The document discusses how adopting a plant-based diet can promote both physical and environmental health. It notes that animal agriculture is unsustainable and is negatively impacting the environment, and that a plant-based diet can help address issues like water conservation, world hunger, and chronic diseases. Transitioning to a primarily plant-based food system that reduces consumption of meat and dairy would help create a more sustainable future for our environment and health.

1. Living Sustainably Eating a Plant-Based Diet
To Promote Physical & Environmental Health
Robin McDaniel

2. Curriculum Philosophy
Curriculum is a combination of text
and teaching guidelines educators
use to convey information to
students. It is not just about book
learning, but involves the total
learning experience. Students have
different learning styles and
curriculum should present all
different teaching methods
including audial, visual and
kinesthetic whenever possible to
address their individual needs.
2
When it comes to writing curriculum I think the most
important thing is to come up with a set of objectives and
goals that you would like to achieve. Goals need to be
specific, measurable and attainable, and developmentally
appropriate for all students. Once you have a set of
objectives, you can align curriculum to fit in with the
desired goals. Both formal and informal assessment is a
good way to know what areas your students already know
and what you need to teach in order to help them achieve
success. Assessment should occur before, during and after
curriculum development and implementation to ensure
successful execution.
Writing CurriculumWhat Curriculum is to me

3. Progressivism & Liberal Teaching Ideology
• Progressivism? by Alfie Kohn (Core Principles According to Alfie Kohn)
• Organize learning around problems, projects, and student questions
• Thinking is messy
• Do not want learning criterion to get in the way of student interest
• If students are “off task,” the problem may be with the task, not with the kids.
• Lots of student interaction and discussion.
• Teacher acts as a guide.
• Children learn decision-making through experience, not by following directives.
• Focus less on kids behavior and more no their needs
• Rewarding students may backfire and cause them to lose interest in subject or
problem and become more interested in the reward.
• Even though all learning can be assessed, it is difficult to measure some learning
effectively (example: thinking, mindset, process).
• Reducing learning to only assessment will decrease value of learned information.
• Standardized tests assess the least important aspects of learning and only serve to
give the appearance that learning has occurred.
3

4. Vision
• To promote a healthy environment through inspiring the
undertaking of plant-based nutrition and sustainable living.
4

5. Literature Review: Environmental Sustainability: Backcast Study
5
• This paper looks at the how energy used to produce and transport food can be reduced to a sustainable level. The study is
performed in Sweden and uses a backcasting approach to give some insight into what the future would look like in 2050 with an
energy reduction for food production and consumption 60% lower than what it was in 2000. Areas under discussion that might
contribute to decreased energy depletion include transporting, storing, cooking and eating food. The goal of the paper is to
present changes that are necessary to create a sustainable food model. The authors suggest that a strong demand for sustainable
energy “means that the global energy map will have to be rewritten in the forthcoming half century. Fossil fuels need to be
phased out and energy use more evenly distributed globally” (Wallgren, Hojer & Miljostrategisk, 2013, p. 5803). They break
down sustainability into three dimensions including ecological, social and economic.
• The authors calculated energy usage I seven groups including “(1) agriculture and fisheries, (2) food processing industry, (3)
packaging, (4) trade, (5) transport, (6) other branches and (7) electricity in households” (Wallgren, Hojer & Miljostrategisk,
2013, p. 5803). They looked at each of these areas individually to get an idea of how they might use energy more efficiently to
decrease levels of consumption and reach the goal of 60% less consumption.
• In the area of agriculture and fisheries recommendations include developing increased energy efficient technology, converting
to organic farming, and eating less meat and dairy products. In addition, less energy would be wasted on freezing food if more
fresh food such as fruits and vegetables were consumed (ie., plant-based diet). The authors also noted that transporting meat
uses a high percentage of energy.
• When they backcast to 2050 and are looking at an image of a sustainable environment they note that
the production of beef and dairy products had given way to more cereals and legumes. The meat and
dairy industry, according to this backcasting study, are largely obsolete.
• Although this study is somewhat limited in scope, it does seem to offer a realistic view of what a sustainable future might hold.
Because we currently use almost half of our corn to feed animals that we consume, and corn makes up approximately 50% of
the crops grown in the United States, using meat as a core food choice is not a long-term sustainable option.
• Wallgren, C., Höjer, M., Miljöstrategisk analys (2013). KTH, Samhällsplanering och miljö, & Skolan för arkitektur och samhällsbyggnad (ABE). (2009). Eating energy—
Identifying possibilities for reduced energy use in the future food supply system. Energy Policy, 37(12), 5803-5813. doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2009.08.046
“When they
backcast to 2050
and are looking at
an image of a
sustainable
environment they
note that the
production of
beef and dairy
products had
given way to more
cereals and
legumes. The
meat and dairy
industry,
according to this
backcasting
study, are largely
obsolete.”

