY RATHER
THAN JUST
TRYING TO WORK HARDER,
STAY UP LATER AT
NIGHT, MAKE OUR LESSON PLANS,
YOU KNOW,
BETTER.
DO MORE CONFERENCES WITH
STUDENTS,
INSTEAD OF DOING MORE HOW CAN
WE PUSH ON SOME -- AS AN
ENGLISH
TEACHER,
I FEEL LIKE I HAVE MORE
FLEXIBILITY.
I NEED SOMETHING FOR
STUDENTS TO WRITE ABOUT AND
THIS IS ALL
GREAT MATERIAL FOR WRITING AND
CRITICAL
THINKING.
THERE IS NOTHING BETTER THAN
CLIMATE CHANGE AND
SUSTAINABILITY FOR
CRITICAL THINKING.
SO FOR ME, I AM MUCH
MORE FLEXIBLE AND A LOT OF
HUMANITIES,
SOCIAL SCIENCE PEOPLE HAVE A
LITTLE MORE
FLEXIBILITY.
THEY HAVE LESS ISSUE OF
COVERAGE IN THE CURRICULUM,
PERHAPS,
THAT MIGHT NOT BE THE CASE IN A
K12 TYPE
SITUATION,
BUT THAT'S WHERE PARTNERING
ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES WITH OR
WITHOUT
AN ACTUAL LEARNING COMMUNITY
CAN REALLY
HELP.
AND THAT'S ALSO WHERE
PARTNERING
WITH INFORMAL EDUCATORS THROUGH
SERVICE
LEARNING OR OTHER WAYS OF
BRINGING IN,
YOU KNOW,
YOUR NATURE CENTER PEOPLE.
THOSE ARE AMAZING ASSETS,
HOW CAN WE USE
TEACHERS FROM OTHER -- OF
SCHOOLS TO
SUPPORT OUR SCIENCE -- THE
ENDEAVORS OF
OUR SCIENCE FACULTY,
MAKE IT A LITTLE
EASIER BY WORKING TOGETHER,
SYNERGIZING.
>>I WAS JUST GOING TO ADD THAT
I THINK
ANOTHER WAY TO SELL IS REALLY
THROUGH
THE LENS OF PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
BECAUSE I THINK BOTH OF US
LEARNED QUITE
A BIT ABOUT EXPANDING OUR OWN
DISCIPLINES THROUGH THE
LEARNING
COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES.
SO AS KRISTA
MENTIONED,
I REVISITED THE THINGS LIKE
THE RHETORICAL TRIANGLE AND
HAVE
INCLUDED THAT,
EVEN TO SOME DEGREE, IN
THE COURSE WITHOUT KRISTA AS A
CO-INSTRUCTOR,
BUT I THINK TOO YOUR
SCIENCE BECAME A LITTLE MORE
RIGOROUS IN
TERMS OF YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF
CLIMATE
CHANGE AND BEING ABLE TO
EXPLAIN IT.
YOU KNOW IT'S -- I THINK
THROUGH THE
LENS OF PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT IT'S
ALSO A WAY WE CAN MOVE LEARNING
COMMUNITIES BACK INTO THE
TEACHING
LANDSCAPE, HOPEFULLY.
ANY MORE
QUESTIONS, BRUCE?
>>OH YEAH,
WE'VE GOT MORE THAN A FEW.
>>WE'RE NOT SEEING THEM, SO.
>>RIGHT.
SO YEAH, I JUST WANT TO GIVE
YOU SOME TIME TO ANSWER THAT.
IN
ADDITION TO THESE RESOURCES,
BY THE WAY,
THAT KRISTA AND WENDY HAVE
PRESENTED ON
THE SCREEN,
I HAVE ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
THAT HAVE BEEN MENTIONED DURING
THEIR
TALKS AND SOME SLIDES
AFTERWARDS IN
ADDITION TO SOME OTHER
ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR
THOSE OF YOU WHO CAME A LITTLE
BIT LATE.
ONE OF OUR ATTENDEES MENTIONS,
DO THE
LEARNING GAINS THAT YOU
RECEIVED
TRANSLATE INTO PERMANENT
BEHAVIOR CHANGE
OR ACTION?
I MEAN, HAS THERE BEEN ANY
STUDY IN THIS AREA OF COURSE
LEARNING IS
THE FIRST STEP TO SUCH CHANGE?
AND BY
THE WAY FOR ANYONE ELSE,
PLEASE AT THIS
TIME FEEL FREE TO TYPE ANY
QUESTIONS
THAT YOU HAVE INTO YOUR
QUESTION BOXES
AND WE'LL GET TO THEM SHORTLY.
>>I DON'T THINK -- WE DIDN'T --
WE
HAVEN'T HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO
DO KIND
OF A FORMAL ASSESSMENT.
