Showing papers on "Environmental education published in 2003"

The critical role of higher education in creating a sustainable future

Abstract: Anthony D. Cortese is a sustainability consultant and president and cofounder of Second Nature, a national nonprofit organization in Boston, Massachusetts, that works to make sustainability a foundation of all learning and practice in higher education. He was formerly the dean of environmental programs at Tufts University and the commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Need for a New Human Perspective

Curriculum landscapes and trends

Abstract: Preface 1 Curriculum perspectives: an introduction J van den Akker 2 Contrasting traditions: the English experience of curriculum change 1960-2000 B Moon 3 Images of the inquiry curriculum: innovative profiles of primary schools in Germany U Hameyer 4 Curriculum reform in Israel: the power of individuals and other forces M Ben-Peretz 5 Dutch secondary curriculum reform between ideals and implementation J van den Akker 6 Mathematics textbooks and their use by teachers: a window into the education world of particular countries B Pepin, L Haggerty 7 Implications of the modular curriculum in the senior secondary school in Finland J Valijarvi 8 Efforts to implement an open environmental education curriculum K Stokking 9 Substantive trends in curriculum design and implementation: an analysis of innovations in The Netherlands J Terwel, M Volman, W Wardekker 10 Social and political factors in the process of curriculum change J Letschert, J Kessels 11 Curriculum development from a technical-professional perspective W Kuiper, N Nieveen, I Visscher-Voerman 12 ICT tools for curriculum development S McKenney, N Nieveen 13 Consequences of ICT for aims, contents, processes, and environments of learning J Voogt 14 Digital learning materials: classification and implications for the curriculum E van den Berg, P Blijleven, L Jansen Aboutthe Authors

School Grounds as Sites for Learning: Making the most of environmental opportunities

Abstract: Drawing on the findings of an ARC funded project, 'Children's Environments and the Role of School Grounds for Enhancing Environmental Cognition', this paper explores the question: What is the role of school grounds as sites for teaching and learning? Observation and interview data for five Australian primary schools displayed large differences between schools in the types of play that 8- to 10-year-old children engaged in. In particular, play behaviours categorised as involving environmental cognition were not observed at all in one school, yet were the dominant play behaviour observed in another. The paper explores the relative importance of the school ground environment and the (outdoor) educational philosophy adopted by the school.

Ecological literacy: the ‘missing paradigm’ in environmental education (part one)

Abstract: Environmental educators often maintain that primary school education should endeavour to improve and protect the environment through producing an ‘environmentally informed, committed and active citizenry’, yet existing research shows that the implementation of environmental education in primary schools is problematic and has had limited success. The reasons for these shortcomings are far from clear, with present research merely speculating about barriers to effective implementation. To this extent, there is a dearth of empirical research about primary school teachers' knowledge of environmental education and the degree to which teachers' knowledge inhibits environmental education practice. As such, this article investigates Australian primary school teachers' knowledge about environmental education, and in so doing utilises a combined-methods approach and the theoretical concept of ‘ecological literacy’ (eco-literacy) to assess primary school teachers' knowledge (and beliefs) about environmental education...

Designed curriculum and local culture: Acknowledging the primacy of classroom culture

Abstract: One of the primary challenges facing designers today is how to design curric- ular innovations that are appealing and useful to teachers and at the same time bring about transformative practices. While we as a learning sciences community are relatively adept at facilitating innovative case examples, we need more empirical work that examines how curricular innovations become implemented across multiple classrooms. In this paper we examine a series of four teachers implementing our technology-rich, project-based curricu- lum. We then analyze and discuss each of the four cases across two themes by (a) examining how the project-level question was contextualized to meet local needs and (b) examining the cultural context that surrounded the implementation of the curriculum. Our interpretations suggest that contextualizing the curriculum is ultimately a local phenomenon that arises as a result of a number of factors, including students' needs, students' goals, teachers' goals, local constraints, and teacher's pedagogical values. These cases illuminate the importance of school and classroom cultures in the learning process. Ultimately, curriculum design- ers need to acknowledge that their designs are not self-sufficient entities; instead, during implementation, they become assimilated as part of the cultural systems in which they are

