How can you make a difference? Consider bringing Bioneers into your classroom. In this column, we'll feature different examples of curricula and lesson plans that educational bioneers are developing to bring solution oriented stories into their schools and classes.
Do you have a curriculum, lesson plan or a description of how you've used Bioneers in your teaching? How have you or your students applied Bioneers concepts to create change in your communities? Send story ideas or lesson plans to education (at) bioneers.org or post them yourself and we'll feature the best here!
This course was designed and taught at Georgia Tech by John Mlade, a sustainability researcher at the architecture firm Perkins+Will.
Way to go John & thanks for sharing!
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Special Topics:
Learning from the Bioneers
Course Number: 4801D
One Credit
Cross Listed:
School of Biology and College of Architecture; Georgia Institute of Technology
This course does not count toward Biology elective credit.
Course Objective:
Based on the Bioneers conference (www.bioneers.org), this course will demonstrate how biological knowledge can be applied to today's complex social and environmental issues to create a more sustainable world. The course will utilize videotaped lectures, including talks by world-renowned geneticist, David Suzuki; mycologist, Paul Stamets; Biomimicry expert, Janine Benyus; and others such as John Todd, Thomas Linzey and Amory Lovins. Weekly 50 minute classes will be comprised of these lectures - followed by group discussion, critical thinking exercises, and supplementary material. Grading will be based on the quality of student questions and participation, in class exercises, and homework assignments.
Course Procedure and Organization:
Weekly classes will be comprised of recorded lectures - followed by group discussion, critical thinking exercises, and supplementary material.
Required/Suggested Readings:
Weekly readings will be limited and complement course material. There are no required texts.
Course Requirements:
Grading will be based on the quality of student questions and participation as follows:
50% for leading class discussions; 30% for 6 class exercises; 20% for 10 homework assignments.
Leading Discussion: Every student will be required to lead discussion one time this semester. Depending on the number of students enrolled, some discussions may be led by groups of two. Be prepared to lead discussion solo.
Students leading discussion should have performed informal preliminary research of the topic of discussion, i.e. do a web search or read an article or two.
As part of leading discussion, you will be required to develop a list of 12-15 quality questions pertinent to the topic that week. These questions will be used to guide discussion. You should bring enough copies of your questions to hand out to the class prior to our viewing of that week's Bioneers video.
Example: Questions for today's discussion
1. What is sustainability?
2. Is sustainability only theoretical, or are there "real" applications?
3. What are successful examples?
4. Can the concept of sustainability be applied to systems such as communities or corporations, or is it limited to applications or products such as efficient cooking stoves and organic cotton?
6. Are indigenous people sustainable? Why? Why not?
7. What do we want to sustain?
8. If, in the long haul, Earth will fix itself, what is the point of conservation and sustainability?
9. Why not just live and be happy and accept the fact that humans are not intended to "be around" for all that long (on a geological time scale)?
10. Is there anything beyond sustainability?
11. What is restorative design?
12. What is regenerative design?
13. What is the difference between restorative and regenerative design?
14. Is sustainability spiritual?
I realize that additional questions will be generated from the videos and should be added to your list as you think of them. You will turn this list in with a summary of student responses and a synopsis of the class discussion.
Readings: There may be occasional class readings of (1) works by plenary speakers, (2) specific presentation topics such as genetic engineering, or (3) general sustainability related topics. Readings will be distributed the week prior to their discussion.
Topics: The following is the likely schedule for the semester and is subject to change. I am open to altering it to best fit the interests of our group.
Wk 1 – Air, Water & Soil - DAVID SUZUKI
Wk 2 - What Life Knows: New Ideas from Biology that Could Change the World - JANINE BENYUS
Wk 3 - Applying Mycology to Contemporary Challenges - PAUL STAMETS
Wk 4 - The Role of Corporations in Democracy - THOMAS LINZEY
Wk 5 - Intelligence in Nature - JEREMY NARBY
Wk 6 - Neuro-Linguistics and Communication - THOM HARTMANN
Wk 7 - Global Warming: A Climate of Fear and Opportunity - BILL MCKIBBEN
Wk 8 - The Color Of Sustainability - LADONNA REDMOND
Wk 9 - The Value of Natural Systems in Urban Areas - ANDY LIPKIS
Wk 10 - Greening the Inner City: Jobs, Health, Justice and the Environment - OMAR FREILLA
Wk 11 - Emulating Nature’s Design Genius - JAY HARMAN
Wk 12 - Global Energy Issues - AMORY LOVINS
Wk 13 - The Ecological Design Revolution - JOHN TODD
Wk 14 - GSA's “Sustainability 2000 Workshop: Highlight of William McDonough Speech”
Wk 15 – McDonough Discussion and Wrap-up
