Invasive species provide an exciting story for environmental educators.  We have a villain (the bad invasives) and a victim (the poor helpless native species). Although this portrayal might capture a student’s attention, what is often lacking are the deeper ecological principles that come in to play. We will explore several myths often presented in the teaching about invasive species, and we explore alternative teaching scenarios that can be used as alternatives to these myths that can help students understand these deeper ecological principles.

Lisa Zinn teaches in the Sustainability and Environmental Education Department at Goshen College, in Goshen Indiana.  She has worked in various aspects of environmental education for 18 years and currently teaches Natural History to students obtaining their Master’s degree in Environmental Education at Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College. Jonathon Schramm also teaches in the SEED department at Goshen College and at Merry Lea.  Among other courses, Jonathon teaches Principles of Environmental Education for the same graduate program in Environmental Education and Sustainability and Regeneration and Environmental Problem Solving to undergraduate students.

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