International Handbook of Curriculum Research

Abstract: Part I Four essays of introduction: D.G. Smith, The Specific Challenges of Globalization for Curriculum and Teaching N. Gough, Thinking Globally in Environmental Education - Implications for Internationalizing Curriculum Inquiry C. Matus, C. McCarthy, The Triumph of Multiplicity and the Carnival of Difference - Curriculum Dilemmas in the Age of Postcolonialism and Globalization N.V. Overly, A History of the World Council for Curriculum and Instruction (WCCI). Part II 36 Essays on Curriculum Studies in 29 Nations: S. Feeney, F.Terigi, Curriculum Studies in Argentina - Documenting the Constitution of a Field M. Palmidessi, D. Feldman, The Development of Curriculum Thinking in Argentina B. Green, Curriculum Inquiry In Australia - Toward a Local Geneaology of the Curriculum Field S.N. Pandey, F.R. Moorad, The Decolonization of Curriculum in Botswana A.F.B. Moreira, The Curriculum Field in Brazil - Emergence and Consolidation A.C. Lopes, E. Fernandes de Macedo, The Field of Curriculum in Brazil in the 1990s S.E. Miranda de Moraes, In Search of a Vision - How Brazil is Struggling to Build a Vision of Citizenship for its Public Schools C. Chambers, Canadian Curriculum Studies H. Zhang, Q. Zhong, Curriculum Studies in China - Retrospect and Prospect E. Hau-fai Law, In Search of a Quality Curriculum in Hong Kong U. Laanemets, Learning for the Future in Estonia - Content Revisited and Reconceptualized T. Autio, Postmodern Paradoxes in Finland - The Confinements of Rationality in Curriculum Studies D. Egea-Kuehne, Understanding Curriculum in France - A Multifaceted Approach to Thinking Education K. Williams, G. McNamara, The Landscape of Curriculum Inquiry in The Republic of Ireland N. Sabar, Y. Mathias, Curriculum Planning at the Threshold of the Third Millennium - The Israeli Case M. Vicentini, Curriculum Reform in Italy in a European Perspective M. Hashimoto, Japan's Struggle for the Formation on Modern Elementary School Curriculum - Westernization and Hiding Cultural Dualism in the Late 19th Century T. Abiko, Present State of Curriculum Studies in Japan S. Asanuma, Japan's Educational Reform for the 21st Century - The Impract of New Course Studies Toward Post-Modern Era in Japan A.D. Barriga, Main Trends of Curriculum Research in Mexico J.D. Jansen, What Education Scholars Write About "Curriculum" in Namibia and Zimbabwe W. Wardekker, M. Volman, J. Terwel, Curriculum Theory in The Netherlands P. Roberts, Contemporary Curriculum Research in New Zealand B.B. Gundem, B. Karseth, K. Sivesind, Curriculum Theory and Research in Norway - Traditions, Trends, and Challenges N. Sacalis, Back to Itacka - Curriculum Studies in Romania Y. Lee, Politics and Theories in the History of Curricular Reform in South Korea F.D. Rivera, In Southeast Asia - Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand. (Part contents).

Factors Influencing Young People's Conceptions of Environment

Abstract: Environmental education in schools is an important strategy in achieving environmental protection and improvement. However, it needs to be based on children's understandings of environment rather than on assumptions of what children know and believe. In a previous article (Loughland et al ., 2002), we reported on a research project where school children's responses to an open-ended statement 'I think the term/word environment means…' were analysed using the qualitative research method of phenomenography. An important qualitative difference was found between conceptions that treat the environment as a relation and those that treat it as an object. In this article, we examine statistically the factors that incline students to a 'relation' rather than an 'object' conception of environment. We argue that development of the former would seem to be an important aim of environmental education, and indicate how this may be achieved.

Lebanese Secondary School Students' Environmental Knowledge and Attitudes

Abstract: This study aimed to (a) assess Lebanese secondary school students' environmental knowledge and attitudes, and (b) explore the relationship between participants' knowledge and attitudes, biographical and academic variables, and commitment to environmental friendly behavior. Participants were 660 grade 10 and grade 11 students. They were administered a questionnaire to assess their environmental knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, affect, and intentions, and commitment to environmental friendly behaviors. Results showed that participants had favorable attitudes toward the environment but lacked in their environmental knowledge. Environmental knowledge was significantly related to parental education level, and to participants' environmental attitude, beliefs, affect, and behavioral commitments. These correlations, however, were low ( r =.17 to .33) indicating a definite but rather small relationship between these variables. By comparison, participants' scores on the behavior subscale were significantly and substa...

The Effects of an Environmental Education Program on Students, Parents, and Community

Abstract: This study evaluated the impact of an environmental education program on students, parents, and the community. The program, in place for 5 years in 5th and 6th grade classes, was designed to help learners take an in-depth look at environmental issues in their community, make data-based decisions about those issues, and participate in resolving those issues. Qualitative and quantitative methodologies were employed (including student, parent, school personnel, and community member interviews). The authors discuss program connections to students' critical thinking, environmental literacy, and participation in the community; reading, writing, and speaking skills; student and teacher characteristics; and parent and community viewpoints.