INFORMALLY,
MANY OF THOSE STUDENTS BECAUSE
OF OUR
FIRST TIME DOING THIS IN FALL
OF 2015,
MANY OF THEM ARE STILL WITH US
NOW
FINISHING UP AS SOPHOMORE'S OR
GETTING
READY TO TRANSFER AS KIND OF
PRE-TRANSFER JUNIORS.
AND SO, FOR THE
ONE'S THAT WE DO SEE ON A
REGULAR BASIS,
I THINK THEY ALL -- EVERY TIME
THEY SEE
ME THEY START TALKING ABOUT
CLIMATE
CHANGE,
WHICH IS JUST KIND OF AN
INTERESTING THING,
AS I WALK AROUND
CAMPUS.
AND SEVERAL OF THEM HAVE BECOME
INVOLVED WITH OUR CLUBS HERE ON
CAMPUS.
AND YOU KNOW,
I DON'T THINK IT -- IT
WOULD BE ACTUALLY A GREAT STUDY
TO KIND
OF FOLLOW UP WITH THEM NOW,
TWO YEARS
LATER.
>>WE HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION,
WHICH IS
ASKING ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT YOU
WOULD
ANALYZE THE STUDENT MODELS THAT
YOU
MENTIONED DURING THE COURSE?
YOU
MENTIONED THAT THEY WERE
COLLECTED AT
VARIOUS POINTS IN TIME.
>>YES,
SO THE STUDENT'S KIND OF REFINE
THEM OVER THE COURSE -- HARD
FOR TWO OR
THREE WEEKS AND THEN ON THEIR
-- ONE OF
THEIR FIRST EXAMS,
THEY ACTUALLY HAVE TO
REPLICATE ONE FROM MEMORY.
IT WAS AN
INTERESTING COMPARISON BECAUSE
I HAVE
DONE THIS IN STAND-ALONE
ENVIRONMENTAL
SCIENCE CLASSES AND THEY DID
COME OUT
BETTER IN THE LEARNING
COMMUNITY COURSE.
IT'S A LITTLE HARD FOR ME TO
SAY BECAUSE
WE ALSO EMPHASIZE IT A LITTLE
MORE IN
THE LEARNING COMMUNITY,
BUT THEY SCORED
VERY HIGH ON BEING ABLE TO
REPLICATE IT
FROM MEMORY.
AGAIN, IT WAS THE IDEA IF
YOU HAVE THAT MEMORIZED TOOL
AND YOU CAN
KIND OF PULL THAT OUT OF YOUR
TOOL KIT
AND USE IT IN A CONVERSATION OR
IN AN
EXPLANATION IN A WRITTEN ASPECT
ON
CLIMATE CHANGE.
>>YOU KNOW WE HAVE ONE QUESTION
HERE
FROM AN INDIVIDUAL WHO ACTUALLY
ENGAGES
IN PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
WITH
EDUCATORS AND SHE ASKED IF YOU
COULD
RECOMMEND HOW TO REACH OUT AND
REACH
ENGLISH TEACHERS OR PROFESSORS
REGARDING
CLIMATE CHANGE?
>>THAT IS A REALLY GREAT
QUESTION.
I
STARTED ATTENDING THE
ASSOCIATION FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES AND
SCIENCES.
IT'S A MEETING OF MAINLY
ENVIRONMENTAL
STUDIES TEACHERS.
THE FIRST TIME I
WENT,
I ACTUALLY WENT WITH WENDY AND
I
GOT HOOKED BECAUSE THAT'S
REALLY WHERE
THIS INTERDISCIPLINARY
CONVERSATION IS,
I THINK, BEGINNING.
HOW TO REACH OUT TO
THEM?
WELL, A LEARNING COMMUNITIES
INITIATIVE WOULD JUST BE
AWESOME.
I'M
CONSIDERING -- I'M LOOKING AT
HOW TO
HELP SCIENTIST FIND THAT BUDDY
FOR THE
PURPOSES OF DOING
PRESENTATIONS.
YOU
COULD START WITH GUEST
LECTURES,
INVITING A SCIENCE TEACHER INTO
AN
ENGLISH CLASS.
MAYBE CO-SPONSORING A
FILM AND LEADING A DISCUSSION
AFTERWARDS
WITH A HUMANITIES SCHOLAR OR AN
ARTIST
AND A CLIMATE SCIENTIST.
COMING UP
OCTOBER 9 THROUGH 15,
IS CLIMATE
EDUCATION WEEK,
SO THERE'S KIND OF AN
OPPORTUNITY THERE TO DO
SOMETHING LIKE A
FILM WITH A PANEL OF THREE
DIFFERENT
TEACHERS TALKING ABOUT IT FROM
THEIR
PERSPECTIVE.
