Ecosystem Services (ES) are the vast array of benefits that emerge as a result of being embedded in functioning ecosystems. Articulating an encompassing list of human connections with our surrounding that are directly or indirectly ‘valuable’ beyond traditional market values (such as resources) is a major goal of ES researchers. By expanding our view of value, the hope is that people will be more inclined to preserve ecosystem functioning and promote sustainability. While a laudable goal, ES are difficult in practice; 78% of environmental consultants stated that they struggle with how to use ES in a World Resource Institute survey despite access to policy and summary documents such as the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. ES researchers from many disciplines are studying the connection between human decisions and the emergence of ES making ES a very complex, interdisciplinary subject. This represents a challenge for teachers interested in teaching ES, leading to a broad research question: how do we teach ES? Our research uses a three pronged approach to answering this question: (a) survey of ES experts to identify core ideas about ES that students can learn to frame their reasoning (undertaken using a Delphi method), (b) case study on authentic reasoning by citizens invested in a local environmental problem involving ES, and (c) design-based classroom activities centered around socially acute questions (e.g., Should we eat meat, and what role does government play?).
Results/Conclusions
One major finding of our research is that ES core ideas are used by ‘advanced science engagers’ as heuristics to frame reasoning, but not as universals, whereas less advanced engagers often use these concepts as universals. These differences effect the constructiveness of engagement, particularly when there is a difference of opinion about what to ‘care about’ or the validity of a specific type of evidence. From this research, we developed a framework for scaffolding learning that outlines the interconnections between ‘care’ and epistemic thinking in an effort to help learners better achieve the fundamental goals of ES in the real world. In the classroom, socially acute questions are an excellent entry point into this complex field of ES because they involve multiple viewpoints that can be directly related to learners themselves, and also have deep connections to ES. We have found that challenging learners to expand their ‘care’ can help them see deeper connections between ES and authentic, personally meaningful decisions.