Using a social bookmarking system to enhance the environmental and geographical learning of secondary students. A pre-study review

Evi Exarchou, eviexar@geo.aegean.gr

Candidate PhD, Department of Geography, University of the Aegean, Greece

Aikaterini Klonari aklonari@geo.aegean.gr

Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, University of the Aegean, Greece

Abstract

The research study focuses on the investigation of new practices and teaching strategies for developing geographical and environmental conceptions, based on socio-cultural constructivism and the active - collaborative learning. The constructivistic view of learning environmental concepts, combined with the use of social bookmarking system (SBS), has as a result the students’ integration into a dynamic study, relative to their life and future (Exarchou & Klonari, 2011).

Keywords

Environmental and geographical learning, socio-cultural constructivism, SBS

Research Central questions, Method and Expected results

The research questions are: How can SBS be used to enhance the environmental learning of secondary students? How can SBS be used by secondary students to better understand the environmental issues that affect their lives? What role does socio-cultural constructivism play in learning experiences that employ SBS? How can students interact among themselves and with the SBS, based on socio-cultural constructivist principles? What are the students’ conceptions of the effectiveness of SBS to enhance their environmental learning? The method is Transdisciplinary Case Study (TdCS) with ethnographic and action research approaches (Stauffacher, 2010) and the study is estimated that a) it will help students to "learn how to learn", constructing new ideas and using the pre- existing experience and knowledge, b) it will stimulate students' interest in learning of environmental issues (Klonari et al., 2011) and c) it will encourage students -using SBS-  to investigate, to share their arguments and to be in quest of solutions to other environmental and social issues, which influence different areas of human activity (Klopfer et al., 2009).

References

Exarchou, E. & Klonari, Aik. (2011). The evolution of teaching practices of environmental education through socio-cultural constructivism perspectives. The 8^th P. E. C. SAPT – DICTE (pp. 839-845). Piraeus, Greece: Scientific Association of teachers of primary education.

Klonari, Aik. et al. (2011). How evident is the apparent? IRGEE, 20 (1), 5-20.

Klopfer, E. et al. (2009). The Instructional Power of Digital Games, Social Networking and Simulations and How Teachers Can Leverage Them. Boston: The Education Arcade.

Stauffacher, M. (2010). Beyond Neocorporatism? Transdisciplinary Case Studies as a Means for Collaborative Learning in Sustainable Development. Environmental Sociology European Perspectives and Interdisciplinary Challenges, Part 3 (pp. 201-216). Netherlands: Springer.