The Power of Story

"The world is not made of atoms. It is made of stories." 

- Muriel Ruykeser, poet

How We Know and Remember

When I was small, I read all of CS Lewis' books, The Chronicles of Narnia - that world was more real than my own.

 I'll never forget the day Lucy emerged from the wardrobe into the winter Narnian night.  I was at once bewitched - held hostage, like Edmund lured by Turkish delight, onto the sleigh of the White Queen. I could not tear myself away, such was the power and magic of the story - which to me, had become a living journey, the hero's journey, reflecting from each heroic character  the hero in myself.  

The most important question anyone can ask is: What myth am I living?" - Carl Jung

When we look through time at folktale, legend and myth, we see the stories of people, all people reflected through the archetypes who symbolize the desires, dreams, fears and foibles - of all humans.  Every culture has a hero, a villain, a queen, a prophet and a fool.  In every fictional and symbolic tale are great and universal truths, we as humans, understand. That is the power of story and that is why our own stories, empower and emancipate us when we tell them.

"The real difference between telling what happened and telling a story about what happened is that instead of being a victim of our past, we become master of it." - Donald Davis, American story-teller, author,

minister

In my ninth grade English class, we have been exploring the power of story.  We are beginning a project, similar to NPR's Story Corps, wherein people who have a special connection or who have shared a significant even,t interview each other, record their conversations and share, through audio or video file, with the world at large.  I've invited a guest speaker to come and do a presentation on journalistic writing. This educator runs the school newspaper. He and his students have started a column called "The Streets of Kalihi".  The students actually have a beat and go out into the community in search of news and human interest stories. What a great way to build sense a of place. I hope this project will help my students connect more fully with each other and with people in their communities and perhaps most importantly, help them find their own voices in the process. 

The telling of stories is significant because, as Donald Davis says, it can change our roles from the past - or at least alter our perception of them, perhaps from victim to hero. Re-telling our stories also give rise to the notion that our experience is important, and while unique also universal, others can relate and sympathize with our stories. That is empowering. That is how we create the building blocks for relationship.

"In my life, the stories I have heard from my family, my friends, my community, and from willing strangers all over the world have been the true source of my education." - Holly Near, musician

Stories not only resonate with symbolic familiarity, but they open new vistas - give us new eyes with which to view the world and in turn ourselves. Listening to the stories of others gives us a place from which we can reflect anew upon ourselves and our place in the world and how we choose to move through it. Stories guide us and create us  We speak the world and it emerges around us reflecting the color and tone and vitality of our words. 

As my students tell their stories, I see them a light. They are somebody and perhaps seeing themselves more clearly, as they describe their life events, their feelings. I see that they have become more open, more interested in what they are doing in class - they seem to want to do well.  I think articulating their experiences makes them feel valued. Through their story-telling, they are naming who they are. To reflect on and to define oneself is a true act of power.  

For more information on starting a story-telling project in your classroom see the following:


shttps://storycorps.org/storycorpsu/teacher-resources/

http://www-tc.pbs.org/nationalparks/media/pdfs/place-based-digital-storytelling-overview.pdf

http://www.pbs.org/nationalparks/for-educators/digital-storytelling/

Place-Based Digital Storytelling Modules

Here you will find eleven screencasts (video tutorials) and associated quick-start guides offering hands-on training in place-based digital storytelling. Using themes woven into the film and highlighted in the lesson plans, these modules train teachers how to integrate new media, digital storytelling, and online mapping projects in their curriculum to engage students in authentic learning.

The Importance of Relationships for Learning

Relationships for Learning

I'm going to go out on a limb to say that on the first day of school, the most important thing for any student is having or making friends. The second most important thing is to have a teacher who provides a safe and friendly environment where expectations and established protocols are clear, a place where learning can happen. 


My first day of school this term was at the start of the spring semester, where I entered as a "new" teacher in a school near a rough cluster of housing projects in Kalihi Valley in Hawaii, (Yes, there are projects in paradise). The students here had been together through the fall, without me, and the dynamic of each class was pretty much set by the time I got there. One of the classes was wild but willing - the other two vacillated between light-you-hair-on-fire chaos, to stonewalling me. They were not open to someone new replacing the teacher they had been with before. I began immediately to research what types of strategies work for building relationships with youth at risk. 