6. Mission Statement
Increase the education of all students about the importance of
living a sustainable lifestyle by incorporating science and ethics
based concepts of anti-speciesism and plant-based eating using a
facilitative health based education program.
The goal is to provide an easy to follow curricular model that
contains a body of knowledge on alternative methods to current
nutritional guidelines on how to maintain optimum nutrition
while living in harmony with nature, animals, and humans that
make up the totality of our earthbound environment.
Through a system of learning opportunities, skill based problem-
solving methods, assessment, and accountability measures, we
will work to ensure every student attains their individual level of
optimum academic success.
6

7. Problem
• Animal consumption is unsustainable
• Causes environmental damage
• Increases risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes
• Is not economically or environmentally feasible for long-term
sustainability
• Water conservation issues
• World hunger is not addressed
• Has negative worldwide economic impact which directly affects
our educational institutions and society as a whole
7

8. Curriculum Need
Why teach about a plant-based diet (PBD)?
• Current curriculum gives a myopic view of healthy eating
• Obesity is at an all time high in the United States and around the
world.
• Accounts for diversity-an alternative design to our current food
pyramid following a plant-based diet
• Education on how maintain a sustainable eating plan that will lead to
a healthier environment
• Ethics based lessons that will help students become more sensitive to
their fellow earthlings
• Create environmentally sensitive learners who can become
knowledgeable contributors to environmental change
8

9. Educational and Health Issues
• Students lack adequate information on nutrition and nutritional alternatives
• The incidence of childhood obesity has increased by more than two times in the past 30 years (Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 2014).
• Harvard study indicated that daily meat eaters have 3x the colon cancer risk of those who rarely eat meat
(Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, 2014).
• Hypothesis: Meat contains cancer causing compounds such as heterocyclic amines (HCA) and polycyclic
aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) which are formed when cooked(Physicians Committee for Responsible
Medicine, 2014).
• “Lower incidence of vegetable consumption has been linked to decreased cognitive function (Pinilla,
2010).
• “Schools play a particularly critical role by establishing a safe and supportive environment with policies and
practices that support healthy behaviors. Schools also provide opportunities for students to learn about
and practice healthy eating and physical activity behaviors (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
2014, para. 14).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014). Adolescent and School Health. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/obesity/facts.htm.
(Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (2014). Meat consumption and cancer risk. Retrieved from http://www.pcrm.org/health/cancer-resources/diet-cancer/facts/meat-consumption-and-
cancer-risk
Gomez-Pinilla, F. (2010). Brain foods: The effects of nutrients on brain function. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2805706/
9

