Volume 2023 No. 1

 

In the wake of climate change and its impact on bio-physical conditions on life on earth, the question about our responsibilities for future generations has become a pressing one. Currently, careless developmental activities, with potential damage to eco-systems, demand an ethical response ensuring intergenerational justice. This recognition binds every generation with the responsibility to address potential consequences of present behaviour and to present a habitable environment to succeeding generations. The encyclical Laudato Si’ (LS) exhorts that human development and the protection of nature should go hand-in-hand while advocating for an “integral and sustainable development.” In this regard, Pope Francis speaks about ‘integral ecology’, based on the well-known ‘principle of common good’ which should benefit the interests of both the present and future generations. However, his understanding of sustainable development, premised in LS, is still based on the Brundtland’ definition of sustainability, which is a “weak” form of sustainability because sustainability is always a compromise between economy, sociality, and ecology. Although Pope Francis condemns any kind of unsustainable development—by way of misguided anthropocentrism or the consequences of an unethical technocratic paradigm—his plea for an integral ecology neither refers to nuanced scientific concepts such as the ‘Anthropocene’ nor to a strong view on sustainability. An example of the latter is the ‘planetary boundaries’ concept which scrutinizes human activities to control unprecedented damage to the environment and guides us with the help of defining science-based boundaries to act more sustainable, presenting a ‘safe space’ for human thriving. Therefore, this article explores the importance of the ‘planetary boundaries’ concept to redefine the pope’s endorsement for ‘setting reasonable limits’ on human developmental activities and consequently providing a healthy environment for both the present and future generations. The engagement of analytical and descripting methods throughout this paper helps to reach the aim of providing a more adequate understanding of sustainable development in the catholic social teachings which , by doing so, deepens our responsibilities towards future generations. 

 

Gardner’s Multiple-Intelligences theory can serve as a powerful instrument for an assessment of learners’ abilities and aptitudes. The present cross-sectional descriptive-correlational study aimed to assess Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences profile, specifically Musical Intelligence and Mathematical Intelligence, of science students at The City College of New York in the academic fall semester of 2021. The relationship between Musical and Mathematical Intelligence and academic performance was examined. Data was collected by administering Gardner’s Musical and Mathematical Intelligences Assessment Scales to 160 subjects selected by non-probability convenience sampling. Academic performance of students was evaluated by grade point average (GPA).  The results show 6/13 components of Musical Intelligence had a positive correlation to GPA compared to 7/13 components being negatively correlated. Alternatively, 2/11 components of Mathematical Intelligence were positively correlated while 9/11 components were negatively correlated. Overall there are more positive correlations in Musical Intelligence when compared to Mathematical Intelligence. Students with a higher GPA believed it would help to learn a scientific concept using a musical tune. There was a negative correlation between knowing how to play a musical instrument and GPA, while there was a positive correlation with believing that learning a musical instrument can help when learning science and GPA. This study can be used as applied knowledge to improve the quality of education counseling provided for future science students.

 

 

 

Beginning with a description of the way the myths of incarnation and trinity function to encourage collaborative social participation in the experience of the Morecambe Bay Poverty Truth Commission (http://www.morecambebaypovertytruthcommission.org.uk/), the paper will attempt to show that shared stories operate as myths that transform corporate behaviour. In Timothy Stacey’s words they “help people expand their imagination, overcome the instrumental lens through which they perceive their own lives, and revivify the spirit of political participation.” The paper will draw in particular on Stacey, Saving Liberalism from Itself: The Spirit of Political Participation (Bristol: Bristol University Press, 2022); Julie Tomlin “The Spiralling Dance of Wisdom” in The Kenarchy Journal 1.3, 2020  (https://kenarchy.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Kenarchy_Volume1.3.pdf) and Sue Mitchell and Francisco Jose Eiroa-Orosa, “Love your enemy? An aesthetic discourse analysis of self-transcendence in values-motivated altruism” in Roger Haydon Mitchell, ed. Cultivating New Post–Secular Political Space (London and New York: Routledge, 2019). Stacey’s applied research findings from his years researching among participants in the Metro Vancouver Alliance (https://www.metvanalliance.org.), Tomlin’s work on the instatement of feminine myths and Sue Mitchell’s iteration of the skills of dialogic listening are harnessed to substantiate the proposal that a greater recognition of the role of myth in contemporary society will encourage and facilitate genuine participation.  The capacity of shared stories to offset the Western liberal tendency to see knowledge as a rational mathēsis by means of which experts induct the individual into a more or less passive role will be indicated. In conclusion some of the practical outcomes of Round One of the Morecambe Bay Poverty Truth Commission will be outlined in evidence of the socially transformative potential of shared story telling.

 

The purpose of this study is to explore the possibilities that online learning and teaching offer for learning mathematics for university undergraduate students. The blended learning environment will be used to guide my investigation into how instructors perceive teaching online undergraduate mathematics courses. The expanding competition in advanced education due to technological development has brought paradigmatic shifts in higher education. For example, people can gather and preserve knowledge through technology. This has brought changes in education in general and in classroom structures. Nowadays, a person can engage in educational activities outside of school through planned or unplanned activities with the involvement of technology. There is a need for models of online learning methods to come up with an improved proposal that could help achieve better outcomes for learners. The blended learning model is a teaching and learning environment that integrates face-to-face and computer-assisted learning. This model offers the most effective elements from both traditional and e-learning mediums. The objective of this study is to gain critical insights into the key challenges in developing a curriculum plan for learners in a flexible blended learning environment that offers an understanding of their needs and the most salient enablers of success. Moreover, the blended learning environment is the most effective from both traditional and e-learning mediums. This will enable instructors to meet and understand sustainable development goals of mathematics course design that can shed light on instructional practices that support success and efficacy in introductory mathematics courses. 

Prospective and in-service teachers have likely seen headlines about the Critical Race Theory “battle” (Kingkade et al., 2021) and may seek professors of teacher education for guidance from their colleges or universities. It can be difficult for new teachers to navigate what could be classified by some as a divisive curriculum in their first-year in the classroom without the proper background, training, and information. It is important to explore these topics to provide an overview and background of the controversy, offer an explanation of concerns and questions parents may have about new curricula, and provide a perspective on advantages to covering racial issues in schools. This paper aims to provide an explanation for educators on some recent controversial conversations around curriculum and instruction in American schools.