I wanted a) establish a space for learning, and b) live to tell the tale. Is that too much ask? Everyone, including those who haven't set foot in a classroom since their own high school days, has an opinion on how to do this, however, upon entering a class that is exuding high voltage hostility, it becomes painfully clear that is isn't as easy as "everyone" thinks. 
At this time I was in a master's program and had my professor to talk with. I also sought advice from peers, counselors, parents, and spoke to the Principal about what was (and wasn't) going on in the classroom. What I needed was the back-story on why things were so crazy out of control...and I would have to find a way for the students and I to come to some agreements on how to work together.

 

The topic of relationship building in classrooms has been heavily researched. According to  Interpersonal Relationships in Education: From Theory to Practice, this type of inquiry began approximately 40 years ago.  Later in 1984, the American Educational Research Association Special Interest Group on Learning Environments was established. There is now a wealth of information on the topic of relationship-building for education that is both interesting and practical, however, nothing prepares you well enough, except the thing itself, spending time in the belly of the beast, otherwise known as, a classroom.

One intriguing concept I read about was the importance of considering the micro view of the moment by moment interactions between teacher and student.  Things like greeting each student by name, at the door in the morning, looking each student in the eye during class lectures, and getting to know each student on a personal note, are all moment to moment interactions that establish a connection. Interestingly, these practices, along with shaking each student's hand upon entering the class every day, is a long-held tradition of the Waldorf Schools, established by 19th-century philosopher, social reformer, educator, theosophist, and biodynamic agriculturalist, Rudolph Steiner. More esoterically, Waldorf teachers have trained also, to envision the faces of each of their students before they go to sleep at night and imbue that vision with love and vitality. They believe this creates a positive feeling for and from the students on a daily basis.

The visionary Steiner also espoused A'o; the learning that happens not just from teacher to student, but from student to teacher, in his many writings. He stated that "even the wisest can learn incalculably from children", and that it is "the child who is the book from which we educate ourselves." Valuing the knowledge students bring to a learning space is elemental in building relationships with them.


In the book, Interpersonal Relationships in Education, the authors point out that because education is a fundamentally social enterprise, learning how to enhance the social interactions between teachers, administrators, students, and peers is essential for education. A student's perception of their teachers and of their learning environment also affects their learning outcomes.
(Wubbels, Brekelmans, Van Tartwjik, & Admiral, 1999: Wubbels and Levy, 1993)

Practical strategies are needed to create an environment that students will perceive as safe, non-judgmental, and open to their ideas in order to foster genuine engagement. A necessary component in such an environment is effective classroom management, which calls for "appropriate levels of dominance".  Appropriate dominance is a characteristic of effective teacher-student relationships and is defined as the teacher's ability to provide a clear purpose and strong guidance, in both academics and student behavior. (Wubbels, Brekelmans, Van Tartwjik, & Admiral, 1999: Wubbels and Levy, 1993)

Studies indicate that when asked about their preferences for teacher behavior, students typically express a desire for this type of action. (Marzano & Marzano, 2003) I'm in need of strategies that will work with at-risk high school students, many of whom do not have strong familial support, structure or security and I need to show them, that I will be there for them, day after day. 

Building Relationships for a Learning Environment

Fantasy

Last semester I constructed a STEMS2 unit I was really excited about; Kokua Honua: Education for Sustainability. It is about reconnecting our youth with the natural environment and to traditional culture of Hawaii. It is about how to enhance sense of place and stewardship of environments through STEMS2 curriculum.  I knew that going into a teaching line that was already mapped out and strictly high school English, would challenge my ability to implement my E for S unit, but what I didn't know, was that the classroom environment I stepped into would hinder me from doing any sort of instruction, at all.      

Reality

A little background; while on sabbatical, a student teacher was in charge of my classes, at a high school - which shall not be named - where I had never taught before. The school is located in a densely urban area, where many of the students live in government housing projects.  The English department there was losing teachers by the bundle, due to the fact that, according to the principal, they didn't "get" the students there. They didn't "get" the desk throwing, the classroom fires and in one case, being locked inside a closet. I admit, I chuckled at that last one. But as I soon learned, this was no laughing matter, especially since now I was the teacher, aka the enemy. I would be going through a lot of abuse in the days to come. 