10. Literature Review
10
• With the obesity epidemic on the rise in the K-12 school system, educators, administrators, and organizations
are looking for ways to integrate a more healthy food plan into their educational institutions. There is some
debate as to whether making policy changes can have any effect on how the food choices children make.
• The authors used a case studies to examine how nutritional policies set by an afterschool program could work
to increase fruit and vegetable consumption. They disseminated the results of forty-four studies that were
performed in after school programs in the greater Sacramento, California area, and included low-income and
ethnically diverse elementary-school students. The studies encompassed 8000 students over a varying time-
frame.
• The Students Today Achieving Results for Tomorrow (START) program had made changes to the school snack
menu to include 83% more fruit in the daily servings delivered to study participants. Start adopted a program
of including five servings per day of both fruits and vegetables in a new 2001 policy called Children’s 5 a Day
Power Play! Curriculum, and changed their snack vendor to ensure the new menu was implemented.
• The new menu included significantly more fruit. “The new menu provided more than half of the
recommended two servings of fruit, whereas the previous menu had provided less than one third,
on average” (Cassady, Vogt, Oto-Kent, Mosley & Lincoln, 2006, p. 11). These fruits were delivered in both
solid and juice form, and there was no significant increase in vegetable intake.
• Results: Milk consumption declined from .29 servings to 0, and grams of saturated fat declined by 42%.
There was a notable increase in nutrient percentages. The consumption of milk and cheese products
was shown to contribute significantly to saturated fat intake. Study results indicate that
organizational policy changes can be effective in helping schools meet nutritional guidelines. The
results may indicate that administrators can use policy to help create a framework for a healthier eating plan
within their individual schools or districts.
• Cassady, D., Vogt, R., Oto-Kent, D., Mosley, R., & Lincoln, R. (2006). The power of policy: A case study of healthy eating among children. American
Journal of Public Health, 96(9), 1570-1571. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2005.072124
“The
consumption of
milk and cheese
products was
shown to
contribute
significantly to
saturated fat
intake. Study
results indicate
that
organizational
policy changes
can be effective
in helping
schools meet
nutritional
guidelines.”

11. Sources for Curriculum Design
• Society-meat eating impacts the environment and therefore
has a direct impact on the economics of society
• Increasing ethics associated with eliminating speciesism can
benefit society socially
• Science-nutritional science behind plant based eating -
scientific procedure in growing plants; and following
scientific concepts for healthy eating
• Learner Centered-teaching using hands-on methods-
based on tenents of constructivist learning and experiential
learning
11

12. Aims, Goals, Objectives
• Aims-Encourage students to
become more nutritionally
and environmentally
informed and ethically
thoughtful
• Goals-Facilitate awareness of
nutritional, environmental
and social concerns of current
agricultural and food intake
methods
12
Objectives
• Students will learn about sustainability
• Students will demonstrate ability to grow
their own food
• Students will define terms including ethics,
veganism, plant-based diet, speciesism, and
sustainability
• Students will develop a revised nutritional
pyramid
• Students will relate their own philosophy
• Help students become independent thinkers
• Increase awareness of dietary choice
Subject: Plant-based eating and environmental sustainability

13. Learning Experiences
• Video
• Hands-on activities
(cooking, gardening)
• Discussion
• Presentation
13
• Virtual field trips
• Technology based
research
• Interview assignment
• Problem-solving
Learning experiences will include informative information about
areas of environmental sustainability, plant-based growth, eating
methods and social responsibility:
Modules of the instruction will include:

14. Curriculum Overview
• Learn about the health effects of a plant-based diet
• Discuss the environmental effects of meat production and
consumption
• Discuss the ethics of speciesism and meat consumption
• Learn how to eat a plant-based diet (including meal plans
and plant-growing tips).
• Learn how to reduce personal environmental impact
(recycling and composting)
14

