Leading team:
- Prof. Nir Orion
Project team:
- Lena Eyov
- Ron Ben Shalom
- Orit Ben-Zvi-Assraf
- Tamar Basis-Katzman
- Yossi Gudovich
- Jeff Dodick
- Yaniv Dubowsky
- Molly Yunker
- Carmit Cohan
- Ronit Laub
- Shira Libarty
- Hila Lernau
- Noam Leshem
- Osher Merhav-Fishzang
- Yael Kali
- Tamar Shechter
Brief
Stimulation of the learning instinct through the Earth system approach.
Among the primary aims of the Earth Sciences Group is the development of the holistic Earth Systems Educational Approach, which serves as a powerful framework for the development and implementation of our curriculum. This approach incorporates several key factors:
- The integration of the outdoor learning environment as a primary component of the learning process;
- A model for the integration of learning environments through inquirybased learning;
- The development of environmental insight through a holistic Earth systems approach;
- The holistic emotionalsocial-cognitive model.
The Integration of these components has led to the development of the Learning Instinct Theory, which disputes the essentialist–reductionist paradigm.
The research evolution of the Earth Science Education Group indicates that the Earth Systems Approach has the potential to greatly stimulate the learning instincts of students by introducing them to the relevance of the subject matter to their personal everyday lives. Once this instinct is active, students cooperate more readily, engaging in inquiry-based learning of their own volition. Consequently, students develop higher-order thinking skills – such as the ability to discern between an observation, a conclusion and an assumption; to think on a geological timescale (“deep time”); and to engage in spatial thinking, three-dimensional thinking, and systems thinking.
Further reading:
- Orion, N. (1994). A short-term and long-term study of a science investigation in geology used by non-science high school students. Research in Science & Technological Education. 12(2), 203-223.
- Kempa, R. F. and Orion N. (1996). Students' perception of cooperative learning in earth science fieldwork. Research in Science & Technological Education. 14, 33-41.
- Orion, N. (2002). An earth systems curriculum development model. In: Mayer, V. (Ed.), Global science literacy. Dordecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer.
- Ginat, H. and Orion, N. and Geinosar, T. (2005). High school student’s research project in earth sciences as a pedagogic tool (Israel). NZ Science Teacher. 110, 5-10.
- Orion, N. and Cohen, C. (2007). A design-based research of an oceanography module as a part of the Israeli high school earth sciences program. Journal of Geographie und ihre Didaktik. 4, 246-259.
- Orion, N. (2007). A holistic approach for science education for all. Eurasia journal for mathematics, science and technology education. 3, 99-106.
- Orion, N., Ben-Menacham, O and Shur, Y. (2008). Raising scholastic achievement in minority-reached classes through earth systems teaching. Journal of Geosciences Education. 55, 469-477.
- Ben-Zvi Assaraf, O., Eshach, H., Alamour, Y. and Orion, N. (2012). Cultural differences and students’ spontaneous models of the water cycle: A case study of Jewish and Bedouin children in Israel. Journal of Cultural Studies of Science Education. 7, 451-477.
- Orion, N. (2016). Earth systems education and the development of environmental insight. In: Vasconcelos, C. (Ed.), Geoscience Education: Indoor and Outdoor. Springer.
- Orion, N. (2017). The relevance of earth science for informed citizenship: Its potential and fulfillment. In: Leite, L., Dourado, L.G.P., Afonso, A.S. and Morgado, S.F. (Eds.), Contextualizing teaching to improving learning: the case of Science and Geography. Nova science publishers.
- Orion, N. (2018). The Israeli Earth science education in schools. In: Greco, R. and Almberge, L. (Eds.), Earth Science Education: Global Perspectives. Pouso Alegre : IFSULDEMINAS: il. ISBN: 987-85-67952-14-7
- Orion, N., Shankar, R., Greco, R. and Berenguer, J.L. (2020). Promoting the Earth System Approach and the Meaning of Learning. European Geologist. 50.
- Orion, N., Ribeiro, T., Lima, D. and Vasconcelos, C. (2020). Earth Systems Workshop: the impact on Portuguese geoscience educators’ practice and views. In: Vasconcelos, C. et al. (Eds.), Educação em Ciências: Cruzar caminhos, unir saberes – Atas do XVII Encontro Nacional de Educação em Ciências, XVIII ENEC, III Internacional Seminar of Science Education, III ISSE (pp. 457-461). Porto: U. Porto Edições. ISBN: 978-989-746-198-9. doi:10.24840/978-989-746-198-9.