How to Move Learners to Action Kathy Worobec Alberta Council for Environmental Education kathy@abcee.org ; 780-916-2511

1. How to Move Learners to ActionKathy WorobecAlberta Council for Environmental Educationkathy@abcee.org; 780-916-2511

2. Participant survey… • Moving learners to action: a review of current research, and implications for your environmental education program • 93% said “exactly what we need” or “would have some value” • “Moving Learners to Action” also receives a very high rating in our annual needs assessment of agency professionals

3. ACEE Polls: 2009 (adults); 2010 (youth) http://abcee.org/about-us/polling

4. What do you PREDICT Albertans answered to the following questions? A: What % of Albertans answered ‘confident’ or ‘very confident’ to the following: Q8.“How confident are you that your personal actions to protect the environment actually make a difference? Would you say very confident, somewhat confident, not very confident or not at all confident?”

5. What do you PREDICT Albertans answered to the following questions? • B. What % of Albertans disagreed with the following: • “Schools in Alberta should give top priority to providing students with opportunities to do environmental action projects.”

6. What do you PREDICT Albertans answered to the following questions? • C: What % of Albertans gave a 4 or 5 when asked the following: • Q13: To what degree do you feel you actually DO the following? Please use a five-point scale where 1 means you don’t do it at all and 5 means you do it as much as you possibly can. • Reduce water consumption in and around your home • Write an effective letter to the editor about an environmental issue

7. What do you PREDICT Albertans answered to the following questions? • A: What % of Albertans answered ‘confident’or ‘very confident’ to the following: • Q8.“How confident are you that your personal actions to protect the environment actually make a difference? Would you say very confident, somewhat confident, not very confident or not at all confident?” ---> 80% • B: What % of Albertans disagreed with the following: • “Schools in Alberta should give top priority to providing students with opportunities to do environmental action projects.” ---> Just 8% • C: What % of Albertans gave a 4 or 5 when asked the following: • Q13: To what degree do you feel you actually DO the following? Please use a five-point scale where 1 means you don’t do it at all and 5 means you do it as much as you possibly can. • Reduce water consumption in and around your home ---> 65% • Write an effective letter to the editor about an environmental issue ---> 9%

8. Why should we move learners to action?

9. Why should we move learners to action?Some reasons… • David Orr said: “Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up;” taking meaningful action provides an antidote to hopelessness • Action is about meaning, and engaging in meaningful acts is motivational • Action requires active citizenship – and society likes citizenship! • Environmental action helps the planet • ‘Without action, environmental education is just talking, talking, talking….” (Dr. WangariMaathai)

10. Action – connection to your goals Definition • Take action on; deal with • The fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim • A thing done; an act: Goals • All have something to do with “asking people to do something” – ACT

11. Categories for Action Projects • Educate and inform • Shopping habits • Consumer action • Political action • “Get Down & Dirty” projects • Lifestyle choices • Other

12. Action is often linked to changing behaviors – Challenges: • Knowledge does not always increase behavior • Short-sighted responses to environmental threats • Perceive as separate from nature • Social norms guide behavior From “Conservation Means Behavior.” Schultz, P. Wesley, Conservation Biology, Volume 25, No. 6, 2011.

13. How do learners ‘get to’ responsible environmental behaviours? Awareness --> knowledge --> behaviour… DEBUNKED!

14. What moves learners to action? • Awareness? • Knowledge? • Motivation? • Passion/interest?

15. What are the essential elements of an excellent EE program? • Awareness? • Understanding? • Critical thinking skills? • Training about action skills? • Opportunities for personal action? • Opportunities for public action?

