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ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION : A Look at its Purpose, Methods, and Effectiveness

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION : A Look at its Purpose, Methods, and Effectiveness. Erin Henegar ENS Minor Project May 1, 2005. Environmental Education. What is Environmental Education (EE)? Goals Formal and Non-Formal Types of EE Programs History School Programs/Science in the Classroom

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ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION : A Look at its Purpose, Methods, and Effectiveness

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  1. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION: A Look at its Purpose, Methods, and Effectiveness Erin Henegar ENS Minor Project May 1, 2005

  2. Environmental Education • What is Environmental Education (EE)? • Goals • Formal and Non-Formal • Types of EE Programs • History • School Programs/Science in the Classroom • Camps/Day Centers • Citizen Science

  3. Effective Methods of EE • Repeated Programming • Hands On Experience/Experiential Learning • Outdoor Classroom • Efforts to Assess Impact • CATES • Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont • Other Studies

  4. What is Environmental Education? • Increases public awareness and knowledge • People gain understanding of • Environment • Human effects on environment • Various sides of environmental issues • Inspires personal responsibility

  5. It’s interdisciplinary • Natural and Social Sciences • GOAL – produce active environmentally-oriented citizen • Formal EE • specific curricula • Non-Formal EE • less structured

  6. Brief History • 1969 – EE defined • 1970 – The EE Act • 1976 – Belgrade Charter • 1977 – Tbilisi Conference • 1980 – “Goals for Curriculum Development” • 1983 – Project WILD • 1990 – National EE Act • 1995 – EETAP • 2000 – Guidelines for Env. Educators

  7. Types of EE School Programs - • Science Education • Science + Social • Environmental Emphasis EE Centers and Camps – • Programs – Schools and Summer • Citizen science

  8. Effective Methods • Hands-On Experience/Experiential Learning • Piaget’s Theory • Kruse & Card – Zoo Study • Outdoor Classroom • NJSOC Study • Repeated Programming • Kruse & Card – Zoo Study

  9. Assessing Effectiveness • Goals for EE Curriculum Development • Informal Assessment • Questioning • Formal Assessment • Developing Instrument • CATES • Elementary School • Reflects knowledge of env. issues

  10. Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont (GSMIT) www.gsmit.org • History • “Connecting people and nature...” • Youth Programs • School Programs: August – May • Summer Camps • Five different programs: Ages 9-12; 11-13; 13-17 • Summer employment/Job-shadowing

  11. Summer Teacher Naturalist June – August 2004 • Develop and teach programs • Discovery Camp – Ages 9-12 • Nature Clubs • “Long-horned, Tiger, and Dung Beetles…Oh My!” • “Look, Listen, and Feel” • “Stream Ecology” • Smoky Mtn. Naturalist Expeditions – Ages 11-13 • “Arthropods” • “Smokies Extravaganza!”

  12. Nature Club Methods • Outdoor Classroom • Hiking • Exploring • Citizen Science • Research tools • Using & understanding • Hands-On Learning • Direct interaction with nature

  13. Writing for Newsletters • Write newsletter articles • Walker Valley Reflections • Personal, Educational • Reach community • ATBI Newsletter • Report findings • Advertise citizen science

  14. Post-Camp Surveys • Two informal surveys created • Discovery Camp/Nat. Expeditions (9-13 yrs) • Open questions • Rating camp activities • Parent section • Env. Awareness, comfort, changes • WAC/Field Ecology (13-17 yrs) • Open questions • Env. Awareness, what learned • Return next year?

  15. Studies on EE Effectiveness Kruse and Card – Summer 2002 • Accredited zoo in FL • Youth ages 10-18 • Four Programs • Purpose – education and conservation • animal husbandry component • Study purpose • Determine knowledge, attitude, behavior

  16. Pretest, Posttest, delayed posttest • Results- • Conservation knowledge, attitude increase • Behavior change – repeated programming • Animal husbandry, conservation parallel

  17. Smith-Sebasto & Semrau - Fall 2002 • Sixth grade – 3 diff. schools • NJOC Residential EE Program • Seven lessons, outdoor component • Study purpose • Assess session effect on attitudes • Pretest and posttest • CATES – affect, behavior, beliefs • Results • No attitude effect • Env. Responsible Behaviors (ERB) increased • Limited by subjects and classes

  18. Barraza & Cuaron – Winter 2002 • Students aged 7-9 yrs • Schools • 3 England • 5 Mexico • Various env. policies • Study Purpose • Analyze familiarity • 10 Env. Concepts • How school, system affect knowledge • EE sources

  19. 2 Assessments • Familiarity • Decision • Results • Correlation - familiarity and understanding • Env. School & England = increased understanding • Low/moderate env. Understanding • Hands-on = understanding • Sources – school & TV

  20. Conclusion • More research needed • Ensures future efforts • Need for EE increasing • Schools • Non-profit • Centers/camps • Desire to further EE

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