TITLE:
A Case Study of Water Education in Australia
AUTHORS:
Alison J. Sammel
KEYWORDS:
Science Education, Australian Curriculum (Science), Scientific Literacy, Water Literacy
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.5 No.13,
July
14,
2014
ABSTRACT: What
does it mean to be scientifically literate in relation to water? Is this
understanding the same for water literacy? And what implications do these two
concepts have for water education in Australia? In addressing these questions,
this paper provides a snapshot of the similar and competing educational
ideologies that underpin the concepts of scientific literacy in relation to
water, and water literacy. An investigation of the Australian Curriculum
(Science), and a small case study of pre-service education students highlight
the degree to which one concept is favored over the other. This bias ultimately
raises questions for water education in Australia, as it is not about whether
the ACS or [future] teachers should be addressing issues associated with water,
but rather how and to what end goal. This necessitates exploring the partial
and political nature of any approach to educating about water, and highlights
that not all approaches are equally as politically neutral or challenging.