Innovation in Education – Alternatives call for queries

ALTERNATIVES JOURNAL – CALL FOR QUERIES
*Innovation in Education*
Submissions due February 15, 2010

Alternatives Journal is looking for articles for the next annual Education issue, and we invite you to submit story ideas that explore every angle of environmental education.

How has environmental education changed in today’s increasingly accessible world? What should be a part of every person’s educational background, but currently isn’t? How do applied skills such as farming, gardening, and building complement more theoretical environmental learning methods? Story ideas for Alternatives’ Education issue could answer these questions, or they could involve a critique of the current education system in Canada, and propose ways to improve it.

However, we’re also looking for stories that involve a looser definition of education. Some other article possibilities could be:

• Alternative methods in environmental learning, such as innovative field courses and internships, creative examples of applied research, or any other unconventional education based programs
• Grassroots and community based education/learning initiatives that tackle local environmental issues, in Canada and beyond.
• Examples of new and creative ways of communicating environmental ideas.
• The strengths and/or weaknesses of unpaid internships in the environmental and organic farm sector.
• The challenge of creating a curriculum that addresses both theory and expands learning beyond the classroom.

Alternatives combines the learned rigour of an academic journal with the breezy style of a magazine. We aim to publish the best environmental writing in the country – writing that is engaging, thought-provoking and insightful.

Before responding to this call for submissions, please read several back issues of the magazine so that you understand the nature of our publication. We also suggest you go through the detailed submission procedures on our website to understand the types and lengths of articles we accept.

Queries should explain, in LESS THAN 300 words, the content and scope of your article, and should convey your intended approach, tone and style. Please include a list of people you will interview, potential images or sources for images and the number of words you propose to write. We would also like to receive a very short bio. And if you have not written for Alternatives before, please include other examples of your writing.

Articles range from about 500 to 2000 words in length.

Keep in mind that our lead time is several months. Articles should not be so time-bound that they will seem dated once published.

Alternatives has a limited budget of about 10 cents per word for several articles. This stipend is available to professional and amateur writers and students only. Please indicate your interest in this funding in your submission.

*QUERY CHECK LIST*
Please ensure that you include:
1. Your name
2. Your phone, address and email
3. One paragraph bio
4. Query (300 words max)
5. Proposed length of article
6. Do you request a stipend?
7. List of people you will interview
8. Ideas for images to accompany your article
9. Sample of your writing if you have not written for Alternatives before
Happy holidays and best wishes to all!
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SAVE more GREEN when you give more Alternatives. http://www.alternativesjournal.ca/sendgift
_____________________________
Marcia Ruby
Production Co-ordinator
Alternatives Journal
Canadian Environmental Ideas and Action
Faculty of Environment
University of Waterloo
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario  N2L 3G1
phone: 519-888-4545; fax: 519-746-0292
email: mruby@uwaterloo.ca
www.alternativesjournal.ca
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