Day one, there is a giant hole in the asbestos ceiling of my classroom, there are boarded up doors and windows, dark hallways spotted with black globs, decades of gum.  The campus sounds like a verbal war zone, you can hear students hurling F-bombs and other choice verbal abuse across the campus, this I come to learn, is the "white noise" of the place and never stops.  
My students come barreling into class stuffing their faces, yelling, "We're aloud to eat!" food and trash showering around them.  They claimed their last, much beloved teacher, had allowed them to listen to music and use their head phones in class, "when appropriate" which, as it turns out, was all the time. Worse, a particular clutch of extra loud students, never stopped talking or more accurately shouting out in strings of explications that would make a sailor blush.  I couldn't get a word in edgewise. The students were completely defiant, in my face and methodically peppering me with personal insults - trying to break me down. They did not want me there.

 The next day as I tried  to bring some order and structure into the classroom another English teacher from down the hall, came in to yell at them and told me not to quit, but alas, by day three, I felt like I'd been hit a truck, probably had PTSD and ended up crying on the phone to the principal, who also urged me, not to quit. There was nothing more I wanted to do than drop everything and run away.

Intervention

On this day, that I had decided I no longer wanted to be a teacher, I also had a 4:00 appointment with my advisor. I tried to maintain composure while relating the events of the last three days to her. Rather than making me feel inept, she shared some of her, equally hair-raising New York stories with me.  It was here, we decided I needed to change my Plan B. My Plan B assumed that I was stepping into an already established learning environment and I had assumed that because I was the teacher, the students would listen to and respect me. I was operating from prior experience, no longer relevant here.  It was clear to me, that content, whether STEMS or ELA, was not entirely the issue,  but the creation of a space where students could become positively engaged with content, ideas and each other, was what was needed. But how? How can I foster relationships for building a learning community? 

Perspective

"My brother's locked up. My sister's locked up. I'm 14 years old. There's five more coming up after me." 

Sione T.

I mentioned before that my students are from the projects. Most are Polynesian,  Filipino or a local mix of many ethnicities.  Not one of them is Caucasian. Many are from homes where parents or siblings are addicted to drugs, locked up or dead. Some are from extreme poverty.

In shock at first,  I've come to realize that the aggressive language and behavior, so distressing to me, is their social currency. Toughness gives stature, swagger ensures popularity. Kids come in everyday with another fight story, they love to talk about it. I heard about someone getting slashed last week. Today we had a bomb threat. This has become the cultural landscape of the students at this school. 

I'm beginning to see that part of the problem is what Chilisa (p.7-8) refers to as the "colonization of the mind",  a process that strips formerly colonized and historically marginalized groups of their ancestral culture, (and knowledge) replacing it with Euro-western culture. (Fanon, 1967; Ngungi wa Thiong'o, 1986). Furthermore, the naming and replacement of what is deemed "knowledge" by the dominant culture, is perpetuated by our educational system. 

What is deemed knowledge by our English department this semester, is the ability to write a critical style analysis of a novel. The novel itself is good and written from the perspective of a displaced Native American teen, however, the fact that students have to style analyze it, bothers me. It bothers me to have to deliver lessons that I feel are not relevant to them, nor for the most part, useful. Having to make the students do something I don't see the value in, is not the best way to build report with them - I would rather hear how they relate to the novel instead and allow them to tell their stories. To hear them, to get them to delve into their history, share knowledge that comes from family, culture, homelands, place, there will have to be connection.

My research question is concerned with connection. It has to do with helping the students feel that the classroom is a worthwhile place, wherein something genuine is offered which they can benefit from. Ideally a classroom would be a completely new and neutral zone where surprising and unknown elements from any of the students lives can be brought in and viewed with fresh eyes. So much of what we now see is through a lens of not only western-European culture, but also of popular culture via the all powerful cell phone which also foists unexamined assumptions upon us all - another form of "mind colonization".

