Government considering compulsory nature studies lessons for all pupils...
 

...Sir David Attenborough backs plan...


Every child in every country is owed the teaching of natural history, to be introduced to the awe and wonder of the natural world, and to appreciate how it contributes to our lives


The government is considering introducing compulsory nature studies lessons for all pupils as part of a David Attenborough-backed plan to protect the natural world.

The Independent understands that the Department for Education (DfE) is actively looking at whether pupils could be made to take lessons focusing on biodiversity and ecology, after the step was recommended by a landmark government review published last month.

Introducing such lessons at all levels of education from primary upwards was a key recommendation of the Dasgupta review, which was launched by the government to come up with ways to change “how we think, act and measure economic success” while protecting nature.

The review’s recommendations were wholeheartedly endorsed by Britain’s leading naturalist Sir David, who described them as “a map for navigating a path towards the restoration of our planet’s biodiversity” and “the compass that we urgently need” to “save the natural world at what may be the last minute”.

The review, authored by eminent Cambridge economist Professor Sir Partha Dasgupta, said the education system “should introduce nature studies from the earliest stages of our lives, and revisit them in the years we spend in secondary and tertiary education”.

It adds: “Every child in every country is owed the teaching of natural history, to be introduced to the awe and wonder of the natural world, and to appreciate how it contributes to our lives”.

“If we care about our common future and the common future of our descendants, we should all in part be naturalists.”


...full article...

https://uk.yahoo.com/news/government...112007975.html

This sounds a very good idea.

surely this is already covered in Biology and other topics like Geography?

Biology is more about literally "how life works" rather than natural history and from what I remember of Geography, it's all clouds and rocks. I do remember doing a fair bit of this sort of stuff at primary school though? Projects on birds/frogs/wildlife etc. (I remember visiting the bird sanctuary and things like that) but it doesn't really carry over to high school so maybe that's what they're talking about.

yes for primary, but in biology i studed wildflowers, went on field trips to the NW highlands and studied seabirds and shells and limpets etc. Geography i recall doing biodiversity, impacts of pollution on plants and the like

Yes Sure Teacher Ammi

But do not make it Political

...isn’t what’s being considered, though...it’s too much of a part of our now and future etc, too big and relevant to our world and our children’s world to be just a topic part of a wider subject...there is too much to cover so it’s being considered as a separate curriculum subject, rather than a topic covered within etc...

i would not call it nature studies tho as it will be seen like RE or music as a lesson to muck about in

Call it Planet Earth Crisis studies or summat

AND replace RE with this new topic

absolutely no need now to study religion - cover it in an hour in History

every need to study religion surely.

I do somewhat agree that RE could be incorporated into History, i.e. you learn about the history of religion alongside the cultural history of whatever era/location you're studying.

Although on that note (and slightly off topic) I think there'd be some benefit in changing "RE" into "Cultural Studies" where the focus is learning about different cultures and any religion they may have hand-in-hand, e.g. you would learn about the modern Middle East and learn about this history of Islam at the same time as the two are interwoven, or for example there's a very specific brand of Catholocism in South American cultures, but you could also learn about modern Japan etc. which would largely be a non-religious conversation. I do think there's a bit of a gap in learning about non-British cultures in a modern context and not necessarily rooted in religion.

You could even do a module on Australia and learn all about barbequeues, Kylie Minogue, Dr Karl Kennedy and Married At First Sight. It would be great.

[I do somewhat agree that RE could be incorporated into History]



Yes Chuck it in History lessons.

OK Kate.

no

i can be quickly covered in History


1 lesson, maybe 2

...the Brisbane yearly cockroach racing championships...

I think it's a great idea, and one that could help the next generation deal with the problems the previous generations have left behind.

I also think we should teach stuff like basic agriculture, we should encourage people who can to grow their own produce when possible.