Abstract:
Urban ecology is a complex interaction of humans, the built environment, and
nature. The challenge is to teach this complexity effectively, no matter which
students we are addressing in a university setting. How can we help students
face challenges to learning this difficult material within constraints of time,
physical conditions, and conceptual difficulty? A meaningful study of urban
ecology should take students out of their comfort zone to engage with questions
of complexity. Methodologies such as observation, contemplation, and serious
play encourage critical thinking and help students tackle complex concepts that
require abstract reasoning. These behaviors structure and guide an aesthetic
experience that subsequently informs the cognitive-rational science of urban
ecology. Observation in its many forms sets the stage for all further learning
activities. Reflection allows students to develop ideas about their own learning
and consider new perspectives. Serious play, which includes in-class modelbuilding,
excites students to work in a hands-on, collaborative environment.
Finally, social media provide a tight focus for communication, encouraging
students to "instantly" share their discoveries in a visual context while using the
vocabulary of science. These methodologies and the abstract reasoning they
generate can be carried forward for use in subsequent projects, in which student
innovation and designing-outside-the-program are rewarded.