 As stated in Indigenous Research Methodologies,  part of the decolonization (of the mind) process involves restoring and developing cultural practices, values and ways of thinking, that have been suppressed, but are still necessary for the birth of new ideas and the empowerment of historically oppressed and presently marginalized people. (Smith, 1999, 2008)

Operating on the assumption that educators need to know what is relevant for students in order for them to value their learning environment, I believe the bulk of my research would be qualitative.  Strategies of inquiry used in the qualitative method include, narrative research, phenomenological research and case studies. These strategies include study of the lives of individuals, through personal narratives, endeavoring to understanding lived experiences, using a variety of data collection procedures, in the end, combining the views of the participants life with the views of the researcher's life to construct a collaborative narrative. (Cresswell, p.13)
A collaborative narrative, and some common ground are needed to establish a learning community. Further, on developing research questions, Maxwell states, there are two goals when articulating your question; intellectual and practical, the former being, what you want to understand and the later being what you want to accomplish. (p.76).

 I want to understand how to interact with this group of students effectively- to help establish a beneficial sense of place, a sense of community and of purpose. WE have only four walls and time - I hope to make good use of it - bring the world inside and watch the students grow.

References

     Chilisa, B. (2012). Indigenous Research Methodologies. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE                  Publications

     Creswell, J. (2008). Qualitative Research Designs: Selection and Implementation. The                Counseling Psychologist, 35 (2), 3-23

     Maxwell, J. (2013) Qualitative Research Design, Oxford Bibliographies Online Datasets.

BLOG # 6 Eco-Ed: What Austrailia Has That We Want

Education for Sustainability

What do we want, that Australia has? Is it great snorkeling, a cool opera house on the water, wild cockatoos? Australia has something we not only want, but need, and that is, a publicly recognized and widely implemented EfS.  EfS stands for Education for Sustainability.  Australia's EfS plan was created as part of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, otherwise known as UNDESD....and they take it seriously.

On January 1,  2005 the UN instated UNDESD,  defined as a complex, far reaching, enormous undertaking with environmental, societal and economic implications, that touch multiple aspects of life of the world's population.

Launched in April 2009, the second draft of the Australian government's EfS states that it's purpose is,  " To equip all Australians with the knowledge and skills required to live sustainably."

What a concise way of stating the importance of environmental education.

I was amazed to read such a bold proclamation. Does this mean no more plastic eating utensils? Are people still running their engines in the Walmart parking lot while Auntie does the shopping? Did Jamba Juice switch to recycled paper cups with no straws? It staggers the imagination.

Here is a brief outline of the framework the Aussies have adopted.

• The government takes a leadership role (enforces and supports) the Education for Sustainability plan, enacting change in policy, programs and operations at state, territory and local levels.
• Education systems are reoriented to sustainability and focus on achieving a culture of sustainability. WOW!
• On-going improvement and greening in campus management is reinforced.
• Sustainability in business and industry is fostered.
• The community is provided with tools and knowledge in sustainable education and living.

  Thanks to this government supported framework, the school children of Australia are connecting to place and becoming eco-literate.

As stated by our own former Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, "Historically the US Department of Education hasn't been doing enough in the sustainability movement. . . and need to commit to building a more environmentally literate and responsible society."

...and yet, here in the US, we are heading into 2016 with little to show that we got the memo.

What I am most impressed with is the fact that "sustainability" is treated as a core subject in Australian public schools and out-door, experiential learning are the order of the day. The government helps, Australian schools are supported to employ a wide range of curricula in order to reach EfS goals.  In the United States, environmental education may be connected through science and STEM, as an individual educator's decision, but EfS still remains largely absent from national level curriculum.

 Australia is an island nation, remote and dry. Perhaps that is why the necessity for sustainability is not lost on their people. If only we could all perceive our planet for what it is, Island Earth, a unique oasis of life in an ocean of space. Seeing through this lens may help  improve our approach to education for a sustainable future.

References

National-Action-Plan-Educating-Sustainability http://www.centerforgreenschools.org/sites/default/files/resource-files/National-Action-Plan-Educating-Sustainability.pdf.

Rafferty, J Laird, S. “Children’s Observations of Place-Based Environmental Education: Projects Worlds Apart Highlight Education for Sustainability Inherent in Many Programs « Journal of Sustainability Education,” Spring 2013.