Volunteer environmental monitoring and the role of the universities: the case of Citizens' Environment Watch.

Abstract: Universities can provide a stable home for launching collaborative community research projects Citizens' Environment Watch (CEW), an environmental monitoring initiative based at the University of Toronto, has made significant contributions to environmental education and stewardship in Ontario, Canada Following dramatic cuts in provincial monitoring programs, citizens and youth have used chemical parameters and biological indicators to gauge water and air quality, and to identify areas requiring remediation and pollution prevention efforts The relationship of Citizens' Environment Watch to government agencies, funders and other grassroots environmental groups has evolved over the past 5 years as CEW attempts to remain effective without taking on the investigative and enforcement roles to support the regulatory enforcement that has been largely abandoned by government We explore the challenges inherent in developing and maintaining a volunteer organization that carries out rigorous and useful scientific work and we outline the ability of a university to help overcome these critical challenges Finally, we present lessons learned for the benefit of other citizen and youth monitoring projects

Pre-service High School Teachers' Perceptions of Three Environmental Phenomena.

Abstract: The focus of the study was to identify and describe misconceptions held by pre-service high school science teachers regarding three environmental issues: the greenhouse effect, ozone depletion, and acid rain. Twenty-seven senior-level secondary science education majors, enrolled in a high school science teaching methods course at a large midwestern university, participated in this study. The instrument consisted of a 30-statement survey questionnaire. The statements focused on the causes, effects, and interactions of three environmental issues: the greenhouse effect, ozone depletion, and acid rain. Students responded to the statements on a Likert scale. Students were invited to explain their responses in the space provided below each question. An analysis of the survey data indicates that the many pre-service high school teachers possess an array of misconceptions about the causes and effects of the greenhouse effect, ozone depletion, and acid rain. Recommendations are made for changes in the preparation ...

Community Environmental Policing: Assessing New Strategies of Public Participation in Environmental Regulation

Abstract: This paper evaluates a new form of public participation in environmental monitoring and regulation advanced through local “bucket brigades,” which allow community members to sample air emissions near industrial facilities. These brigades represent a new form of community environmental policing, in which residents participate in collecting, analyzing, and deploying environmental information, and more importantly, in an array of public policy dialogues. Use of this sampling technology has had marked effects on local residents’ perceptions and participation in emergency response and citizens’ right-to-know. However, when viewed through the lens of the more developed literature on community policing, the bucket brigades are currently limited in their ability to encourage “co-production” of environmental protection between citizens and the state. Means are examined to strengthen the bucket brigades and to more broadly support community participation in environmental regulation. © 2003 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management.

Environmental Education and Environmental Advocacy: Revisited

Abstract: Environmental education and environmental advocacy have a contentious relationship. In this article, the author argues that there will always be uncertainty about educationally appropriate responses to controversial issues. Although uncertainty is inherent in this task, the choices are not dichotomous. The author also argues that education suggests a fluidity of meaning that shifts across a range of contexts, and what needs to be done will be found on a case-by-case and context-by-context basis in a mediated and negotiated third space. Some tentative guide-posts are offered.

Teachers’ Thinking in Environmental Education: Consciousness and Responsibility

Abstract: The impact and influence of their school experiences and of their teachers on children and their subsequent beliefs and values are unknown. This book attempts to capture what is in the hearts and minds of teachers and mentors as they provide mind-forming experiences for children. In their own voices, teachers describe why the environment is an important component of their educational practice--why it is even more important than traditional school subjects such as science. Conservative moral principles, not unbridled emotions, guide their behavior as a responsible professionals who care deeply about children and their future.

On Learners and Learning in Environmental Education: Missing theories, ignored communities

Abstract: This response to Rickinson's (2001) review of empirical studies of learners and learning in school environmental education makes the points that Rickinson is only partially successful in achieving what he sets out to do, and that other, major shortcomings in environmental education theory and research have still to be addressed. Two major criticisms of the review are made: learning theories underlying the empirical research are not examined, and a large body of relevant work in so-called informal education is ignored.

