The Lion King and the Big Picture

        How Does The Lion King Ecology Inform Our (My) Big Idea

        First of all, I still do not know how I feel about the Big Picture Idea and how it relates to education. In class, we keep talking about how the use of the Big Picture Idea will enable teachers to better link their students' learning environments with real life experiences. We have also discuss that by using the Big Picture Idea, it will make it much easier for students to gain greater control over their own learning experiences.

        When I say I am still not completely convinced, it is because many countries, such as Korea and India, still employ traditional models for educating their students, and their students are out performing ours. However, I am in no shape or form defending the use of traditional models as being more effective than Constructivism. But I am saying that I do not believe that one teaching model can be utilized to effectively teach all students.

        Take the Lion King for example. Even though the Big Picture Idea is supposed to help students gain a better and complete understanding about Ecology by allowing teachers to uncover and resolve many of their students' misconceptions about it, research has shown that many misconceptions are not changed merely by presenting individuals with information that contradicts their old beliefs. In fact, many individuals routinely force contradictory information to fit into their old beliefs rather than accepting them of being true. Radiometric Dating is but one example of  how
individuals try to force new information to conform to their old beliefs.

        Many individuals, who truly want to believe that the earth is no older than seven to ten thousands years old, vehemently assert that Radiometric Dating other than the use of Caron 14, a dating method that can determine the age of fossils up to 50,000 to 60,000 years, is both inaccurate and unreliable. Thus, despite the fact that most in the Scientific community believe that Radiometric Dating is both accurate and reliable, these same individuals contend to assert that non Carbon 14 Radiometric Dating that estimate the earth being approximately 4.5 billion years old cannot and should not be believed over Biblical references.

How Have My Ideas Change As A Result?

      The point that I am trying to get across is that just because a teacher employs the Big Picture in order to help their students gain a better understanding about Ecology while at the same time dispelling their misconcepts about it, will not always prove to be any more effective than other teaching models (traditional and non-traditional). However, with that being said, I do see how the use of the Big Picture can be utilized in order to help students remain focused on important information and concepts that are  being taught.

        Once again, I will reference The Lion King and how it relates to Ecology. Even before, many students ever get the chance to be formally introduced to it, movies such as The Lion King have already planted many misconceptions about ecological systems and animal hierarchies in their minds. Thus when children are not even old enough to go to school, they are already led to believe that ecological systems are based on good (Lions) versus evil (Hyenas). This is also where and why I believe that the Big Picture Model can aid teachers in uncovering many of these misconcepts. However, if a  teacher does not continually probe his or her students regarding their misconceptions, the Big Picture model is then no more effective than Traditional models. Therefore,  additional safeguards must be constantly utilized in order to help students dispel their misconcepts or they will only force new information to fit older beliefs and cause their misconceptions to be further reinforced.

         In addition, although many students may consciously realize that one animal cannot and does not make a big difference in "The Circle of Life," we as Americans are cultural taught that one individual can make a big difference in the lives of  others. Therefore, teachers also have to be aware of the fact that many of their students' misconcepts are also cultural, societal, religious, and political based and they may also need to undercover the true nature of their students' misconcepts before they are able to change them.