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Environmental education (EE) aims to induce social dynamics, fostering a collaborative and critical approach to soci o-envi ronmental reali ti es. Underlying the socio-environmental problems is the fundamental rupture between human beings and nature, which needs to be bridged. EE also leadsusto explore the close links between identity, culture and the environment.
Environmental education (EE) aims to induce social dynamics, fostering a collaborative and critical approach to soci o-envi ronmental reali ti es. Underlying the socio-environmental problems is the fundamental rupture between human beings and nature, which needs to be bridged. EE also leadsusto explore the close links between identity, culture and the environment.
Environmental education (EE) aims to induce social dynamics, fostering a collaborative and critical approach to soci o-envi ronmental reali ti es. Underlying the socio-environmental problems is the fundamental rupture between human beings and nature, which needs to be bridged. EE also leadsusto explore the close links between identity, culture and the environment.
involved in environmental educa- tion (EE) have gradually become aware of the richness and breadth of the educational project they have contributed to build. They have realised that the envi- ronment isnot merely a subject to be stud- ied or a theme to be analysed among others, nor is it only the necessary con- straint of a development we want to be sustainable. The weft of the environment is life itself, at the interface between nature and culture. The environment is the cru- cible in which our identities, our relations with others and our being-in-the-world are formed. EE is therefore not a form of education (an education for ) among many oth- ers. It isnot simply a tool for environmental problem-solving or management. It is an essenti al di mensi on of basi c educati on focused on a sphere of interaction that lies at the root of personal and social develop- ment 1 : the sphere of relationshipswith our environment, with our common home of life . EE aims to induce social dynamics, first in the local community and subse- quently in wider networksof solidarity, fos- tering a collaborative and critical approach to soci o-envi ronmental reali ti es and an autonomous and creative grasp of current problemsand possible solutions. O ver and above an education about , on , in , for or by means of the environment, the concern of EE is basically our relationship to the environment. It is thus i mportant for educators to take account of the many possible dimensions of thisrelationship which correspond to dif- ferent but complementary ways of appre- hending the environment: Let us first consider the environment as nature (to be appreciated, respected and preserved). Underlying the socio- environmental problems is the funda- mental rupture between human beings and nature, which needs to be bridged. We must rebuild the sense of belonging to nature, to the flow of life of which we are a part. EE also leadsusto explore the close links between identity, culture and nature and to realise that through nature we find part of our own human identity asliving beingsamong other liv- ing beings. It isalso important to recog- nise the links between biological and cultural diversity and to value this bio- cultural diversity. Then there is the environment as a resource (to be managed, to be shared). There is no life without the cycles of matter and energy. EE implies conserva- tion education as well as education for responsible consumption and solidarity, wi th equi table shari ng wi thi n and among societies and between present- day and future societies. The concern is to manage production systems and use of shared resourcesaswell aswaste and by-product processing systems. EE inte- grates economic education focused not on the management of the environment but on that of our own individual and collective relations with regard to vital resources taken from the environment. The environment as a problem (to be avoi ded, to be solved) requi res the development of skills for critical investi- gation into the realities of our milieu and for the enlightened diagnosis of problems. It strives to make people realise that environmental problems are socio-environmental issues. EE invitesus to solve real problems and to make plans for preventive action. The devel- opment of ski lls i n thi s fi eld could strengthen the feeling that something Envir Envir onmental education: onmental education: possibilities and possibilities and constraints constraints U N ESC O I N T ERN A T I O N A L SC I EN C E, T EC H N O LO G Y & EN V I RO N M EN TA L ED U C A T I O N N EWSLET T ER VOL. XXVII, No . 1- 2, 2002 Connect Connect 1. At the root of personal and social development are three closelylinked spheresof interaction: interaction with oneself (for construction of onesown identity); interaction with others(for construction of relationswith other human beings); and interaction with the shared home of life , Okos, the setting for both eco- logical and economic education, where the sense of being-in-the-world isenriched by the personsrelationswith the non-human world . Vol. XXVII, No. 1-2, 2002 2 EE: possibilities and constraints can be done, that each one can con- tribute, a feeling that may in turn trig- ger the desire to take action. The environment as a system (to under- stand so asto improve decision-making) calls for the development of systemic thinking. By analysing the components and relationships of the environment as an eco-socio-system (according to the expression proposed by Louis Goffin, 1999), one can gain a global under- standing of environmental realities and thus have the necessary inputs for judi- cious decision-making. It is here that ecologi cal educati on basi cally comes into play. It involves learning about the diversity, richness and complexity of ones environment; learning to define ones human ni che i n the global ecosystem and learning to fill it properly. In a systemi c perspecti ve, EE also encourages us to recognise the links between here and elsewhere, between the past, the present and the future, between local and global matters, between the political, economic and envi ronmental spheres, between lifestyles, health and the environment, etc. The environment as a place to live (to get to know, to improve) is focused on everyday life at school, at home, at work, etc. Here the first stage of EE isto explore and rediscover ones own sur- roundings, that is, the here and now of everyday realities, with a fresh look that is both appreciative and critical. It also i nvolves redefi