Reading Response # 4: STEMS in the Anthropocene Epoch

"Right now in the amazing moment that to us counts as the present, we are deciding, without quite meaning to, which evolutionary pathways will remain open and which will forever be closed."
                                                                                                                        (Kolbert, E. 2014)

It's a Man's World

(but it wouldn't be nothing without plankton, pollinators and frogs)

The Sixth Extinction,  Pulitzer Prize winning book by Elizabeth Kolbert is a fascinating, account of how humans have affected the fate of virtually every other living species on earth... and that of the
planet as we know it.


This is a story of cause and effect, of evolution and discovery, and the rise of the human species above and at the expense of, all others, spanning eons.  This account opens our eyes to a larger reality, invisible to most, not just of our current situation but how our actions and the reactions within ecosystems, the biosphere, have put us on a precarious path to the future.

Like the documentary film,  Eleventh Hour,  co-produced and directed by sisters, Leila Conners Peterson and Nadia Connors, The Sixth Extinction is a wake-up call. Well researched and meticulously written, the importance of this book is one of scientific and scholarly revelation and a summons for environmental concern and social action.  When given this information we are forced to ask important questions about our own "species-centric" way of life and how it is altering the planet's environment.



Because for many middle and high school students, reality is no larger than their i phone screens, films and books like these are vital as educational resources.





These types of media can provide a "sense of place" that is wider than students are exposed to on a daily basis - wider indeed than most of our imaginations.  Educators and students alike can  recognize the importance of STEMS education, within the pages of The Sixth Extinction, because it is science, technology and engineering that have allowed us to come this far in "dominating" our environment and it is these three combined with social sciences and a strong sense of place, that will bring us back, to sensible and sustainable living.  The study, the research, the assessment and dispersement of information used in these media are all based in STEMS.

In a way, The Sixth Extinction, epitomizes the saying "Hindsight is 20/20" by tracing a path back through the ages, to discover an, often, minute incident, that has set off a chain reaction of environmental and/or evolutionary events, leading directly to present day dilemmas. It hints at ways we should be changing our thinking, our habits and our way of life, to address the colossal problems of, loss of biodiversity and "evil twins" ocean acidification and climate change. Part of the problem is that people don't know, or are unwilling to admit,  there is a problem -The Sixth Extinction doesn't allow for us, or our students, to stay in the dark.


This is a call for radical change in education.   STEMS and community-based learning is part of that change.  A high priority and interest in STEMS in classrooms, can be a starting point. If we are to help our students become "self directed, confident, participating citizens and environmental stewards" STEMS combined with community based project learning and a strong sense of place and belonging, is needed. (Smith, G. & Sobel, D. 2010)
People who possess STEMS skills, who are concerned with their "place" and about the living systems of that place, are the ones who will make a difference, for the future. It is these sorts of educators who will ready our children for issues they will be tasked to grapple with.  Our classroom STEMS should be steeped in what we know about the world around us and in our knowledge of the problems that need solving if we are to go on as a species, sharing a clean, beautiful, life supporting planet with other species.



Other Educational Media for STEMS Curriculum:

• An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore
• Queen of the Sun,  Taggart Segal
• Food Inc,  Robert Kenner
• Who Killed the Electric Car, Chris Paine
• Island Earth (film trailer)  Cyrus Sutton
• Videos on Vimeo by Charles Eisenstein, author of Sacred Economics

References

Kolbert, E. (2014). The sixth extinction. New York, NY: Picador.

Smith, G. & Sobel, D. (2010) Place and community-based education in schools. New York, 

             NY:  Routledge.

Building A Strong STEMS^2 Unit

Asking Questions

Creating a STEMS^2 unit is not for the faint of heart. Because STEMS is all encompassing and can go in many directions, I see it as a gigantic brainstorm web... perhaps written across the sky like a star map.  Because of this, a strong focal point, an overarching question and clear objectives are essential, to begin.  One of the first questions I would ask myself is, "Where are we ( my students and I) going with this and what do we hope to achieve?"  Some elements to consider before embarking on this journey would be; who your students are, where you are, what your school profile is, what resources (school, community and environmental) are available to you and how you will use them. Sound familiar? All of these will have bearing on how the unit is formed. Other factors shaping the unit will be, grade level, alignment with CCSS and the type of schedule followed by a school.

