Soil Science Education: Philosophy and Perspectives

Two-thirds of Americans believe that science will improve their future and three-fourths indicate they enjoy learning science. Scientific literacy in this country, however, is at its lowest ebb since reaching a peak in the Sputnik era. The nation is currently undergoing a science and engineering reform with massive influx of public and private monies to counter this educational void. The goal is to attain preeminence in scientific literacy by the year 2000, perhaps a little presumptuous and unattainable given the timeframe. It is within this backdrop, however, that the relevance of soil science education takes on new meaning. Understanding the near-surface Earth properties, processes, and functionality is essential to global habitat sustainability. Soil science provides the educational framework to integrate components of earth-science systems, to understand the causes and consequences of spatial variability, and view dynamic processes impacting ecosystems in a holistic perspective. The future of our discipline is heavily dependcent on our ability as educators and scientists to effectivley communicate this message. Our clientele are diverse. They represent multiple occupations, backgrounds, value judgements, interests, and experiences. Their understanding of soil and land resources may be limited. This special publication examines these issues, challenges, and opportunities for new trends in educational environments under new soil science paradigms. The Soil Science Society of America is committed to enhancing the outreach of earth-science education through development of resource learning materials and teacher mentor programs in conjunciton with the American Geological Institute textbook initiatives. We commend the authors of this text and the organizing committee for their efforts to bring this special publication to fruition in such a timely manner. It is a significant new contribution to the arsenal of earth-science educational materials.

• Format: Misc.
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0891189327
• ISBN13: 9780891189329
• Release Date: January 1
• Publisher: Acsess