ni ng oneself and defining ones social group in terms of our relationship with our surroundings, our living place. Projects can be devised to restore or design environments that enhance comfort, security, health, social interactions or the aesthetic qualities of the place. Through such exploration and projects, EE aims to develop a sense of belonging and to encourage dwelling. The local context is the first crucible for the development of envi ronmental responsi bi li ty i n whi ch we learn to become guardi ans, responsi ble users and builders of O kos, our common home of life . The environment as the biosphere (in which to live together over the long term) makes us aware of the interde- pendence of socio-environmental reali- ties at world level, that of our small planet which JamesLovelock callsGaa and regards as a self-regulating macro- organism. It is the locus of planetary, even cosmic, consciousness: Earth as a li fe-gi vi ng matri x or shared garden which nurturesthe symbolic universe of many indigenouspeoples. It isthe focus of international solidarity which invites us to think more deeply about the modes of development of human soci- eties. We find here an ideal context for taki ng advantage of the i nterface between EE and education for develop- ment. The environment as a community pro- j ect ( i n whi ch to become acti vely involved) focuses on co-operation and partnership to achieve desired changes within a community. People need to learn to live and work together in com- munities of learning and practice. The environment is seen as a shared and essentially complex object: only a collab- orati ve approach can foster better understandi ng and more effecti ve action. People must learn to discuss, lis- ten, argue and convince: in a word, to communicate effectively through a dia- logue in which various types of knowl- edge scientific knowledge, practical experience, traditional knowledge, etc. , are brought into play. Here the idea of praxisisintroduced: action isassociated with a constant processof critical reflec- ti on. Educati on for democracy, the mai nstay of ci ti zenshi p educati on, becomes vital. The political aspects of socio-environmental realities are high- lighted. O f course, other representations of the environment could be identified and char- acterised. For example, the environment as territory among indigenous peoples (who attest the narrow association between cul- tural identity and the land) or the environ- ment as landscape (the geographers view, which opens the way to the interpretation of local contexts, highlighting the dynamics of their historical development and their symbolic components). The relationship to the environment depends greatly on the context and is culturally determined. It is therefore expressed through a set of inter- linked and complementary dimensions. An EE that is limited to only one of these dimensions is incomplete and nourishes a biased vision of what is being-in-the- world . Because it isso wide-ranging and demands in-depth changes, EE is indeed difficult to carry out. It callsfor the involvement of the whole educati onal communi ty: schools, museums, parks, municipalities, community organisations, firms, etc. It isfor each actor to identify his/her own educational niche in EE, depending on the particular context of his/her action, the target group and the resources available. The issue is to choose objectives and strategies that are relevant and realistic without forgetting the full range of other possible objectives and strategies. Each specific activity or project should be seen as complementary to and preferably integrated with those of the other EE actors and with other associated dimensionsof basic education, in particular ci ti zenshi p educati on ( focused on an awareness of human diversity and more speci fi cally on questi ons of democracy, peace and solidarity) and health education (associated inter alia with issues of nutri- tion, outdoor education and risk educa- tion). O ver the years, a growing number of EE actors have added a research or reflection component to their practical action on the ground. An educational heritage has thusbeen built up, including a rich diversity of theoretical propositions, models and strategiescapable of stimulating discussion and inspiring practitioners 2 . An analysis of these proposals makes it possible to iden- tify different currents of thought and prac- ti ce i n EE: naturali st, conservati oni st, problem-solving, systemic, holistic, human- i st, cri ti cal, bi oregi onal, femi ni st, etc. ( Sauv, 2002) . These currents reflect diverse and complementary ways of relat- ing to the environment. In a professional development process for teachers, anima- tors and other educators, one of the first 2. We have, among other things, identied nine research journalsdedicated specicallyto EE which reect the growing vitality, credibilityand recognition of this eld of educational reection and action: The Journal of Environmental Education; Environmental Education Research; Environmental Education and Commu- nication; The International Journal of Environmental Education and Research; International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education; The Aus- tralian Journal of Environmental Research; The Canadian Journal of Environmental Education; Education relative lenvironnement Regards, Recherches, Rexions and Tpicos en educacin ambiental. Connect 3 EE: possibilities and constraints tasks is to subject these currents to critical scrutiny in order to highlight the different possibilities, to stimulate reflection and more creative teaching, and to make rele- vant choices in the light of each particular context of action. The field of EE is therefore developing in a constructive manner. It is, however, faced with major issuesthat could compromise its basic goals. The main current challenge is the prevalence of the development ideol- ogy (Rist, 1996) promoted in the proposal of educati on for sustai nable develop- ment . Here education is perceived as a tool in the service of the long-term conser- vation of the environment, the latter being regarded as a pool of resources to be utilised for a sustained economic growth, which isitself regarded asthe pre-condition for human development (Sauv, Berry- man and Brunelle, 2000). In the conceptual framework of sustai nable development, often illustrated in the form of three inter- linked spheres (economy, society and envi- ronment), the economy is viewed as a separate autonomous entity, outside the social sphere, that determines a societys relationship to the environment. While that does indeed reflect the current alienation of societies