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CLUSTER K-12
Conceptual Guide
and example lesson plans
On-Line
Educator Training Course
What's next
the future of the project
NRES 780 Discussion Board
to exchange ideas or comments on the project |
Teaching for the
Future
CLUSTER:
Creative Land Use Series for Teachers and Educator Resources
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Land use environmental education is
aimed at developing an understanding of the relationship between land
use decisions and the environment, along with the realization that the
way in which land is used directly affects the environment. The
ultimate goal of CLUSTER, a Creative Land Use Series for Teachers and
Educator Resources, is to make resources, lessons and materials
readily available to teach land
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use environmental education. The project aims to assist in the
education of the next generation in order to produce thoughtful,
engaged citizens that will see the connection between land use and the
environment and will be compelled to act. Through this process
we will generate a responsible citizenry that can make educated and
sustainable, local and global decisions about future land use. |
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Social Studies is defined as, education aimed at helping young
people develop the knowledge and skills necessary to make
informed and reasoned decisions as citizens of a culturally
diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world (Benson
et al., 1998). This definition helps to draw off a key
component that is shared by the |
definition of environmental education. Environmental
Education shares the goal of developing knowledge and skills
that lead to an informed and active
citizenry.
CLUSTER seeks to integrate social studies with environmental
education. This integration will also promote the
multidisciplinary nature of environmental education. |
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CLUSTER |
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The CLUSTER project is being designed to provide educators
with the training and resources they need to incorporate land
use issues and topics into the existing curriculum. This
project is also meant to give educators, both traditional and
non-traditional, a primary resource to use, build, and create
a more comprehensive land use curriculum. CLUSTER is a
conceptual guide for K-12 land use environmental education in
Wisconsin. This guide is accompanied by an on-line course
that will provide both the necessary background information
about land use, but also the resources and materials to begin
the creation of their own land use lessons. The conceptual
guide will contain the conceptual framework, suggested scope
and sequence and along with a listing of available resources.
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The resource list will be similar to an annotated bibliography
and offer educators a little background on the materials and
how to locate them. This conceptual guide and on-line course
can be an invaluable asset, especially to social studies
teachers, because it shows how to work land use education into
a social studies activity that will fulfill the mandatory
compliance provided by the Wisconsin Model Academic
Standards. Until now there has been no complete validated
framework or guide to assist educators in incorporating land
use concepts into the curriculum.
It is anticipated that CLUSTER will become a local, national and
international framework for the continued development,
educator training, and infusion of land use issues and
concepts into K-12 educational institutions. |
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Background |
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The Center for Land Use Education, CLUE, at the University of
Wisconsin-Stevens Point realized the need for a comprehensive
land use education curriculum has been working towards this
goal since 2001. In the fall of 2001, Dr. Anna Haines,
assistant professor and extension specialist at CLUE, Heidi
Hoover, a graduate student, and her committee began the
process of developing a conceptual framework that was
completed in the spring of 2003. |
Currently, Dr. Haines and Rebecca Mattano, a graduate student,
are continuing the project and aim to develop and validate the
suggested scope and sequence. After this process is complete,
CLUE will invite a validity panel of 10-12, social studies and
environmental education teachers from Wisconsin to edit and
validate the draft. After the corrections and additions
CLUSTER, the guide and course, will be available through CLUE
by the summer of 2005. |
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Conclusion |
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CLUE anticipates to maintain the CLUSTER project and extend
the development of the series from a conceptual guide to a
more comprehensive curriculum. |
For more information or to get involved with this project
contact Dr. Anna Haines,
ahaines@uwsp.edu.
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