15. Literature Review: Readiness to Eat a PB Diet
In this journal article based on researchers’ qualitative research, Lea, Crawford and Worsley attempt to determine consumer
readiness to eat a plant-based diet. A plant-based diet is made up of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Meat is not
generally included in a plant-based diet. The study included questions on the participants’ current eating habits, readiness to
change and perceived barriers to adopting plant-based eating habits. There were no significant differences in participant
demographics.
The methodology included using randomly selected adult participants and who answered a series of survey questions. The study
was performed in Victoria, Australia where current dietary guidelines include recommendations of eating mostly vegetables,
beans, cereals, fruits and nuts, and a moderate amount of meat and eggs. The meat and dairy recommendations in Australia align
to a great degree with those in the United States food pyramid or food plate.
There were a total of six-hundred and one randomly selected participants, and on-hundred and six vegetarians or semi-
vegetarians. According to the study, when participants were asked about their readiness for eating a plant-based diet, 58% said
they were in pre-contemplation mode, 14% were in contemplation/pre-contemplation mode, and 28% were in action
maintenance.The participants who were in action/maintenance mode reported consuming more fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds,
cooked cereal and whole-meal bread than those in earlier stages. In addition, the action/maintenance stage participants reported
higher levels of feelings of well-being, health and optimal weight in contrast to pre-contemplation participants who reported a
lower incidence of health and well-being, and did not see the benefit of a plant-based diet.
Researchers concluded that there is a significant difference between the pre-contemplation, pre-contemplation/contemplation,
and action/maintenance modes. When questioned about the possible harmful health consequences associated with a meat based
diet, the percentages of study participants who agreed meat was harmful varied based on whether they did or did not consume
meat. “For example, 6% of female non-vegetarians agreed that `Meat causes heart disease',
compared with 24% of semi-vegetarians and 46% of vegetarians” (Lea & Worsley, 2002, p. 40). The
authors of the study concluded that if individuals in earlier modes are provided with proper nutritional guidance
that removed perceived barriers to change these participants may be able to move forward into the
action/maintenance stage of plant-based diet eating.
Lea, E. J., Crawford, D., & Worsley, A. (2006). Consumers' readiness to eat a plant-based diet. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 60(3), 342-351.
doi:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602320 15
Study
found that
a lack of
knowledge
was the
biggest
barrier to
not eating
PB foods

16. Scope
• Project Title: Living Sustainably with a Plant-Based Diet
• Project Justification: The production of meat products
contributes to obesity, disease and cognitive decline.
• A curriculum that includes information about plant-based diet
and sustainability will increase environmental awareness, a
sustainability mindset, increased ethics, creative and critical
thinking, and sensitivity to diversity.
Weekly Requirements and Updates:
• Students: Project Deliverables
• Administration: Progress Reports
16

17. Scope and Sequence Curriculum Organizer
High School: Nutrition Curriculum
Key Questions Term 1 Term 2 Term 3 Term 4
Curriculum Organizer: Description Curriculum Organizer: Description Curriculum Organizer:
Description
Curriculum Organizer:
Description
Curriculum Organizer:
Description
Unit
Unit Title: Subject focus Unit Title Introduction to
Sustainability
Unit Title: What is a plant-
based diet (PBD)
Unit Title Ethics and
Speciesism
Unit Title
Integrating knowledge
into lifestyle
Central
Ideas
Core student understandings Environmental health Nutrition Ethics Informative practice
Key
questions/c
oncepts
What questions/concepts will
focus student learning
What is sustainability
How can I live sustainably
Why should I care?
What is a plant-based diet
(PBD)
Why should I eat a PBD?
What is speciesism
Are humans more important
How do you eat PBD
Making food choices
Cooking and eating out
Teacher
focus
What are the aims of the unit
for learning?
Environmental awareness Knowledge attainment Ethics Implementation
17

