Innovative Education Strategies to Advance Ocean Literacy

Abstract

The ocean covers more than 70% of the planet and yet knowledge of what occurs in the ocean among the public is poorly developed. There is an urgent need to raise levels of ocean literacy so that the public can mandate politicians and policymakers to manage the ocean sustainably. Education of the next generation is key, requiring a ‘bottom up’ grassroots approach. Consultation and collaboration with a broad range of stakeholders locally, nationally and internationally is essential. While interest has been recognised as an important condition for learning, educators continue to be challenged by academically unmotivated students. Education competes with instantaneous technology in grabbing attention and maintaining interest, with the vast majority of students being coined as digital residents. Therefore, new media and methodologies need to be considered in providing an engaging current education platform to increase ocean literacy. This chapter recounts the design of two educational initiatives that address the advancement of ocean literacy: educational e-book design and gaming pedagogy. A participation and social inclusion model that champions practice with and not on the stakeholder group was considered during the design process, to create resources with an improved opportunity to promote change.