AN ECOLOGICAL CONCEPTION OF TEACHING

Traditional theories of teaching and learning are premised on the beli ef that knowledge and skill are the properties of the individual. The concept of ecological intelligence shifts the focus from individual co gnitive processing and technical action to the relationships and activ ities within environmental systems. Students (and teachers) come to cl assrooms as members of a variety of systems, each of which possess cer tain kinds of knowledge and information. The job of the teacher is to introduce learners to new systems of knowledge and processes and to mo del ways these systems-and the information and structure therein-can b e connected to what the learners already know. Not recognizing the sys tems of which the students are members is to discount the diverse info rmation and connections of students. Too often this happens because th e potential contributions are not immediately apparent and require eff ort to be incorporated into the ongoing activity.