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Journal article
Resonating with Deep-Time: Big History Transforming the Worldviews of Primary School Students
Australian Journal of Environmental Education, Vol.First online, pp.1-20
18/03/2025
Appears in Recent Faculty of Education Publications
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Abstract
This article explores the extent students’ environmental values are informed through a socioecological learning framework when a deep-time universe hi/story is integrated with environmental education and local cultural origins in the primary school curriculum. The research concept grew from teacher observations that students addressed sustainability from a fragmented action approach, rather than incorporating a lifelong learning and wider worldview of past, present and possible future environmental changes. The research was conducted with 8–9-year-old students during a 17-week transdisciplinary pedagogical intervention, adapted for primary-aged students, from an educational evidence-based, online Big History Project , empowering young learners to engage in transformative thinking and to add their voices as co-researchers. Additional data was collected from the same co-researcher and student cohort two years later. The research findings over the two years remain significant, where students continued to discuss the environment and sustainability in the context of a child-framed deep learning pedagogy framework of the changing 13.8-billion-year universe story. If this original research is to remain significant, further research and programming need to be undertaken with students and educators, to ensure that the value of deep-time hi/story is embedded at all levels of the education continuum, including primary-aged students.
Details
- Title
- Resonating with Deep-Time: Big History Transforming the Worldviews of Primary School Students
- Creators
- Marilyn Ahearn - Southern Cross University
- Publication Details
- Australian Journal of Environmental Education, Vol.First online, pp.1-20
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Number of pages
- 20
- Grant note
- SEAE Research Centre at SCU
I acknowledge my PhD supervisors, Professor Amy Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles and Dr Brad Shipway. I also thank Amy for her continued guidance, encouragement and collegial support through the SEAE Research Centre at SCU. I acknowledge the Cadigal/Wangal Country of the Eora Nation, on which I live, and where I had the privilege to conduct my research with interested, wise and enthusiastic primary-aged students. My gratitude to Emeritus Professor David Christian, Macquarie University, who contributed his wisdom and expertise as I set out on my PhD research. Thanks to Marisa Colonna, my teacher colleague, for her insights into 'Big History' teaching. My gratitude to Peta White, Editor-in-Chief of AJEE, for her encouragement and support during the review process.
- Identifiers
- 991013269203302368
- Copyright
- © The Author(s), 2025
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Education
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article