in regard to an exogenous and dominant economy, should such a vision of the world be nonetheless promoted as the supreme goal of all humanity? The idea of sustainable development is, of course, relevant in certain respects and in certain contexts, such as when it becomes the key to initiating dialogue among actors in the economic, political and environmen- tal spheres. That isin fact how the concept came into being. It has been presented as the product of a social consensus (in reality, the outcome of a negotiation round between certain privileged social actorsin a specific historical context). Let usnote that thisidea of a consensushappensto be very seducti ve at a ti me when formerly unquestioned values and meta-narra- ti ves are collapsi ng: consensus-bui ldi ng confers a measure of legitimacy on deci- sions and makes it possible to manage the diversity of possible approaches to the issuesat stake. But isconsensus(too often false consensus) an appropriate basis for intervention and action in the matter of education and envi- ronment? Is it not a mistake to confuse the strategy of sustainable development (how- ever astute it may seem for some specic purposes) with a blueprint for all society, with a social ideal, and to redene educa- tion as a whole, in all countries, in terms of thisnow dominant vision of the world? The utilitarian conception of education and the resource-based representation of the envi- ronment adopted by education for a sus- tai nable development are clearly reductionist from the standpoint of a basic education aimed at fully developing the web of relations between persons, the social group to which they belong and the envi- ronment. The relationship with the world cannot be seen solely as a question of resource management ; human activities cannot be interpreted only within the con- text of development overusing the lan- guage of durabi li ty (or vi abi li ty or sustainability) 3 in a sort of newspeak that isspreading throughout the world, superim- posed on each culture and reducing the abil- ity to think differently about realities. It must also be recognised that the ethicsof sustain- ability isa product of the heuristicsof fear (to quote HansJonas, 1992) associated with the current crisisin security (one of itsman- ifestations being the interest in human cloning). While it may constitute a rst step towards an upturn in ethics, it is certainly not broad enough to found a blueprint for a society, and even lessfor humanity. As a result of strong criticisms from all quarters (philosophers, sociologists, educa- tors, other economists, etc. ) directed at the idea of sustainable development, 4 the cur- rent trend isto invite each one to redefine, in ones own way, this inescapable concept that has now been established in the vari- ousspheresof society. It isthusagreed that sustainable development is not a clearly defined goal (to sustain development is indeed vague) but a road to open up towards this goal, which will progressively appear more clearly. Each must chart his/her course as he/she sees fit. After the argument of the existence of a universal consensus for sustai nable development, this new argument about the legitimacy, even the necessity, of identifying different paths to the goal seems to work well in promoting the idea of sustainable devel- opment asthe saviour of humanity. In this context emerged the proposal of educa- tion for a sustainable future , a quasi-syn- onym of educati on for sustai nable development. This concept has the advan- tage of proposing a framework that inte- grates the vari ous di mensi ons of contemporary education (relating to peace, democracy, international co-operation, the environment, etc. ), but thisframework lim- its the scope of each of these educational fields. As these other theme-based forms of education , environmental education is reduced to a mere instrument in the service of sustainable development. M oreover EE ceasesto be seen asa setting for interdisci- plinarity and the dialogue of knowledge systems(knowledge related to the biophys- ical and human sciences, traditional knowl- edge, experience, common sense, etc. ); it becomes more narrowly associated to the field of biophysical sciences and technol- ogy, the key area of the new knowledge economy . It is possible however to conceive of an EE that considersthe sustainable development proposal (as a socio-historical phenome- non), but that is not locked into it. EE can only be achieved in a context in which social criticism isnot impeded; the relation- ship to the environment is not a priori a matter of social compromise, even less of world wide consensus. EE accompaniesand supports the emergence and implementa- tion of a project to improve a personsown relationship to the world, whose signifi- cance it helps to clarify in the light of each particular context. In a global perspective, EE contri butes to the development of responsible societies. This last expression seeks to clarify the deliberate vagueness surroundi ng the word development (generally centred on the economy) by link- ing it to the development of societies(each one integrating its own endogenous econ- omy) and to an ethics of fundamental responsibility, that is significantly richer than the essentially minimalist ethicsof sus- tainability ( so long as it lasts or so long as we survive ). The ethics of responsibility goes beyond a legalist and civic approach to rights and duties; it calls for a sense of responsibility for ones own being, knowl- 3. People talk, for example, about sustainable meals , sustainable mining industry , sustainable consumption or sustainable water , even seeking sus- tainability criteria for education 4. See in thisconnection the report on the debate in: Jarnet, A., Jickling B., Sauv, L., Wals, A. and Clarkin, P. The Future of Environmental Education in a Post- modern World? Whitehorse: Yukon College (Canadian Journal of Environmental Education), 244 pages. Vol. XXVII, No. 1-2, 2002 4 UNESCO Activities Worldwide T his project, undertaken as part of UNESCO s programme in the fight for poverty-reduction, isdue to be launched in the current year. The aim of the project is to develop the technological capacity of girlsin developing countries through gender-sensitive voca- tional training on appropriate knowledge and skills, in order to increase their chances for accessto work and a better life. Itsratio- nale isthat instead of relying upon methods developed in foreign countries. local actors should be encouraged and guided to seek innovative waysto reduce gender disparities in scientic, technical and vocational educa- tion based upon ideas stemming from the teachers hands-on