ANOTHER HUGE PROJECT THAT
I WORK ON,
IS SUSTAINABILITY DESIGNATION
PROJECT,
THIS WOULD APPLY IN HIGHER
EDUCATION,
BUT FINDING TEACHERS WHO
TEACH WRITING COURSES,
PSYCHOLOGY, ART,
SOCIAL SCIENCE, PSYCHOLOGY,
ECONOMICS.
I CAN GO ON AND ON,
FINDING THOSE
TEACHERS -- THE DESIGNATION.
THIS IS
ANOTHER PROJECT THAT WE'VE
DONE, I THINK
INCREDIBLY SUCCESSFULLY ACROSS
THE
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII SYSTEM,
TO GIVE
THOSE TEACHERS WHO ARE HAVING
STUDENTS
WRITE THESE RESEARCH PAPERS
ABOUT
CLIMATE CHANGE.
LET THEM KIND OF RAISE
THEIR HAND AND SAY OH, I WANT A
SUSTAINABILITY DESIGNATION ON
MY COURSE
AND THEN THAT DRAWS THEM INTO
THIS PURE
TO PURE PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
CONVERSATION WHERE THEY GET TO
ENGAGE
WITH SCIENCE FACULTY.
SO THAT'S ANOTHER
PROJECT THAT I WORK ON THAT I'D
BE HAPPY
TO TALK WITH ANYBODY ABOUT.
>>AND IN CASE ANYONE IS
WONDERING OF
COURSE BOTH DR. HISER AND
DR. KUNTZ'S
BIO'S AND EMAIL ADDRESSES ARE
LOCATED IN
THE GOOGLE ARCHIVE WEBSITE,
THE NOAA
CLIMATE STEWARDS GOOGLE WEBSITE
THAT I
GAVE OUT INFORMATION ABOUT AT
THE
BEGINNING OF THIS BROADCAST,
AS WELL AS,
COPIES OF THIS PRESENTATION
WHICH YOU
CAN VIEW AND DOWNLOAD FROM THAT
SITE.
ANOTHER QUESTION THAT WE HAVE
IS FROM A
VIEWER AND THEY ASKED IF YOU
COULD
DESCRIBE THE BALANCE BETWEEN A
MESSAGE
OF HOPE AND STATISTICS/FAQS?
SO FOR
EXAMPLE,
THERE WILL BE MORE PLASTIC THAN
FISH BY 2050 OR THE OCEAN WILL
BE OUT OF
SEAFOOD IN 30 YEARS.
BY THIS PERSON
MENTIONS THAT THEY WORK IN THE
NON-PROFIT SECTOR AND SEE GREEN
RHETORIC
USED FREQUENTLY.
FOR EXAMPLE, SAVING
ONE BOTTLE OR ONE STRAW AT A
TIME.
IF
YOU COULD GIVE ACCESS OR MORE
EXAMPLES
THAT MIGHT BE MORE EFFECTIVE.
>>THIS IS ALWAYS ONE OF THE
TOUGHEST
THINGS FOR ANY EDUCATOR.
WE FACE THIS
IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND
YOU WANT TO
ALSO AVOID WHAT SOMETIMES AN
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE TEACHING
IS
CALLED, ISSUE FATIGUE.
AND I THINK ONE
OF -- THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE
TOPIC.
AND
THIS IS WHERE I'LL GO BACK TO
THAT
EARTH'S ENERGY BALANCE OR
UNDERSTANDING
THE CARBON CYCLE,
IS WHEN STUDENT'S GET
A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF THAT
ASPECT
INSTEAD OF ME GIVING THEM
SOLUTIONS THEY
HAVE TO DERIVE SOLUTIONS USING
THAT
SCIENCE.
AND IT'S NOT -- IT'S A TOUGH
SITUATION WE'RE IN,
SO IT'S NEVER GOING
TO BE STRAIGHT FORWARD,
BUT ONCE THEY
START SEEING THAT THERE ARE
THINGS YOU
CAN DO TO MITIGATE THE AMOUNT
OF CARBON
DIOXIDE BEING EMITTED TO THE
ATMOSPHERE
AND THAT WILL HAVE CONSEQUENCES
IN TERMS
OF GLOBAL TEMPERATURES OR
WHAT'S CALLED
A NEGATIVE FORCING.
THOSE BECOME MUCH
MORE REALISTIC, RIGHT,
AND SO THIS IS
WHERE I KIND OF SAID UNDER THAT
SMART
BALANCE WHEN STUDENTS TELL US
OR TELL
ME,
WE'RE GOING TO EAT MORE LOCAL
FOOD,
THEN THEY HAVE TO MAKE THAT
CONNECTION.
