Page 104 - International Journal of Process Educaiton (Special Issue)

Figure 1 Foundations of Organic Chemistry Activity 36 Who Gives a Darn? Introduction

Who Gives a Darn?

The global climate has changed dramatically in the last 100 years, coinciding with the industrial revolution.
During the industrial revolution, coal ¿red plants brought civilization generation of electricity. Coal is
still one of the most common sources for generating electricity. Unfortunately, the billions of tons of coal
burned every year, also contributes to the dramatic increase of carbon dioxide found in the atmosphere.
Prior to the industrial revolution, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere was generally 200 to 250 parts
per million, but now that amount is closer to 400 parts per million. During this time frame the average
temperature of the Earth has increased about 1°C.

The balance between heating and cooling the planet is shared between two major types of light energy.
As the sun shines on the earth, ultraviolet light penetrates the atmosphere warming the planet. This light
energy is released back into space via infrared radiation from the earth.

The Earth’s temperature is predicted to continue to increase if the amount of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere continues to rise. While 1°C change may not seem like much, it has already resulted in much
more violent weather patterns as well as increases in sea level. What is it about carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere that disrupts the cooling of the Earth?

Figure 2 Foundations of Organic Chemistry Activity 36 Who Gives a Darn? Conclusion

In both Foundations of Learning (Redfield & Hurley- this aspect, “memorizing” represents the historical tenden-
Lawrence, 2009) and Learning to Learn: Becoming a cy, while “problem solving” is the preferred alternative.
Self-Grower (Apple, Morgan & Hintze 2013), students
are challenged to solve their own problems, issues, and As Smith explains in Setting High Expectations (2007d),
challenges. While the problems elected by an individual
student to work toward solving may not be universal, for When facilitators set high expectations they are
that student, no other problem is more real or potentially communicating that they think that students are
more motivating. capable of significantly improved performance.
In other words, if their teachers believe in them,
Elevating Learning to Problem Solving students are more likely to believe in themselves.
(see also Problem Solving)
The implication for learning activities is that they should
The best practice here is seen in the Transformation of sufficiently challenge students. Integrating critical
Education (Hintze, Beyerlein, Apple, & Holmes, 2011) as- thinking questions into activities helps students shift
pect, “cognitive complexity,” the degree to which training from memorizing to understanding and constructing
and doing is elevated to problem solving and research. For meaning (Hanson, 2007), especially when those questions
are sequenced to guide inquiry through multiple levels

102 International Journal of Process Education (February 2016, Volume 8 Issue 1)