14:00 - 14:20
1.C.1. Incorporating the Principles of Participatory Decision Making into Environmental Education
Yuka Hashimoto
University of California, United States of America

This paper discusses findings from qualitative research into the learning experiences of undergraduate students who enrolled in an environmental education course at University of California, Berkeley. The environmental education course has been in existence for over thirty years and not only teaches about principles of ecological sustainability, social justice and democracy but also incorporates those principles into the way the course is taught. Students co-create their own learning based on democratic decision making and are given the power to assess their own grades. Students are also encouraged to participate actively in civil society. A major activity of the course involves students going into the community and engaging in projects they have designed ­- which address certain aspects of environmental issues. The study explored both the short and long term impacts of the course through field observations and semi-structured interviews with the students currently taking the course and with alumni. The findings indicate that through the course, students gain knowledge, commitment and practical skills that enable them to play more informed and active roles in creating a sustainable society. The paper discusses the significance of such learning in higher education.

 

Download paper (pdf, 100kb) and presentation (pdf, 350kb)

 

---

14:20 - 14:40
1.C.2. Instituting Social Values in Higher Education: A Case of Graduate Study in Social Entrepreneurship
Kriengsak Chareonwongsak
Harvard University's Center for Business and Government, Thailand

The inculcation of social values in learners, particularly those at the tertiary level, is very important. This is because tertiary graduates constitute a group of people with tremendous influence on national development. In the past, social values education has taken place through various approaches, with varying levels of success. A number of issues have been identified. For example, the teaching methods are not diverse and have been too abstract. It is proposed that the teaching of Social Entrepreneurship (SE) can create or change learners' social values. This paper describes various methods for teaching SE, including lecture-based, case-based, visual-based, guest-based, participation-based, practice-based, and project-based teaching. Social Entrepreneurship has not yet been taught in Thailand. Research into the teaching of SE will have the benefits of improving the quality of SE teaching and of making the concept of SE more well-known in Thailand, thus laying the foundations for developing business entrepreneurship with a social development dimension.

Download paper (pdf, 90kb) and presentation (pdf, 140kb)

---

14:40 - 15:00
1.C.3. On the Value of the Historical Approach in Science in Integrating a Gender Perspective
Rhodora Angela F. Ferrer
St. Scholastica's College, Philippines

In the past ten years, the global science community has seen the "gender issue" gain greater prominence. International science policy bodies are recognizing that women should be equal participants, implementers, and shapers of science and technology, and they are recognizing the right of women to benefit equally from the applications of science and technology. The gender issue is particularly relevant in Science and Technology Education where there is an apparent under representation of women. The reasons for this are varied, including differences in how boys and girls learn, gender-biased curricula and textbooks, and negative attitudes of teachers. To "reclaim for women was has been denied them" involves deconstructing scientific knowledge in order to clean it of its gender bias. Such deconstruction can result in a revised view of the nature of science, its methods and processes. It will also reclaim for women and other marginalized groups their rightful place in the history of science. To legitimate those elements of scientific culture that have been "denied because they were defined as female" opens up a discourse that shakes the very core of what is science and scientific. This paper addresses the value of the historical approach in integrating the gender perspective into science. It takes the position that incorporating gender into a historical approach to science concepts, principles and theories contributes to understanding the nature of science and scientific inquiry. This paper also examines how incorporation of gender considerations influences the broader culture and ethos of science, humanizes science, and includes the social context of science.

Download paper (pdf, 160kb) and presentation (pdf, 1.3mb)