WELL, HOW DOES THAT REALLY,
YOU KNOW, TO
AVOID IT JUST BEING A GREEN
WASHING
SITUATION,
HOW DID THAT CONNECT AND THEN
THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH -- COST
IF I
DON'T HAVE TO SHIP IT TO HAWAII
THEN
THAT IS GOING TO MEAN LESS CO2
AND THEN
THAT'S GOING TO RESULT IN A
CLIMATE
FORCING RATHER THAN A NEGATIVE
FORCING
RATHER THAN WHAT WE CALL
POSITIVE
FORCING,
WHICH IS AN INCREASE IN THE
TEMPERATURE.
SO IF THEY CAN KIND OF GO
THROUGH ALL OF THOSE STEPS,
IT BECOMES,
FOR A LOT OF STUDENTS OTHERWISE
THEY
DON'T MAKE THAT CONNECTION AND
THEN THEY
KIND OF DROP OFF.
WELL, WHY IS IT EVEN
IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW,
REALLY DOES IT MAKE
A DIFFERENCE,
BUT IT'S A TOUGH ONE.
OCEAN POLLUTION IS EVEN HARDER
I THINK,
BUT YOU KNOW AGAIN IT'S GOING
BACK TO
WHERE'S THE SOURCE?
HOW DO WE REDUCE AT
THE SOURCE?
A LOT OF THE DATA SHOWS
THAT OCEAN PLASTICS ARE COMING
FROM
ACTUALLY TERRESTRIAL SOURCES
BEING
WASHED INTO OCEANS AND SO HOW
DO YOU
MITIGATE THERE.
>>I THINK,
IT MAYBE SOUNDS OBVIOUS, BUT
WE HAVE TO BE MORE VISIBLE
ABOUT WHAT WE
ARE DOING.
WHAT'S OVERWHELMING IS
STUDENTS ARE LIKE,
WHY SHOULD I -- WHEN
I SEE IT ALL OVER THE PLACE.
IT'S THAT
COGNITIVE DISSONANCE WHEN WE
DON'T SEE
OTHERS DOING IT.
SO IF WE SHIFT OUR
GAZE TO, YOU KNOW,
ORGANIZATIONS LIKE
NOAA AND PEOPLE WHO ARE
STARTING
NONPROFITS AND BUSINESSES.
AND, YOU
KNOW,
FIND -- IT SOUNDS OBVIOUS IT
SOUNDS CLICHÉ,
BUT WE DON'T MAKE THOSE
SOLUTIONS AS VISIBLE AS WE
COULD.
>>YEAH,
I'M ALSO GOING TO PUT ANOTHER
PLUG IN FOR SERVICE LEARNING
AND WE KIND
OF DIDN'T GO AS DEEP INTO THAT
BECAUSE
YOU CAN SPEND A WHOLE WEBINAR
ABOUT WHAT
SERVICE LEARNING IS,
BUT THAT'S THIS
PEDAGOGY WHERE STUDENTS ARE
INTERACTING
IN THE COMMUNITY AND MAKING,
YOU KNOW,
REAL DIFFERENCES.
AND EVEN IF THERE
SMALL,
LIKE WORKING ON -- WE HAVE
STUDENTS THAT WORK WITH A
PROGRAM THAT
DOES BEACH CLEAN-UPS.
THEY START TO
ACTUALLY COUNT AND CATALOG THE
TYPES OF
PLASTICS, THEY CAN MAKE SOME
SUGGESTIONS, LIKE WOW,
50 PERCENT OF THE
TRASH IS FROM CIGARETTE BUTTS.
YOU
KNOW,
SO THEY CAN START THINKING
ABOUT
HOW -- FOCUS ON SMOKERS AND HOW
DO WE
GET THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT
THEIR
CIGARETTES ARE DISPOSED OF
PROPERLY.
WE'VE HAD STUDENTS GO THROUGH
THIS IN
SOME OF THE CLASSES WE JUST
LIKE PULLING
THAT EXAMPLE OUT,
BUT THE SERVICE
LEARNING ASPECT REALLY IS ONE
OF THE
WAYS THAT YOU CAN KIND OF GO
AWAY FROM
THE GLOOM AND DOOM TO KIND OF
HOW CAN
YOU MAKE A POSITIVE IMPACT IN
YOUR OWN
COMMUNITY.
>>YEAH,
HOW DO YOU BECOME A CHANGE
AGENT.
YOU WANT STUDENTS TO MEET OTHER
CHANGE AGENTS AND HAVE THIS
TRANSFORMATIVE MOMENT,
THIS LIKE, AH-HA
MOMENT.
AND IT'S KIND OF LIKE, THE MORE
YOU GO INTO IT THE MORE IT
UNFOLDS AND
THERE'S SO MUCH POSITIVE ENERGY
I THINK
IN THIS GENERATION AND IN
STUDENTS WHO
ARE WORKING FOR CHANGE.
SO CONNECT THEM
INTO THAT CHANGE COMMUNITY,
I THINK IS
THE BEST THING THAT WE DO FOR
THEM.