Ecological Thoughtprint Activities Do you agree?
Goal: Students use personal reflection to recognize their own and others’ thoughtprints. Participants: Pairs/groups, grades 8-12 (For grades 5-9, omit the academic names for ways of thinking and simplify the statements).
Procedure: 1. Establish guidelines for respectful dialogue.
2. Present each group with a challenging statement which represents a certain way of thinking. Simplified statements and their underlying ways of thinking, may include: a. Humans are separate from Nature (dualism). b. Nature is like a factory which manufactures various products and materials (mechanism). c. Scientific knowledge is the best form of knowledge about Nature (scientism). d. Humans are superior to other living beings (speciesism). e. Society in the present is better than in the past, and society in the future will be better than in the present (progressivism).
3. Each group discusses their statement, guided by the following questions: a. What does this mean? b. Do you agree? If so, are you sure? What makes you so sure? c. Where do you think you adopted this belief? d. If you do not agree with this statement, what gives you doubt? e. Do your daily actions match your belief about this statement? Why or why not? What would it mean to truly act out this belief?
f. Are there people in different places or times in history who might disagree with this statement? Why do you think they would disagree?
4. Groups summarize their discussion and present to the class.
Further study: Groups research the history of their assigned way of thinking and how, at key points in time, it may have helped to legitimize changes in human behaviour toward the planet.
GREEN TEACHER 91
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