experience. After evaluating pilot activities in model schools in selected developing countries in Asia (Nepal, Laos and Cambodia), a set of guidelines for policy makers will be devel- oped in order to promote larger participa- tion of girls in technical and vocational education (TVE). The specific objectivesof thisproject are as follows: a) To increase accessof girlsfrom develop- ing countries to appropriate learning and life-skills training programmes in order to ensure access to professions in which women have traditionally been under-represented. b) To help educational managers, planners and teachers to effectively adopt innov- ative measures, curriculum and educa- tional materials to incorporate girls in scientific and technical fieldsin selected model schools in three selected coun- tries. c) To provide policy makerswith guidelines to better promote participation of girls in scientific, technical and vocational education based upon the experience of these model schoolsthrough close mon- itoring and comparative studies by spe- cialists. The project is expected to have an impact not only on the capacity building of direct beneficiaries, notably school girls (approxi- mately 13-17 years old) and i n-servi ce teachers in the model schools, but also on that of national educational managers, planners and poli cy makers. M oreover, although the implementation of the activi- tieswill concentrate on a limited number of pilot countries, the research resultsand pol- icy guidelinesdrawn from the experience of the model schools should also be able to serve different actors(teachers, educational managers and planners, decision makers, researchers) world-wi de, parti cularly i n developing countries. UNESCO ' srole isto promote such a partic- ipatory approach and to foster exchange of ideas/information on innovative activities among different stakeholders in different countriesat a later stage of the project. UNESCO is also very interested in learning of any interesting initiatives underway that promote the participation of girls in TVE in both industrialized and developing coun- tries. For more information, please contact: Miki Nozawa (Email:m.nozawa@unesco.org) Yuto Kitamura (Email: yu.kitamura@unesco.org) Julia Heiss (Email:j.heiss@unesco.org) Fax: [33-1)45.68.56.30 (Postal address on last page) edge and action, which implies commit- ment, lucidity, authenticity, solicitude and courage. It is to be hoped that the forthcoming Johannesburg Summit, focused from the very beginning on sustainable development for the whole planet, will afford an oppor- tunity to stimulate a genuine debate on the consensus underpinning this blueprint for humanity, which has not borne much fruit since the previous summit held in Rio. It will be particularly important to stimulate discussion among all the actors in the field of education, which isboth the mirror and the crucible of a societys development, and more specifically among those involved in the field of environmental education, whose vision of education cannot develop fully unless the diversity of ways of appre- hending and relating to the world isrecog- nised and valued. Lucie Sauv, PhD Research Chair of Canada in Environmental Education Universit du Qubec Montral C.P.8888 Suce, Centre - ville Montral, Qubec, Canada H3C 3P8 References: Goffin, L. (1999). Lenvironnement comme co-socio-systme. In Loriaux, M. Populations et dveloppements : une approche globale et systmique. Lou- vain-la-Neuve /Paris : Academia-Bruy- lant/LHarmattan, pp. 199-230. J onas, H. (1992). Leprinciperesponsabilit. Paris: Les Editions du Cerf. Rist (1996). Le Dveloppement. Histoire dunecroyanceoccidentale. Paris: Les Editions Sciences Po. Sauv Lucie. (2002). Courants dinterven- tion en ducation relative lenvi- ronnement. Module 5. Programme international dtudes suprieures distance en ducation relative len- vironnement. Universit du Qubec Montral Collectif ERE-Francopho- nie. Sauv L., Berryman, T. and Brunelle, R. (2002). International Proposals for Environnemental Education: Analysing a Ruling Discourse. Proceedings of the International Con- ference on Environmental Education: Environmental EducationintheCon- text of Education for the 21st Cen- tury: Prospects and Possibilities, Larissa, Greece. 6-8 October 2000, pp. 42-63. UNESCO UNESCO Activities W Activities W orldwide orldwide T Technical, V echnical, Vocational and Science Education for Girls: ocational and Science Education for Girls: Schools as Community Catalysts for the Empowerment of Girls and Poverty Reduction Connect 5 UNESCO Activities Worldwide U NESCO s Sections for Technical and Vocational Education and for Science and Technology Education are launching a survey on EE in technical & vocational schools at secondary level in fifteen devel- oping countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America* . This survey should provide a comprehensive and comparative overview of vari ous nati onal approaches to i ntegrate envi ronmental trai ni ng i n technical and vocational schools; analysisof the needs and gaps and a set of sugges- tions/recommendations for UNESCO and any interested partiesfor future action. The rationale of the study isthat TVE grad- uates have a crucial role in devising and implementing practical solutions to current problems such as environmental degrada- tion and therefore should be aware of the concept and challenge of sustainable devel- opment. Technicians are the interface of nature, technology, economy and society and have a key role to play in helping soci- ety resolve environmental and development i ssues. Challenges such as: reori enti ng technology and managing risks; meeting essential needssuch asfood, water, sanita- tion while conserving natural resources; reducing energy and resource consumption and many otherswill have to be tackled by them. It has been found that it is techni- cianswho possessunderstanding and prac- tical skills in the matter of sustainable development that resort to more sustain- able practices in industrial and agricultural production. Asstressed in the recommendationsof the Second International Congresson Technical and Vocational Education (Seoul, 26-30 April 1999), TVE systems should not only focus on economic dimensions but should also incorporate emerging issues such as use of environmentally sound technology. UNESCO , in its programme on technical and vocational education, has been asked to assist its M ember States through advo- cacy and training programmes to promote the cross-cutting skills demanded by the contemporary world of work that includes environmental issues. For this, it is impor- tant for UNESCO to revi ew what has already been done