18. Learning Standards and Objectives
Health
• Strand HE.912.C: Health Literacy Concepts
• Idea 1 HE.912.C.1: Core Concepts - Comprehend
concepts related to health promotion and disease
prevention to enhance health.
• Idea 2 HE.912.C.2: Internal and External
Influence - Analyze the influence of family,
peers, culture, media, technology, and other
factors on health behaviors. Strand HE.912.P:
Health Literacy Promotion
• Idea 7 HE.912.P.7: Self Management -
Demonstrate the ability to practice advocacy,
health-enhancing behaviors, and avoidance or
reduction of health risks for oneself. read more
• Idea 8 HE.912.P.8: Advocacy - Demonstrate the
ability to advocate for individual, peer, school,
family, and community health.
• Strand HE.912.B: Health Literacy Responsible
Behavior
• Idea 3 HE.912.B.3: Accessing Information -
Demonstrate the ability to access valid health
information, products, and services to enhance
health.
• Idea 4 HE.912.B.4: Interpersonal Communication
- Demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal-
communication skills to enhance health and
avoid or reduce health risks.
• Idea 5 HE.912.B.5: Decision Making -
Demonstrate the ability to use decision-making
skills to enhance health.
• Idea 6 HE.912.B.6: Goal Setting - Demonstrate
the ability to use goal-setting skills to enhance
health.
12th Grade Health Class
18

19. Learning Standards and Objectives Continued
Strand SS.912.G: Geography
• Standard 5 SS.912.G.5: Understand how human actions can
impact the environment.
• Strand SS.912.S: Sociology
• Standard 5 SS.912.S.5: Social Institutions/Identify the effects of
social institutions on individual and group behavior.
• Date Adopted or Last Revised: 02/14
• Standard 6 SS.912.S.6: Social Change/Examine the changing
nature of society.
• Standard 7 SS.912.S.7: Social Problems/Analyze a range of social
problems in today’s world.
19

20. Sequence: Example Module
• Differentiate between healthy and
unhealthy food
• Recognize food labels hidden
product in foods
• Know the difference between
processed and unprocessed food
• Recognize advertisements as an
influence on food choices
• Demonstrate listening skills to
enhance health.
20
• Recognize the possible
consequences to environment
and self for making specific food
choices
• Demonstrate recognition of the
physical dimension of health.
• Name some ways media and
technology may influence
health.
• Name ways peer and outside
pressure may influence thinking
and decision making.
Healthy Eating

21. Example Learning Unit
• Deliverable 1: Plant Based Diet and Cognitive Function
• Video: Smart Drugs Smarts Dr. Neal Barnard
• Group Discussion: How a plant-based diet affects cognitive function.
• Assignment:
• Deliverable 2: How what you eat affects your body, animals and the
environment. Animal products and obesity.
• Video: Food Matters
• Group Discussion: Can we trace the obesity epidemic to current diet
standards? Should we change the diet pyramid in the U.S?
• Assignment:
• Deliverable 3: What is speciesism?
• Video: Speciesism
• Group Discussion: Is it ethical to eat animals? Why or why not?
• Assignment:
Deliverable 4: Sustainability
Video: One Cow, One Man, One Planet
Read Animal Liberation: Peter Singer (1975)
Group Discussion: Is our current food system
sustainable?
Assignment:
Deliverable 5: Establishing your own garden
Video: Establishing a Food Forest
Group Discussion: Growing your own plants and living
organically and sustainably.
Assignment: Grow your own edible plant
21

22. Rationale
• macro- and micro-nutrients
needs for optimum health
• U.S. and international
dietary guidelines.
• Students will learn to discern
food labeling
• The vegan food pyramid
22
Upon successful completion of this curriculum, students will be more
sensitive to diversity and have a comprehensive knowledge of the impact
of plant-based diet on health and the environment.
• Learning how to choose PB foods
(ex. Menu planning tables, online
resources).
• Discuss sustainable food
practices, and how to apply these
practices to meal and menu
planning.
Topics

