Habitat and Learning :
The habitat is where any species finds conditions that
permit it to thrive. Learning is a vital faculty of all
animal species. Animals learn about the features of their
own habitat by picking up clues as to where they may
expect to find food or meet social companions or
encounter enemies. For our ancestors, knowledge thus
began with the exploration of their habitat. But as
human beings' control over the environment has
increased, and as people have begun to mould the world
more and more to suit their needs, this component of
knowledge has diminished so much that today formal
education has become largely alienated from the habitat
of the students. But as environmental degradation
proceeds at an uprecedented pace, we are beginning
to realise the importance of taking good care of our
habitat. Humankind must, therefore, make an attempt
to comprehend its roots, to re-establish links with its
habitat, and to understand and take good care of it. In
substance and spirit, then the theme ' Habitat and
Learning' is equivalent to environmental education.
These significant concerns are best realised by
infusing the components of environmental education
as part of different disciplines while ensuring that
adequate time is earmarked for pertinent activities. This
approach can be meaningfully employed in the
treatment of content in Physics, Mathematics, chemistry,
Biology, geography, History, political science, health and
physical education, art, music etc. Actvities constructed
for life situations become a meaningful means for the
engagement of learners. Rainfall, for instance, exhibits
intricate variations over space and time. Data on such
variations are available and can be used to promote
many interesting activities in Physics and Mathematics.
In Physics, simple experiments may be devised to
visualise patterns of flow of fluids over uneven terrain,
as well as to demonstrate how the ascent of air leads
to cooling and precipitation and descent to the opposite
effects. In Mathematics, a careful analysis of data for a
longer period, say, 50 years, on decline in rainfall
provides excellent possibilities for projects relating to
data representation, visualisation and interpretation.
Likewise, effluents from sewage treatment plants can
form meaningful raw material for a variety of projects
in chemistry. Besides, schools could work with
panchayats, municipalities and city corporations to
document biodiversity resources and associated
knowledge. Schools can take up projects in Biology
addressing specific issues of interest, such as the
occurrence and utilisation of medicinal plants or the
protection of rare and endangered fish in a body of
water. People's representations of the environment
and its specifics (animals, forests, rivers, plants etc.)
through various forms of art, music, dance and craft
illustrate their understanding of biodiversity. Such an
understanding is also linked to the life of members of
Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities as
they often depend on natural biodiversity resources to
sustain their livelihoods. Recording such knowledge is
part of the mandate of preparing of people's biodiversity registers, and students can fruitfully be
engaged in projects on the preparation of such registers.
Projects assessing the nutritional role of wild plants,
which provide important nutritional supplements in
the diets of tribal communities, can be worthwhile
components of health education. Likewise, preparation
of maps of the immediate environment,
documentation of environmental History, and analysis
of political issues related to the environment may be
made part of projects in geography, History and
political science. Conflicts over water at the local, state,
national and international levels offer a rich source for
designing a variety of activities and projects connecting
these descriptions of knowledge.