Teaching Sustainable Development in Primary Schools: An empirical study of issues for teachers

Abstract: This is a qualitative study of the issues which arise for teachers when planning and teaching sustainable development in primary school classrooms. Nine primary teachers participated in a programme of professional development concerned with education for sustainable development, and subsequently planned and taught a topic with a sustainable development focus. The teachers were interviewed at the planning stage, just before teaching and after teaching, using an interview schedule based on a theoretical framework designed by the authors. Seven key issues are identified and discussed in depth, namely: sustainable development and the National Curriculum; choosing a topic; making it sustainable development; 'learned helplessness' and empowerment; personal understanding of sustainable development; the teaching of controversial topics; and teacher time. Three further issues are discussed more briefly (resources, teaching strategies and language). In a final section we consider how the teaching seen in this study...

The need for inclusion of environmental education in undergraduate engineering curricula

Abstract: Environmental degradation is a global concern and an increasing one. Increasing population pressures, escalating consumption patterns and rapid industrial development are key contributors to this degradation. There is a growing recognition that sustainable development policies, plans and actions have a better chance of being implemented when they are supported by an educated, informed public. The objective of this paper is to highlight the need for the inclusion of environmental education into the curricula of engineering studies in order to raise environmental awareness at an early stage in their careers. The main aim of such environmental education is to provide engineers with the background to environmental issues such that they develop solutions that take into account the needs of the natural environment and which seek to minimise any negative impact.

Teachers' Perceptions of Teaching Environmental Issues within the Science Curriculum: A Hong Kong Perspective

Abstract: The present study was an exploratory study of Hong Kong secondary school Integrated Science teachers' perceptions of environmental education. Both questionnaire survey and interviews were used. Teachers were classified according to their scores of attitudes, perceived barriers, and current emphasis on teaching environmental education. This study found that Integrated Science teachers' attitudes toward environmental education, skills of teaching environmental education, beliefs in the relevance of Integrated Science to environmental education, and intentions of teaching environmental education in Integrated Science classes were associated with their actual ways of teaching of environmental education. Teachers tended to teach more environmental education if they held more favorable attitudes toward environmental education, had more skills of teaching environmental education, believed more in the relevance of Integrated Science to environmental education, and would actually want to teach more environmental education in Integrated Science classes if there were fewer constraints. Moreover, variations in the teaching of environmental education were reflected by teachers' emphasis on teaching environmental education, and their use of a variety of teaching methods and their regular practices of extracurricular activities on environmental education.

Thinking globally in environmental education : implications for internationalizing curriculum inquiry

Abstract: This chapter revises and expands the following paper: Gough, Noel (2002). Thinking/acting locally/globally: Western science and environmental education in a global knowledge economy. International Journal of Science Education, 24(11), 1217-1237. The author hereby acknowledges the prior publication of substantial portions of this chapter by Taylor & Francis Ltd.

The Diluted Curriculum: The Role of Government in Developing EcologicalLiteracy as the First Imperative in Ontario Secondary Schools

Abstract: In 2000, the Ontario Ministry of Education removed Environmental Science from the secondary school curriculum as single-focus, stand-alone courses. Instead, the Ministrychose to integrate or “infuse” ecological concepts in other science and geography courses. In this study, surveys were sent out to science and geography teachers across theprovince. Teachers were asked whether or not they taught various topics, how much time they spent teaching these topics, and how much time they spent per course teachingoutdoors. The data collected from the surveys demonstrate that grade 9/10 and grade 11/12 science and geography teachers are, in fact, spending very little time teachingecological concepts. There is a limited and ineffective emphasis on learning about environmental science topics or promoting ecological literacy in the current curriculumguidelines. The results of the study indicate the failure of the “infusion model” for ecological education. The study suggests that in light of the serious challenges theecosphere faces in the future, ecological literacy must become the first imperative in the school curriculum.

Emancipatory Indigenous Knowledge Systems: implications for environmental education in South Africa

Abstract: Indigenous Knowledge also termed Traditional, Endogenous or Classical knowledge, often fails to contribute to the improvement of the quality of human life. This failure can be attributed purely to the lower status accorded to this type of knowledge in society. This knowledge is accorded low status because it belongs to a particular racial or ethnic group which often, it is assumed, lacks the necessary cultur al capital. Despite these negative perceptions of Indigenous Knowledge, there is a growing realisation that this knowledge is part of the global heritage and a national resource to be utilised for the benefit of all humanity. This article presents an argument that there is a major role to be played by Indigenous Knowledge Systems in education in general and environmental education in particular. Environmental education as stated in the Brundtland Commission, the South African Environmental Education Policy Initiative (EEPI), and the NGO Form Principles, is seen as a key process that could enhance Indigenous Knowledge in formal education. The article further argues that the production of Indigenous Knowledge is contextually grounded through social constructivist approaches. However, it has the potential to be contextually and widely used. South African Journal of Education Vol.23(4) 2003: 276-280