16. My approach re: current research on Action… “Do not try to satisfy your vanity byteaching a great many things. Awaken people’s curiosity. It is enough toopen minds; do not overload them.Just put there a spark. If there issome good inflammable stuff, itwill catch fire.” - AnatoleFrance

17. On-line: ‘Educating for Action’ (Bill Hammond, Green Teacher)

18. On-line: ‘Educating for Action’ (Bill Hammond, Green Teacher)

19. Learning About Action Behavioral & Environmental Change Issues Investigation - Hungerford & Volk Environmental Literacy - Roth & Disinger

20. Learning Through Action Community Problem-Solving - Stapp Social Learning - Wals Earth Education - Van Matre Ecological Education - Caduto, Gough Bioregional & Place-based Education - Smith & Williams, Sobel

21. Learning From Action Community Action Research - Hammond, Wals & Stapp, Robottom Action Competence - Jensen & Schnack Sustainability Education - Fien, Huckle, Sterling

22. How do learners ‘get to’ responsible environmental behaviours? Key variables: Environmental sensitivity Knowledge of action strategies Skill in using action strategies Individual and group locus of control From “Predictors of Responsible Environmental Behaviour: A Review.” Marcinkowski, 1991

23. How do learners ‘get to’ responsible environmental behaviours?

24. Another Model…

25. Norms • Norms are the demonstration of what society expects citizens to do. • Social norms guide behaviour. • Social norms can facilitate pro-environmental behavior… • Need to be careful of the ‘boomerang effect’ From “The Constructive, Destructive, and Reconstructive Power of Social Norms.” Schultz et al, 2007

26. Norms… • What are our society’s environmental norms? • What should our norms be? • How can we create norms?

27. Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM) • Selecting Behaviours • Identifying Barriers & Benefits • Developing Strategies • Piloting • Broad-Scale Implementation & Evaluation From “Fostering Sustainable Behavior – An Introduction to Community-Based Social Marketing.” McKenzie-Mohr, 2011

28. Are all actions appropriate for all ages and levels of engagement? Level I: Environmental Sensitivity, and Ecological Foundations Level II: Conceptual awareness of issues and values Level III: the Investigation and Evaluation level Level IV: Action skills level - training and application From “Curriculum Development in Environmental Education for the Primary School.” Hungerford and Volk, 1991.

29. “No Tragedies before Grade 4” • Place-based education • Need to teach children to love the earth before we ask them to save it • Focus on “what you want people to do”

30. Levels of engagement… • Prioritizing • Ability “to do” the action • Encouraging those that are “doing” the action

31. Role of modeling At the 2010 Symposium ‘Creating a Legacy Together:’ Glyn Hughes, Dustin Saxton, Sabrina Niesman

32. Work of Tanner, Chawla, Palmer… • Emphasize the importance of early experiences in creating ‘environmental sensitivity:’ “children should spend time in nature, in the company of a trusted adult” • environmental leaders tend to have had these powerful experiences

33. Richard Louv – transformative power of the natural world • “Last Child in the Woods” • Movement to reconnect children with nature • Nature-deficit disorder • “No Child Left Inside” Act in the United States • “The Nature Principle” – another powerful call to action – this time for adults.

34. Moving learners to action is not straightforward – but it is necessary! As educators, we can… • create opportunities for action • model actions we value and talk about them with others • encourage gaining knowledge • teach skills for effective action • encourage emotional connections to nature • help people develop intrinsic motivation • expect action through expressed norms and creating a culture of stewardship and citizenship

35. Some relevant on-line resources… • Action Education resources: http://www.abcee.org/actioneducation/

36. Teacher activity guide for ACTION…

37. Leap into Action - OUTLINE Section 1: Background on Action Education Why Do Action Education? What Motivates People to Take Action The Teacher’s Role in an Action Project Action for All Ages Action Project Trouble-shooting Tips Teaching Controversial Issues: A Framework for Educators Evaluating Action Projects: Ways to Measure Success

38. Some relevant on-line resources… How to Evaluate the success of your EE program – AND two relevant presentations by Rick Kool: http://abcee.org/bookshelf/

39. Team Activity – 15 minutes • Choose an article • Browse the article for 10 minutes • From the session and reading, each team member to answer: • What is something you think your group should consider in terms of getting to action?

40. Team Activity cont’d – 15 minutes As a group use the following questions to guide a discussion: • Further refine what it is you are asking people to do • Who are you asking (your audience)? • How many things are you asking people to do? Should you priorize the actions? • Have people heard this message before? Do they need more help on how to do it?

41. Action – this is how we make a difference!