Environmental Insight

Leading team

• Prof. Nir Orion

Project members

• Anat Levi
• Sagi Gonen

Summary

The development of environmental insight is the ultimate aim of Earth systems education. The study of the interaction between Earth systems – within the massive timescales (“deep time”) and spatial scales of geological processes – enables students to perceive and appreciate the tangible influence of human behavior on the Earth. This approach moves students away from the traditional altruistic attitude to environmental awareness, and towards a more egocentric, and geocentric, perception.
The studies of the Earth Science group thus contribute to a broader and deeper perception of the essence of environmental insight.

Links for further reading

• Orion, N. and Fortner, W. R. (2003). Mediterranean models for integrating environmental education and earth sciences through earth systems education. Mediterranean Journal of Educational Studies. 8(1), 97-111.
• Ben-Zvi Assaraf, O., Orion, N. and Ronen. D. (2008). The Blue-Planet earth systems approach (BEPESA) for the study of water related systems. In: Brebbia, C.A. (ed.), Environmental Problems in Coastal Regions, WIT Press.UK.
• Arnon, S., Orion, N. and Carmi, N. (2014). Environmental literacy components and their promotion by institutions of higher education: an Israeli case study. Environmental Education Research.
  DOI: 10.1080/13504622.2014.966656
• Carmi, N., Arnon, S. and Orion, N. (2015). Transforming Environmental Knowledge into Behavior: The Mediating Role of Environmental Emotions. The Journal of Environmental Education.
• Levy, A., Orion, N. and Leshem, Y. (2016). Variables that influence the environmental behavior of adults. Environmental Education Research, DOI: 10.1080/13504622.2016.1271865.
• 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.