Learning to Care: Education and Compassion

Abstract: In 1993, John Fien wrote Education for the Environment: Critical Curriculum Theorizing and Environmental Education. Applying a critical perspective to his own ideas, he concluded the book with an examination of three criticisms that deep ecologists would make of critical environmental education. Acknowledging the validity of much of their case, he concluded that the critical curriculum theory of education for the environment proposed in the book was an incomplete one, and that “more theorizing, reflection, action, and more reflection again” would be necessary to develop the ideas more fully than they were. In this paper, which was the Professorial Lecture he presented on 14 May 2003, he returned to this task seeking to broaden the theoretical frameworks of environmental education to encompass deep and wide caring for human and non-human nature.

Participatory Rural Appraisal as an Approach to Environmental Education in Urban Community Gardens

Abstract: Through the Cornell University Garden Mosaics program, youth learn about ethnic gardening practices in urban community gardens using research methods adapted from Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA). We conducted a study to determine whether youth could effectively facilitate PRA activities with gardeners, and to document any social and learning outcomes of the youths' research projects. The PRA activities engaged and promoted positive interactions among educators, youth, and gardeners, particularly where educators felt comfortable facilitating the activities and were able to present the methods to youth and gardeners in familiar terms (e.g. interviews and garden histories). Although youth and educators experienced a number of challenges in facilitating the more hands-on activities (e.g. participatory mapping, drawing diagrams of resource flows), the PRA approach does offer valuable insights for environmental educators whose goals include incorporating ethnic diversity and engaging youth in research leadi...

A Proposal to Enrich Teachers' Perception of the State of the World: first results

Abstract: The 'state of the world' has become an object of growing concern during recent decades. For this reason educators have been asked to contribute to public awareness and understanding of the problems and challenges related to our planet's future, in order to make possible citizens' participation in well-grounded decision-making. In spite of these appeals, attention paid by science teachers and science education researchers to the present state and future of the world is still very slight and constitutes a serious missing dimension in science teachers' education. In this article we describe a workshop conceived to favour a better teacher perception of global problems and possible remedies, as well as the promotion of more favourable attitudes towards the incorporation of these issues in the curriculum. Results of the implementation of this workshop are presented.

Words for the World: Creating Critical Environmental Literacy for Adults.

Abstract: Strategies for developing critical and active environmental literacy in adults are discussed in the context of developing and participating in the social practices likely to change the way our societies think about and act on ecological issues.

Environmental Adult Education: Critique and Creativity in a Globalizing World.

Abstract: Contemporary capitalist globalization has a powerful impact on every aspect of human life. Economics, public policy, education, work, agriculture, and culture are all affected by the incessant drive to accumulate wealth. Globalization has also enabled Western capitalist nations to dominate and destroy natural environments like never before. The much promoted paperless and wireless knowledge economy has done nothing to diminish the current globalizing project’s need for natural resources. This need has made a lucky few very rich, endangered the lives and livelihoods of countless others, and lies at the root of wars and social breakdown worldwide. Since globalization has an impact on every part of people’s lives, adult educators need to analyze, critique, and challenge it from a variety of standpoints. In this chapter I explore globalization through the lens of environmental adult education. I begin by examining four core ecological implications of globalization: (1) war and social instability, (2) production and consumption, (3) corporatization and marketing, and (4) environmental racism and sexism. This is followed by a brief overview of some of the concepts that frame environmental adult education and an array of global practices that respect ecological knowledge(s), encourage creativity, and stimulate debate and dialogue around contemporary environmental problems. To be most effective, environmental adult education must be linked to local, national, or global activism and be based in a discourse of democracy, accountability, equity, and hope.

Environmental Education: From policy to practice

Abstract: The field of environmental education faces a process of continuous conceptual reconstruction that is underpinned by the complexity of the social and political changes occurring throughout the world as consequences of environmental crises and the different perspectives through which they are understood in different contexts. Thus there is a need to review and reflect on the meanings of environmental education, its theory and its practice. To address such issues the seminar, 'Environmental Education: from policy to practice', was held at King's College London in March 2001, under the sponsorship of the British Council and directed by Justin Dillon. The seminar brought together environmental educators from a broad spectrum--policy developers, researchers and practitioners--from Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, India, Mexico, the Russian Federation, Singapore, Swaziland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. During a thought-pr...