23. Sequence-Based on Gagne’s Events of Instruction
Event of Instruction Theory Explanation Example of How to Incorporate Event
Gain Attention Reception How will you get and keep the students’ attention? Pose an open ended question about an interesting topic.
Use an intriguing box or other item to that makes them want to look
Inform Learners of the Objectives Expectancy How will you inform your students of the lesson objectives? Give a verbal description of objectives
Provide a video or audio version of objectives
Provide objectives in written or image format
Stimulate Recall of Prior
Knowledge/Learning
Retrieval How will you remind students of the applicable knowledge that they
learned in the past, or their previous related experiences?
Discuss previous experiences
Provide visual, audial, and scent cues
Present the Stimulus (content or
learning activity)
Selective Perception How will you teach the information or what type of learning activity
or environment will you create to foster learning?
An environment of open inquiry
A safe environment (non-threatening; no wrong answer)
Provide information in multiple formats (i.e., video, audio, kinesthetic)
Give examples
Provide Guidance to the Learners Semantic Encoding How will you provide guidance (scaffolding, support) to the learner Use varied learning strategies
Give hints or cues
Provide prompts
Use metaphor and analogy to help them construct knowledge
Use visual and audio cues to help them construct upon previously encoded
knowledge
Elicit Performance from the
Learners
Responding
(Retrieval)
What type of homework, practice, or learning activities will you
provide to help the students learn?
Hands on (kinesthetic)
Fun learning activities
Technology based activities
Interactive group work
Provide Feedback to the Learners Reinforcement What will you do to let the learners know how they’re doing? How
will you correct, affirm, or encourage them?
Provide both positive and negative reinforcement
Give corrective feedback
Provide remedial assistance when necessary
Provide analytical and confirmatory feedback
Assess the Performance of the
Learners
Retrieval How will you know that the students have learned the material or
can do the desired tasks?
Assess pre-requisite knowledge prior to instructional events
Give post tests
use discussion and observation
Use summative and formative evaluation
Use a rubric
Enhance the Retention & Transfer of
the New Skills, Knowledge, and/or
Attitudes
Generalization What will you do to enhance the retention & transfer of the new
skills, knowledge, and/or attitudes?
Practice mnemonic techniques
Help them make connections to prior knowledge base
Have the paraphrase what they learn
Have them put their ideas on paper or in some graphic format
23

24. What is the Value of My Curriculum?
• The ability to make lifelong healthy eating decisions
• Helping keep the environment healthy
• Saving energy can benefit both the school and surrounding community.
• Environmentally educated students will be able to knowledgeably
contribute to a political discussion about sustainability
3 elements :
Want learners to be able to grow an edible plant and cook a vegan meal
Want learners to know the impact their food choices have on their bodies
and the environment.
Want them to be valuable members of a sustainable society.
24

25. Evidence for goal attainment: Evaluation
• Direct Observation
• Demonstrate knowledge through presentation
• Work with groups and perform discussion
• Demonstrate the ability to grow a plant
• Perform web research, create a blog and share their experiences
• Students will prepare a plant-based meal
• Students will build and share a portfolio of completed work
25

26. Design
• Curriculum is a about inspiring societal reform bringing
about justice
• Curriculum is about increasing individual humanity and
helping them develop maximum potential
• Design curriculum to both identify and communicate
important intellectual advances and academic knowledge
• Eisner, E. W., & Vallance, E. (1974). Conflicting conceptions of curriculum . Berkekey,CA:
McCutchan.
• Cheung, D. ( 2000) Measuring teachers’ meta-orientations to curriculum: Application of
hierarchal confirmatory analysis. Journal of Experimental Education, 68(2), 149-165.
26

27. Design Continued
• Subject Centered
• Correlation Design (Two Disciplines)
• Curriculum will be designed in a way that will provide essential
knowledge for students to attain mastery of subject matter on plant
based eating/sustainability (Health and Science).
• Will integrate these themes to show the interrelatedness of the two
subjects.
• Problem Centered
• Social Problems and Reconstructionist Design
• Question of ethics associated with speciesism
• Environmental sustainability of meat eating
27

28. Articulation and Conceptual Design Framework
• Horizontal and Vertically Integrated Design
• Allows for more intricate study of complex concepts
28
Environment Ethics Health
Sustainability Speciesism Diet
By increasing complexity within the vertical structure and by logic
with the horizontal structure

