Earth Education by Van Matre essays

Earth Education by Van Matre essays Earth Education by Van Matreaims to help people improve upon their cognitive and affective relationship with the earths natural communities and life support system, and begin crafting lifestyles that will lesson their impact upon those places and process on behalf of all the planets passengers. (As stated on the back of the book) I agree with Van Matres value-building techniques. By helping learners build on there values it enables them to feel joy, love kinship and reverence, and understanding of our relationship with the earth. Building upon my values has made me more aware of walking lighter on the earth. Instead of clarifying (discussing) my values it has allowed me to experience and build on my own values. Avoiding naming and labeling is a great way to help people understand the environment. From my own experience I have a really hard time remembering the names of plants. Instead of remembering the names of the plants, I remember everything else about them like the color the texture, the leaves and the bark. Van Matre quotes Alfred North Whiteman When you name something, you tend to stop thinking about it. (171) Van Matre suggests children name things based on their own observations. For example: I didnt know the name of the creek than flows in front of the entrance of our land in Montana for as long as we lived their. I recently found out the name of the creek (Lake Creek). Before I knew the name of the creek I called it the beaver dam creek with leaches, frogs and tadpoles. Providing a visual focal point helps people learn. (179) I really enjoyed Van Matres example of building a glacier to demonstrate how it has shaped the land. I am a visual learner; I tend to need visual focal points to remember because words only do not cut it for me. I believe we have photographic memories, the ability to take a picture and place it in our fi...