ABSTRACT
Science teachers in urban schools often serve students whose experiences with the natural environment are more visibly constrained by human factors than their suburban or rural counterparts. At the same time, parents and teachers nationwide have been contending with an increase in sedentary indoor activities that have affected youth of every demographic. Three related goals usually frame most environmental education efforts. The first is to foster and sustain a love of nature. The second is to gain a scientific understanding of the environment, with knowledge of the factors, processes, and interrelationships that describe the living world. The last is to help students make intelligent and informed choices in their lives. All are important, but depending on the school and the teacher, they may be prioritized differently. Rather than viewing students as having “nature deficit disorder,” teachers can develop both the naturalist intelligence and the critical consciousness of students by building on the ways they actually do experience the world.