29. Balance & Integration
• Expands upon previously
learned knowledge about
health concepts
• Integrated into science
concepts
• Builds upon physical education
and other health class topics
29

30. Integrated Course Design Model Example
• “INITIAL DESIGN PHASE: Build Strong Primary
Components
• Step 1. Identify important situational factors
• Step 2. Identify important learning goals (Backward
Design)
• Step 3. Formulate appropriate feedback and assessment
procedures
• Step 4. Select effective teaching/learning activities
• Step 5. Make sure the primary components are integrated
• INTERMEDIATE DESIGN PHASE: Assemble the
Components into a Coherent Whole
30
• Step 6. Create a thematic structure for the course
• Step 7. Select or create an instructional strategy
• Step 8. Integrate the course structure and the
instructional strategy to
• create an overall scheme of learning activities
• FINAL DESIGN PHASE: Finish Important
Remaining Tasks
• Step 9. Develop the grading system
• Step 10. De-Bug possible problems
• Step 11. Write the course syllabus
• Step 12. Plan an evaluation of the course and of
your teaching” (Fink, D. 2003, p. 1)
Source
Fink, D.( 2003). A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning.
http://www.deefinkandassociates.com/GuidetoCourseDesignAug05.pdf

31. Transfer
• Knowledge and skills learned from introduction to plant-
based eating can be transferred into career areas such as
culinary arts, health, politics, medicine, etc.
• Increased sensitivity to ethics issues are transferrable to
political activism that can promote positive societal change
• Transferrable to personal health practices that can lead to
decrease in obesity and disease
• Increased cognition will assist in enhanced learning and
retention
31

32. Curriculum Foundation
• Psychological Foundations
• Based on a humanistic philosophy.
• How can learners develop as socially
constructive citizens
• How can learners develop their full
ethical potential as part of a larger
ecosystem
32

33. Literature Review: Friends & Family Influence on PB Diet
33
• With chronic diseases such diabetes, heart disease and obesity on the rise, many studies have been performed
attempting to find a direct causal link between diet and the current trend of prolonged illness. This journal article
examines how adopting a plant-based diet might work to counteract the current disease trend. The authors of this
study state, “Although plant-based diets may have significant health benefits, few in the United States (US) follow
such a diet” (Wyker & Davison, 2010, p.168). They cite a 2006 Zogby poll that determined that only 1.4% of
Americans report they follow a plant-based food diet, even though there is substantial evidence that following
this type of diet promotes overall health.
• This study looks at how using the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)
might be used to encourage people to adopt a plant-based diet. This model uses stages such as precontemplation,
contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance as a gauge for an individual’s readiness for change. The TTM
suggests that sociocognitive factors may play a role in the readiness to change to plant-based eating.
• This study looked at 204 adults including 42.2% male and 57.8% female who were sampled from psychology
students in a public northeast university. Surveys were administered via the Web, and participants were in a
supervised lab setting.
• Results indicated that the participant’s attitude played an important role in whether they adopt a plant-based
diet. Societal and cultural influence also played a role (Wyker & Davison, 2010, p. 172). Reduced anima.
“Normative beliefs regarding how much friends, family, and other colleagues believed the participant should
follow a plant-based diet were also strong predictors of intentions to do so” l suffering was more of an advantage
of a plant-based diet to females than males, and these referents would be more likely to encourage females to
adopt a plant-based diet. Although studies on dietary advantages have confirmed plant-based diets are beneficial
to overall human health, more research needs to be done on how to best promote this diet choice.
Students should be able to make their own choices.
• Wyker, B. A., & Davison, K. K. (2010). Behavioral change theories can inform the prediction of Young adults' adoption of a plant-based diet. Journal of
Nutrition Education and Behavior, 42(3), 168-177. doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2009.03.124
“Normative
beliefs
regarding how
much friends,
family, and
other
colleagues
believed the
participant
should follow
a plant-based
diet were also
strong
predictors of
intentions to
do so”