Where Are You?

Activities and lessons are more relevant for students when you:  a) start local and b) make it useful.

Students like to know that what they do is meaningful. Exploring the environment and communities in which their real lives take place, helps students connect and engage.  To illustrate,  I have a wonderful unit on the Great Redwoods, but,  I live in Hawaii.  Here in Hawaii, we have a world class classroom in the ocean that surrounds us, where we can do real world marine science. Being out "in the field", water testing or specimen counting or even tracking how much debris comes to our shores, presents an opportunity for students to establish and strengthen their sense of place, which is important for high student engagement. This is not to say, we would never get to that lesson on the Great Redwoods, we may, because we could make comparisons and connections among the earth's eco-systems as we, over time, expand our learning, from local to global.

Who Are You?

The curricular content of a strong STEMS^2 unit is culturally diverse and appropriate.  Students bring their "funds of knowledge" where it can be recognized as social capital, in the classroom. Being able to employ these funds of knowledge as a pedagogical resource from family and community is empowering for the student and adds richness and authenticity to the class' experience.

( Rios-Aguiler, C. Kyama, J. Gravitt, M. & Moll,                                             L. 2011).

Curriculum should articulate a variety of cultural elements, especially those of underrepresented students, rather than referencing strictly from a Eurocentric point of view. Putting together a school profile, as a way of getting to know a school and students, is a way to begin.

                                                     What Do You Have?

First and foremost, "Place is pedagogical" (Gruenewald, 2003). Our biggest resource for learning is the environment in which we live.  Taking stock of what your bioregion has to teach, is going to address every letter in the STEMS^2 acronym a thousand times over.  From oceans and forests, to flora and fauna, to cultural and historical sites, to the technology used to keep our cities running, our surroundings offer opportunities for students to learn.  The dynamics within our communities, how we work and live together, the collective agreements we make, are fertile grounds for learning and for social action. A strong STEMS^2 unit engages students and teachers in hands-on activities, within and outside of the classroom, where learning is a process of inquiry and discovery, not always a path to an already known answer.  Community connections and  environmental learning journeys, are important resources in experiential education. 

Where am I Going with This and What Do I Hope to Achieve?

When I first started teaching, 15 years ago, I was not handed a catalogue of standards. The principal told me one thing, "As long as they turn out to be good people".  Hmmm,  I thought that was a little bare bones, but I went with it - and I can't help but think now, that it is a piece of the ultimate objective.  What Ms. Lee said, all those years ago, is the kernel within the philosophy of critical pedagogy. To clarify, "Critical pedagogy considers how education can provide individuals with the tools to better themselves and strengthen democracy, to create a more egalitarian and just society and thus deploy education as a process of progressive social change" (Kellnor, D. 2000).  I believe that a strong STEMS^2 unit is steeped in critical pedagogy,  indicating the focal point, steering lessons and influencing the  classroom dynamic. In summary, a strong STEMS unit is place and community based, hands-on, and experiential.  It employs a variety of assessment components appropriate for different types of learners. It adheres to standards, is organized, has a focal point and sequenced lessons drawing on skills and knowledge from all core and non-core subjects, as are appropriate for the objective. It is culturally equitable, and steeped in critical pedagogy and ultimately makes the world a better place :)

References

Gruenewald, D. (2003) Foundations of place: A multidisciplinary framework for place-conscious             education. American Education Research Journal, Vol. 40. 3

Kellner, D. (2000) "Multiple Literacies and Critical Pedagogies" in Revolutionary Pedagogies -                 Cultural Politics, Instituting Education, and the Discourse of Theory. Routledge

Rios-Aguiler, C.,  Kiyama, J.,  Gravitt, M. & Moll, L. (2011) Funds of knowledge for the poor and             forms of capital for the rich? A capital approach to examining funds of knowledge. Theory of             Research in Education. p. 164

Free BLOG #4: Permaculture in the STEMS Classroom

Permaculture Defined
What is Permaculture and why should you care? Permaculture is a design system for living, which takes into consideration the unique bioregion and culture it is set in. It strives also to be ecologically sound in that it is a closed loop system - one which creates no waste. Permaculture employs observation, biomimicry, and working with and within ecosystems, rather than against them.

