Exploring the limits of knowing and discovering reverence.

Authors

  • Shane Theunissen Mount Saint Vincent University
  • Robyn Ashley
  • Megan MacLeod

Abstract

We live in an era of ecological emergency that is the inevitable consequence of our alienation from the Earth, and Sea. We feel that an axiological shift that challenges our existing and collective relationship to the environment can help facilitate a movement towards ecological reverence. In this presentation, Shane, Robyn and Megan theorize, conceptualize and operationalize reverence as an essential element in science education. It is our intention through our presentation to shift the narrative in science education from Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math (STEAM) to CREATIVE, an acronym of science teaching and learning that includes all the elements of STEAM (with Calculation being used as a substitute for math. We feel that Calculation might be more inclusive as it incorporates abstract math concepts while also allowing for the application of these concepts in areas such as risk calculation (Kvalnes & Sandseter, 2023) in education contexts that promote risk taking) but also opens up a space for Reverence, Innovation, and the Environment (Calculation, Reverence, Environment, Art, Technology, Innovation, Values, and Engineering).

Author Biography

Shane Theunissen, Mount Saint Vincent University

Shane Theunissen. My interest in epistemology and ontology stem from my childhood and education in South Africa and a six-year teaching tenure in an isolated aboriginal community, where I initiated and implemented an Environmental Education program to challenge the acculturating influences of standardized curricula within the community school‘s classrooms.

Downloads

Published

2024-12-14

Issue

Vol. 27 (2024)

Section

Abstracts

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
  • Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  • Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).