Thesis Outline

My thesis explores the problems with the current state of education as it pertains to

ecoliteracy and sustainability, and the methods of transitioning from an outdated teaching

model to a holistic and student centered curriculum.

The first part of my thesis addresses education for sustainability (EfS) and ecoliteracy’s

current role in the US education system on a federal, state, and grassroots level. It then

transitions into what could happen if education chooses to ignore sustainability and ecoliteracy

in the classroom. The last part of paper gives a holistic approach to introducing and creating

ecoliterate students, schools, and communities through a network of supported systems.

Schools are not separate from the communities in which they operate, and there are

consequences that arise from not having a support structure in place. There is a missing

connection with local businesses, organizations, and leaders in the average classroom. For the

US to compete on a global scale and combat the rising issues facing our nation and planet, the

education system is going to need a change. While the world has become increasingly

connected, schools in the US are continuing to teach an outdated industrial model. A solution

to this obstacle is not based solely in one area or one discipline, but rather a connected

network of community support, interdisciplinary learning/teaching, and thought provoking

inquiry and project based learning.

My thesis highlights three connected deliverables that can impact how we educate our

students here in the US. The first deliverable is a curriculum template designed for a school

year. I have called this DIPR (Discussion, Inquiry, Project, and Reflection). Each lesson is based

around the DIPR model and fits into a larger unit.

There are six large units designed around a central theme to sustainability. Those six

areas are water, energy, agriculture, economics, ecosystem services, and material reuse &

upcycling.

The DIPR model is not a one size fits all approach, but a multi-level approach, which I

have called Little DIPR and Big DIPR. Little DIPR is taught in grades K-6 and focuses on local

issues in the students communities and states. The idea is that to understand the larger issues

affecting our planet, we must first understand our own community. Big DIPR is taught in grades

7-12 and focuses on national and global issues related to sustainability. Once students have the

basic and local knowledge in place, they can then start to understand larger issues.

The second deliverable is professional development. The DIPR method will not be

understood or taught without workshops and an understanding of the principles of

sustainability and ecoliteracy. The idea of the workshop is to be run like a charrette, which is a

fast paced idea generating exercise. The ideas are brought from within, so issues that

individual schools and teachers want to address are then worked into the DIPR template. Each

workshop is designed to accommodate individual schools and teachers with custom lessons and

support based on the communities in which they serve.

The last deliverable is to transition from teacher to facilitator. DIPR is designed to

incorporate the community and other subjects, which would require the collaboration of

community members and other educators. This is not easily done, since the education process

today is based mostly in a traditional sense of a teacher at the front of the classroom lecturing.

This type of educating is called Lower Order Thinking (LOT), and is not a wrong way to teach,

but incomplete when it stops there. DIPR uses LOT as base for then transitioning into what is

known as Higher Order Thinking (HOT), where students are then analyzing, and synthesizing the

knowledge gained to create a solution of some sort. The DIPR model encourages students to

become 21st century learners and citizens. through the use of teamwork, LOT and HOT style of

learning/teaching and interdisciplinary studies.

These deliverables don’t work unless they are tied together. Just like the rest of the

world, it revolves around systems and making a connection between multiple disciplines.