in this field, lessons learnt from the experience and what still needs to be done in particular for develop- ing countries. Thus, the objectivesof thisstudy are: To obtain a comprehensive overview on initiativesalready taken at national level in selected countrieson EE integrated in technical and vocational schools, which will enable UNESCO to plan its future work in responding to the needs of M ember States to introduce such train- ing (for example, development of train- ing materialsfor trainers). To provide interested parties (M inistries, institutions, trainers, teachers, etc. ) with an analytical and comparative docu- mentation of good practicesand lessons to increase their awarenesson the issue and encourage them to take action. To make recommendati ons for the development of new training materials and programmes. For further information contact: Miki Nozawa/Julia Heiss (address above) T hi s j oi nt UNESCO -UNICEF proj ect, coordinated by the Centre for Science Education and Communication (CSEC) of the University of Delhi, seeks to make sci- ence more girl-friendly within the frame- work of Sci enti fi c and Technologi cal Literacy for All (STL) by developing ade- quate, supplementary teaching materials for use by teachers at their discretion. A number of organisations from different parts of India are also involved as nodal agenciesin the project. The materialsto be developed are inter-dis- ciplinary and treat concrete problems like power fai lure, overgrazi ng and falli ng water tables, instead of abstract principles. Relevance isensured by building the teach- ers capacity to prepare their own teaching materi als addressi ng local problems of interest to students. The freedom to inves- tigate such problemsisexpected to lead to greater interest in science and increased self-confidence in students. The fundamental aimsof the project, which began in late 2000 are: To address problems faced by girls with regard to school science, based on a study of gender discrimination in the school system To produce science teaching/learning materials that are girl- as well as boy- friendly To develop a resource base of low-cost science experiments for schools based on the equipment demands of the cre- ated materials; test prototypes of all equipment and suggest other investiga- tions that can be carried out with the same equipment As a detai led study on gender di scri mi na- ti on i n schools menti oned above was li kely to take some ti me, the proj ect reli ed upon the possi bi li ty of each i ndi vi dual teacher carryi ng out a small local study to fi nd out i n what ways prevalent school sci ence i s unfri endly to gi rls. Thi s had the added advantage of avoi di ng total reli ance on educati onal/curri culum plan- ni ng i nsti tutes whi ch could be male-dom- i nated. Besi des, by choosi ng a maj ori ty of female teachers i n the materi als develop- ment workshops i t was possi ble to ensure that the female vi ewpoi nt wasadequately represented. * Provisional list of countries: Belize, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, M alaysia, M ozambique, Nepal, Philippines, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Vietnam. Comparative Study on Envir Comparative Study on Environmental Education in T onmental Education in Technical echnical and V and Vocational Schools in developing countries ocational Schools in developing countries T Towar owards a girl-friendly science ds a girl-friendly science A joint UNESCO -UNICEF project for Indian girls Vol. XXVII, No. 1-2, 2002 6 UNESCO Activities Worldwide At the workshops, teachers were encour- aged to reflect on what makes science unfriendly to girlsand to consciously design supplementary teaching materialsto rectify this. It is hoped that this will be the start- ing point of a move towards a model of teacher training of which gender under- standing isan integral part. Initially, the project was seeded at five nodes located in four states: Rajasthan, M adhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Delhi where nodal agencies both govern- ment institutions and NGO s working in school education were identified. After a National workshop to initiate activities, these agencies held regional workshops to train their teachers in creating supplemen- tary STL materials that were gender sensi- tive. At the beginning of the second phase of the project which involves the inclusion of additional nodes, the following achieve- mentscan be noted: 1. A large number of original STL materials were produced and several existing ones tested. It is noteworthy that it is the teachers and not resource persons who were responsible for all the materials developed. 2. A substantial volume of field data con- taining information on the process of materials development as well as tri- alli ng was generated. Thi s i ncludes teachers accounts as well as reports and other documents on work done by students. A beginning was also made towards communi ty engagement i n schools by encouraging students to dis- cussissueslike garbage disposal and the dangers of tobacco use with their par- entsand the public. 3. A group to study gender in the science classroom was set up. It carried out an analysis of science textbooks as well as other materials from the perspective of gender sensitivity. 4. A team to develop a resource base of low-cost experiments was set up. It has already developed a number of experi- ments/i nstruments based on exi sti ng STL materials. O verall, it can be said that the first step has been taken to establi sh a network of groupsto fulfil the objectivesof a more stu- dent-friendly school science. A process has been set underway and in the near future improved versions of the STL materials as well as direct assessments of their girl- friendly nature should be produced. An important concern of the project is to formulate evaluation devices and an inven- tory for formative assessment. Criteria for the assessment of the appropriateness of the materials, their impact on girls, the teaching processesinherent in them and of the level of interest they generate in stu- dents are being developed in the current phase of the project. A conceptual consolidation of the project as a whole will also be undertaken. The idea is to take the first steps, based on some theoretical understanding, towards a truly gender-sensitive school curriculum pri- marily in science but going beyond it. The work done by the low-cost equipment group will also be augmented and com- piled asa resource book/manual. The long run goal isto build up a repertoire of tested and viable supplementary teach- ing units that are gender-sensitive and can be used as exemplars in the