By Sarah R. Johnson We are desperate for a new story, a promising narrative, words of encouragement grounded in our history of tenacity, strength, and determination. As Americans we are a people of courage, possibility, and hope. It’s in our family stories, in our DNA, and it’s still very much in each and everyone of us, yet it feels hidden deep within and difficult to find at times. Today we are brought down by fear, uncertainty, confusion, disbelief, oppression, and overall lack of confidence in the leadership we are lead by. Depending on the day and issue this lack of leadership shows up in all of our institutions: schools, religious organizations, government at every level, and sometimes even in our own families. We are becoming victims instead of warriors. Instead of our kids being told to believe that they must go back to school in order to survive (and put everyone at risk of contracting COVID-19), why aren’t we teaching our kids tools of resiliency, courage, and patience? What
By Sarah R. Johnson, MAEd, Wild Rose Education Originally published at InTeGrate Science Education Resource Center As the world continues to be bombarded by wicked issues, neuroscience research continues to expand and inform the field of teaching and learning. We scientifically know how to teach learners how to change their perspective to be better observers, rewire neural pathways and, think about problems in systematic expansive ways. Combining this knowledge with the creative ingenuity of our youth, there is ample real hope and opportunity for our future; a future of collective wisdom, a systems approach, and inclusion of all types of knowledge and ever expanding understanding of how the natural world works. Earth Education leaders (administrators, practitioners, and researchers) have a profound responsibility to include the best of what is known about teaching and learning, Earth Science, and community engagement into their every day professions to ensure opportunities to foste