As defined by permaculture activist, Guy Baldwin of Cortez Island, British Columbia, "Permaculture is a holistic approach to landscape design and human culture. It is an attempt to integrate several disciplines, including biology, ecology, geography, agriculture, technology, gardening and community building".

Permaculture is Place
Permaculture involves having not only a strong sense of place, but a working knowledge of what is happening in that place. What sorts of trees, plants, animals and people live there? What natural ecosystems are in and around the region? What is the temperate zone and how much rainfall does the area get? Is it an urban, suburban or a natural environment? How are energy, food and shelter needs met for the people who live there? Where does human generated waste go? How can the system be maintained to benefit the environment and all who live there?
Elements employed in permaculture design serve more than one purpose. It is efficient because, as in nature, each element employed performs many functions. For example, if chickens are part of our design system, they provide not only meat and eggs, but also fertilization for soil regeneration and pest control, by eating slugs and other harmful insects.

 Interacting Systems for Living

Many people think that permaculture has only to do with growing food - but that is only one aspect of it. As stated above, permaculture is a design system, that strives to create environmentally responsible plans for living. It manifests in innovative building design, wherein  passive and alternative sources of energy without residual waste products, are used. Permaculture also solves problems of drought, with rain catchment systems, grey water systems, the use of swales and gravity to capitalize on the natural flow of water, leading it to a destination where is can be put to use.

Doing as Nature Does
Permaculure concerns itself with biodiversity in agriculture. Following natures example, a permaculture farm is not monocropping, it does not employ harmful pesticides rather looking to nature for solutions.   Building healthy soil, growing clean food and food sustainability are some of the goals of permaculture as well as urban greening and better city planning, for community enhancement and community building.

Ethics
Permaculture is based on ethics: earth care, people care, fair share. Application of permaculture design is meant to benefit all. It is happening worldwide and has empowered people to have a say in where food and energy come from and to make educated decisions on what is good for the planet, for the community and for themselves.

Some of the Permie-STEMS projects I envision for students are engineering rain harvesting systems that rely on calculating the amount to be caught from their home or school rooftops. I see kids interested in plant and soil science as they design gardens, watered by their rain catchment systems, which produce goods that can be taken home, sold at farmers markets or delivered to elders, homeless people or families in need. I see kids thinking about green architecture, how the placement and design of an energy efficient building relies on the aspect of the sun and the climate of the area. I imagine neglected city parks and abandoned spaces being turned into community gathering spaces with edible landscapes by students who employ their knowledge of indigenous plants, ahupua'a systems, soil science, and natural pest control. The possibilities are endless. My goal is to create a coherent STEMS curriculum based in permaculture design.

STEMS + Permaculture = <3

S:Testing and regenerating soils, water sampling/testing, observing weather patterns, observing ecosystems / bioregion, data collection, plant /animal science, botany, ethnobotany.
T:Research, Collect Data, Create Presentations: movies, power points, slide shows. Use tools.
E:Design: green building, rain harvesters, passive solar structures, community spaces, gardens, shelter, tools
M:Quantify: carbon footprints, rain catch, food yield, energy needed,harvested, cycled.  Construction math.
S:Cultural connections to sustainable practices, effects on community, engagement of (high risk) youth,  elder care, community spaces, markets, gardens. Civic involvement.
S:Educating about and nurturing connection to place: self, others, community, bioregion, nature, earth = stewardship.

If this sounds interesting, the following are just a few good introductory talks on permaculture:
I'm also including, reposted on You Tube, the link for my STEMS/ELL video, from a couple years back to illustrate how ELL, ELA, STEMS and Permaculture can be connected!  https://youtu.be/sboEWkUWIDI

•  TEDx Honolulu -Mathew Lynch-Beyond Sustainability: The Story of a Reformed Capitalist
•   Geoff Lawton @ TEDx Ajman
• A Subversive Plot: How to Grow a Revolution in Your Own Back Yard TEDx Dirigo.