remaining statesof the country aswell asto create an expanding network of nodal institutions that will work towards the empowerment of teachers and the integration of schools with the community. The finality is to evolve a model for school science that holds excitement and joy for the child, especially the girl child, providesa sense of empowerment and control over the cur- riculum for the teacher and promotes the involvement of the community in educa- tion. Further information from: Amitabha Mukherjee/ Vijaya S. Varma Universityof Delhi Delhi 110 007 India T hisproject, a joint venture of UNESCO and the M i ni stry of Educati on of Costa Rica, waslaunched in 2000. The proj ect was i mplemented i n 250 schoolsthroughout the country and directly involved 890 schoolteachers. Divers activi- ti es were foreseen i n the proj ect li ke production of self-training modules, dis- semination of educational materials and organisation of monthly training work- shops. Voluntarily circumscribed to Grade 7 of school education, the objectivesof the pro- ject were to strengthen science education by making it more relevant to current needs of the youth and by enabling them to make use of science and technology in a creative, critical, responsible and construc- tive manner. The reason for selecting Grade 7 for the project was that a noticeable difference was found in student response to science between the sixth and seventh grades* . The traditionally oriented seventh grade sci- ence curriculum tended to favour a passive, rote-learning education. Thisdid nothing to promote thinking and reflection on the part of the studentsand only created a negative image of science and technology. As a result, student performance at this level was poor with the highest level of failures and dropouts in the entire educational sys- tem of Costa Rica. Educational systemshave a vital role to play i n sci enti fi c and technologi cal develop- ment. Since the applicationsof science and technology play a major role in all fields of human activity, it is highly important that science education should lead students to acquire knowledge, attitudes, skills and capacities which will allow them to partici- pate meaningfully in scientific and techno- Pr Project for the impr oject for the improvement of ovement of secondar secondary school science education y school science education Costa Rica * In Costa Rica, Grade 7 marks a change fromprimaryto middle school. Connect 7 UNESCO Activities Worldwide logical development. Furthermore, science education must adapt itself to the changing needs of society so as to allow new gener- ationsto acquire basic scientific knowledge and skillswhich will permit them to make a critical and rational use of the available sci- entific-technological applications. Following the teacher-training workshops organised in the implementation of the proj ect, the followi ng fi ve self-trai ni ng manualswere developed: Improving Grade 7 science education: an Anthology Climate change and Atmospheric phe- nomena Transversal themes Sci ence, Technology and Sustai nable Development Didacticsof Science Education All the manuals were tested by teachers and expertsand found to be more than sat- isfactory. The anthology of activities for improving science education was used in workshops in various regions. All these resources are subject to further improve- ment. They will then be sent to teachers who will be trained in their use. For further information contact: Comisin Costarricense de cooperacin con la UNESCO Apartado postal 393-2050 San Pedro, M ontesde Oca, San Jos Costa Rica B uilding up on the efforts of the inter- nati onal communi ty and on the important recommendations of the World Conference on Science, UNESCO /Cairo has pledged to utilize science popularisation as an instrument towardscreating a healthier, scientifically oriented society in the Arab region. To thi s end, UNESCO /Cai ro i ntends to make use of sci ence populari zati on i n order to promote a better understanding of the interrelations between science, the environment and health. UNESCO /Cairo believes that the first crucial step towards creating such a society is to raise public awareness for the protection of human health and that thi s should be done through the use of communication media and technologies. It has thus initiated an innovative project on science, environment and health aimed to promote and improve peoples health by providing simple and basic scientific knowledge to raise public awareness, improve peoples understand- ing, change their attitudes and to ulti- mately reduce exposure to risk factors in the environment. The project targets the Arab population at large, but more particularly the marginal- ized segments of the population in rural areas, especially women and children, who are exposed to numerous environmental hazardsin their everyday surroundings. The project consistsof two phases. The first will focuson the effectsof air and water askey environmental elements of direct and tan- gible impacts on human health, while the second will focus on other environmental issues such as recycling, noise and food safety. In the first phase of the project, an interac- tive science-based environmental education audio-visual kit* will be produced contain- ing basic scientific knowledge necessary to enhance peoples awareness, change atti- tudes and behaviour towards their health and their environment. It will then be dis- seminated in the Arab region, particularly to institutions targeting the rural poor, especially women and children. The main targets of this project are chil- dren, dropouts and women. This is due to the firm belief that women and children form the most vulnerable group among urban and rural underprivileged people needi ng envi ronmental educati on and health awareness. The lack of proper edu- cation and correct scientific information and knowledge aggravates their situation and contributesto a low quality of life. The strategy followed wi ll be geared towards enhancing awareness of environ- mental health. This will be done with the help of mass media. The activities consist of collection of research-based, accurate scientific information on pollutants of the environment and their direct impact on health; production of audio-visual kits on science, environment and health; dissemi- nation of the information and conducting training programmes in schools and com- munities. Emphasis will be placed on inte- grating environment and health issues at all levels of education, both formal and non-formal. Worki ng closely wi th M i n- i stri es of Envi ronment, Health, Soci al Affairs and Information, as well as donor