34. Value to Organization, Teachers, Principles?
• Creating more socially conscious and ethically minded
citizens contributes to an academic environment conducive
to learning
• Increasing knowledge of environmental sustainability can
have positive economic consequences (i.e., reduced waste).
• Decreased incidence of obesity due to increased education
can contribute to fewer sick days
• Increased cognition due to augmented nutrition
consumption may contribute to higher test scores
34

35. The Learners: What do I want them to Learn?
• Goal-What do I want them To Be?
Independent, intentional, and ethical thinkers.
• Action-What do I want them to Do?
Become a positive force for the environment.
• What do I want them to Know?
How their personal actions can contribute positive or negative
environmental consequences.
35

36. Important to
know and do
Enduring
Understanding
Wiggens & McTighe
Worth being
familiar with
Worth Being Familiar With
Food choices
PB cooking

37. Important to Know and Do
Wiggens & McTighe
37
Important to
know and do
Enduring
Understanding
Wiggens & McTighe
Worth being
familiar with How to become a
positive force for the
environment through
food choice and
environmental
change

38. Enduring Understanding
38
Important to
know and do
Enduring
Understanding
Wiggens & McTighe
Worth being
familiar with Know how their
personal actions can
contribute positive or
negative
environmental
consequences.

39. Literature Review: Growing Interest in Veganism
• This article discusses the growing interest in veganism as a lifestyle choice, and the body of research that continues to
accumulate as more humans choose a lifestyle that excludes the use of animal products in food, clothing, and other
products. The author notes there may be a research gap in the vegan/vegetarian literature that is important to adoption of a
“cruelty free” lifestyle. She states, “In spite of a growing body of vegetarian literature, there remains a lack of information
about how people learn to become vegan” (McDonald, 2000, p.1). The author performed a qualitative study and asked
questions such as are there catalytic experiences that may lead to adoption of the vegan lifestyle. She also queried whether
people who adopt the lifestyle need to have an orientation to learn, or if those who choose to eat meat repress information
such as cruelty that exists in the factory farming and dairy industries.
• McDonald examined Mezirow’s transformation theory as a possible explanation for how adults were able to make such a
major lifestyle change. Mezirows ten steps include a disorienting dilemma, self-examination, and critical assessment of
assumptions as necessary components of change. In addition, critical reflection and reflective action are necessary once an
individual has completed steps such as planning a course of action and acquiring new knowledge and skills. The author
determined that Mezirow’s theory alone could not explain the process of becoming vegan.
• McDonald did more information on the subject of vegetarianism, including a study that cited reasons people choose the
lifestyle such as personal health, animal cruelty concerns, world hunger and environmental concern, but these findings did
not explain the process of becoming vegan/vegetarian. Some of the major concerns of this study were why do some people
become vegan and others vegetarian, even given the same access to information on the topic. Why do some people reject
the ideology of speciesism, and how to they learn to modify their behavior to accommodate their beliefs?
• Since the researcher is vegan, she chose a phenomenological perspective with a heuristics modification for her study in
order to eliminate bias. She collected interview data from twelve years of research and used purposeful sampling to
disseminate the data. She then used snowball sampling to narrow down the list of vegans. She chose to interview only those
who reported having been vegan for one year or more.
• The researcher found that many vegans performed years of research before transforming and that both communicative
ideas (animal rights, institutionalized animal cruelty, veganism) and instrumental learning (learning how to cook, shop,
read labels, eat in restaurants) are both important components for living a vegan lifestyle.
• McDonald, B. (2000). "Once you know something, you can't not know it" an empirical look at becoming vegan. Society and Animals, 8(1), 1-1.
doi:10.1163/156853000510961
Growing interest in Veganism!
39
“Both
communicative
ideas (animal
rights,
institutionalized
animal cruelty,
veganism) and
instrumental
learning
(learning how to
cook, shop, read
labels, eat in
restaurants) are
both important
components for
living a vegan
lifestyle.”