With Jane Ji of Springbay Studio and Grace Sadler of the Science Teachers’ Association of Ontario
How can gamification be used to connect young learners with nature? In what ways do the virtual world and real world overlap? Why is competition such an impactful tool in education? What does this all have to do with managing eco-anxiety? Jane Ji of Springbay discusses the conceptual underpinnings of her iBiome and League for Green Leaders before teacher Grace Sadler shares her and her students’ experiences with Springbay’s apps. They key is using virtual games as a bridge to the natural world, not a replacement for direct contact with it. There’s lots to unpack and we do our best in the two discussions featured in this episode.
Guests:
Jane Ji is an educational game designer, naturalist, and facilitator for learning-by-doing through play. As a co-founder of Springbay Studio, she works with her team, focusing exclusively on climate education. She has created the award-winning educational game series iBiome and League for Green Leaders, the latter a one-of-its-kind online climate action platform for children around the world to compete to reduce their carbon footprints. Jane invites children to build virtual habitats, learn about how humans impact the environment, and empowers them to reduce their eco-footprint by making sustainable real-life choices. She delivers state-wide PD for teachers in Washington State and supports teachers from Toronto District School Board and various parts of the US with workshops on adding engagement and empowerment to inquiry-based learning.
Graziella (Grace) Sadler has been teaching for 15 years, and this has included seven years in a primary/junior science and technology position. She is the Vice President of The Science Teachers’ Association of Ontario (STAO) and Judging Coordinator for the York Region Science and Technology Fair. She currently teaches Grade 10 Science with the Toronto Catholic District School Board at Monsignor Percy Johnson Catholic Secondary School.
Episode 62: Energy transition narratives: good-faith, bad-faith, and keeping the faith
Episode 61: A Two-Worlds Approach to nurturing empathy in young children
Episode 60: Nature’s best hope (for kids)
Episode 59: The lives of bees and pollinating wasps
Episode 58: Learning through a forest lens
Episode 57: Regenerating habitat for native pollinators
Episode 56: Having richer and more meaningful conversations with children
Episode 55: Pre-K environmental ed.
Episode 54: Engaging children in climate/waste solutions
Episode 53: The power of nature stories
Episode 52: Two-eyed seeing
Episode 51: Balancing screen time and green time
Episode 50: Navigating ecological threats with storytelling
Episode 49: Comics, cartoons, and humour for climate change ed.
Episode 48: What we can learn from trees
Episode 47: Climate literacy and resilience
Episode 46: Attention restoration theory
Episode 45: World Rivers Day
Episode 44: Phenology-based teaching
Episode 43: Regenerative education, incl. learning session
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