groups, sister UN organizations, and inter- ested NGO s, effortswill be made to ensure wide dissemination of the information and the chosen subjects to the entire Arab Region. Efforts will be made to mobilize the necessary resources so that this initia- ti ve can be rei nforced and expanded. Emphasiswill be placed on the World Con- ference on Science follow-up by continu- i ng support of the populari zati on of sci ence parti cularly for women and increasing awareness of health and the environment. Particular emphasis will be placed on topics such as water, air, food, safety, noise, UV radiation and recycling of solid wastes. Expectedresults: Research on and collection of scientific material relevant to specific environmental problems Production of a seriesof modem educa- Enhancing Public Understanding of the Inter Enhancing Public Understanding of the Interr relationship elationship between Science, Envir between Science, Environment and Health onment and Health A new project developed by UNESCO /Cairo * It is proven that an audio-visual kit as an educational tool can lead to 40% reduction in the time needed for learning, compared to other learning (conven- tional) tools, and can raise the coefcient of memorization by20%. Vol. XXVII, No. 1-2, 2002 8 UNESCO Activities Worldwide tional tools (audio-visuals) with direct relevance to speci fi c envi ronmental problems O rganisation of training programmes in schools and communities for school teachers, locally influential people and the public at large Wide dissemination of environmental audio-visual kits, particularly to institu- tions targeting the rural poor who are facing the greatest threat M edia coverage of the audio-visual kits through short TV spots LongtermOutcomes: Improvement of peoples health, espe- cially that of young women and deprived children, through upgrading information and knowledge on sci enti fi c i ssues related to health and environment Reduction of peoples vulnerability to environmental hazards and mitigation of environmental degradation Enhancement of the livelihood of poor people and improvement of the quality of life. For further information contact: Director, UNESCO/Cairo 8 Abdel Fahmy Str Garden City, Cairo 11511 Egypt Fax: 202-35.45296 E-mail: uhcai@unesco.org T hisworkshop wasorganised jointly by UNESCO , the International Council of Association for Science Education (ICASE) and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. The workshop wastargeted at science edu- cators, key representati ves of sci ence teacher associations and science teachers and its aim was to provide them support for promoting a more popular approach to the teaching of science subjects in schools. Twenty one STE teachers, teacher trainers and school supervisors from Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hun- gary, Ireland, Italy, Romania and Sweden participated in the workshop. The rationale of the workshop was that since science teachers lack the necessary background training to deal effectively with such issues as the lack of popularity and public awareness of science and technol- ogy, it isvital not only to inform but also to empower them with the necessary skills and capabilities in developing science and technology learning materials which are appropriate for their students and consis- tent with the goals of science and techno- logical literacy for all (STL). The principal workshop objectives were: To trai n parti ci pants to create and develop exemplar STL materialsrelevant to local needs and contexts and assist other teachersin developing such mate- rials To support them at the science-technol- ogy interface in developing more mean- ingful and relevant teaching approaches and in the use of local resources To encourage them to organise further workshopsfor the production of a wide range of STL exemplar materialsnotably such asare relevant for girls. The substantial programme of the work- shop consisted of sessions devoted to the following topics: Conceptsof STL Sharing of innovative experiences in teaching approaches for STL materials Preparation and development of educa- tional exemplary materialson STL Presentation of and discussion on devel- oped STL materials Introduction of evaluation and follow- up of STL activities in the European region, especially Southern Europe Following the presentation of the STL phi- losophy, initial ideas of the participants were discussed and the context of each script that would be developed in the work- ing groups of 2 - 4 participants decided. Different working groups then undertook to develop one or more scripts depending on the number of participants involved. A plenary session allowed each group to explain how they designed and started developing their ideasfor creating teaching materials. In the final session each working group distributed printouts of their scripts and gave an electronic version of each script to the organiser. Further develop- ment, refinement and improvement of the scriptsisstill going on. The outcome of the workshop was the development of 12 exemplary teaching materialson STL entitled: 1. Should cars be powered by fuel cells? 2. Which materialsto choose? 3. Can the electricity bill be reduced? 4. How can we avoid cavities in teeth? 5. Industrial plan with environmental pro- tection Isthe risk acceptable? 6. Shampoo should we beli eve the advertising? 7. A sun tan isit a sign of good health? 8. Do we need nuclear power ? Learning from the case of Chernobyl 9. O ptical illusions: is what we see what we get? 10. Wind energy isthisa solution for the future? 11. Are mobile phonessafe? 12. Are roadssafe in winter? The developed materials are in the process of being edited in collaboration with the participants who developed them. Upon finalisation they will be disseminated to participants for pilot application and fur- ther improvement in their countries. They will also serve asexemplar materialsfor fur- ther workshops on training teachers how to gain ownership of STL ideasthrough the development of STL materials. For further information contact: Nicos Valanides, Associate Professor Aristotle Universityof Thessaloniki Thessaloniki Greece W Workshop on T orkshop on Teacher Materials Cr eacher Materials Creation/Implementation eation/Implementation for Science & T for Science & Technology Education (STE) echnology Education (STE) in Souther in Southern Eur n Europe ope Thessaloniki, Greece, 27-31 August 2001 Connect 9 UNESCO Activities Worldwide T his regional workshop was organised jointly by UNESCO , SEAM EO REC- SAM * and the International Council of Associations for Science Education (ICASE) with support from the British Council. It was attended by specialists from Brunei Darusalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, M alaysia, M yanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The objectivesof the workshop were: To familiarise participants with develop- ments in STE for a better conceptual understanding of STL To share experi ences i n promoti ng teaching/learning of science and tech- nology in the context of the participat- ing countries To familiarise the participants with the STL M anual (v. Connect, No. 1-2, 2001) so as to permit teachers to develop their own culturally-sensitive STL materi- als To formulate follow-up actions for the translation and utilisation of the M anual in participating countries The work was di vi ded i n three parts: explanation by resource personsto the par- ticipantson how to conceptualise and oper- ationalise STL for All and then proceed with the assessment of students; drafting, peer evaluation and renement of STL instruc- tional materials and nally, formulation of recommendationsfor follow-up actions. At the end of the workshop, the partici- pants were able to develop three modules compri si ng: Introducti on; Educati onal goals; Scientific objectives; Studentsguide; Teachers guide and Assessment of student learning. The moduleswere entitled : Drink to health (treating the concept of pH) Dangersof acid rain (treating corrosion) Di sposal of soli d wastes ( treati ng biodegradability vs non-biodegradabil- ity) The main recommendations made for the variousparticipating countrieswere: Inclusion of STL in the development of teaching-learning materials to be di ssemi nated to schools ( Indonesi a, M alaysia) Translation of the training manual from Engli sh to the nati onal languages (Brunei Darusalam, Cambodia, Indone- sia, Lao PDR, M alaysia, M yanmar, Thai- land and Vietnam) Shari ng of acqui red knowledge and skills with other school teachers (all countries) Utilisation of the newly acquired knowl- edge and skills in teaching (Vietnam, Lao PDR) Those addressed specifically to UNESCO were: O rganisation of training programmes at the country level as a follow-up to this workshop O rganisation of writing workshops to train teachersto develop supplementary teaching/learning materials Support to activities at the national level The workshop was both successful and productive. Its outcomes were a strong indication that the Training of Trainers M anual for promoting STL could easily be adapted to local conditions and would be very useful in guiding trainersand teachers to help other teachers develop their own supplementary teaching/learning materials. For further information contact: Ms Lucille C. Gregorio UNESCO/PROAP Box967, Prakanong Post Ofce Bangkok 10110, Thailand Fax: 391-0866 E-mail: UHBGK T hisseminar wasorganised by the Field Study Institute for Environmental Edu- cation, Tokyo Gakugei University with sup- port from the Japanese M i ni stry of Education as a contribution to UNESCO /APEID* * . Representatives from the follow- ing 14 countriesparticipated in thisseminar: Australia, China, Fiji, Indonesia, India, Japan, M alaysia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philip- pines, Republic of Korea, Thailand and Viet- nam together with representatives from the following institutions and organisations: UNESCO/Bangkok; the Foundation for Envi- ronment Education (FEE), Germany; the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA); the JF New Paradigm Education, Sin- gapore; the Institute of Advanced Studies United Nations University (UNU) and Tokyo Gakugei University, Japan. The semi nar consi sted of plenary and workshop sessi ons as well as a fi eld study and visit to a model EE primary school. Based on the country presentations, the par- ticipantssummarized the aims, goals, hopes and future vision of EE in Asia Pacic, under the following headings: Educational materialsandresources, where the main concernswere the need for: extensi ve capaci ty bui ldi ng and conti nuous professi onal develop- ment of teachers, curri culum developers, school administrators, * South East Asian M inistersof Education Organisation, Regional Education Centre for Science and M athematics. * * Asia Pacic Programme of Educational Innovation for Development Regional Adaptation W Regional Adaptation Workshop on STL orkshop on STL Pangkor Island, M alaysia, 15-19 O ctober 2001 Seminar on Envir Seminar on Environment Education in onment Education in Asia and the Paci Asia and the Pacic Region c Region Tokyo, Japan, 19-23 November 2001 Vol. XXVII, No. 1-2, 2002 10 UNESCO Activities Worldwide UNESCO isholding an international essay contest for high school students(15 - 18 years) on the World Space Week 2002 theme Space and Daily Life . Studentsare invited to write about their experienceson how space isaffecting/improving and helping them in their daily life together with their vision of space and society in the coming decades. The essay contest is organized in cooperation with the European Space Agencys Research and Technology Centre (ESA/ESTEC), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE, Brazil), Committee on Earth O bservation Satellites (CEO S) and Centre National d Etudes Spatiales (CNES, France). Girlsare highly encouraged to participate in the contest. Deadlineof submissionof essays: 30July 2002. For more information on the essay contest, please visit: http://www. unesco. org/science/earthsciences/sep_essay_announcement. htm Essay Contest for High School Students on Essay Contest for High School Students on Space And Daily Life Space And Daily Life members of the community, NGO s and the private sector encouragement by national authori- tiesto be given to local communities to make use of available materials and resources for promotion of EE greater collaboration between all sectors for the development of qual- ity EE materials further research in EE and the use of media for promotion and lobbying Teacher Education, specifically for pre- and in-service teachers, teacher educa- tors, NGO s, school administrators and curriculum developers Policy, where it was considered essen- tial to set up a ministerial office on EE for the Asia-Pacific region as well as an EE network to evaluate projects and assessEE impact on society which could be li nked to sustai nabi li ty i ndi cator activities. Following these considerations six recom- mendationswere made whose substance is asfollows: 1. UNESCO /Bangkok should faci li tate the i nclusi on of EE on the agenda of regional educational/environmental meetings as well as at the Rio+10 Conference in Johannesburg, August 2002. 2. A regional EE network should be estab- lished with founding members from each of the participating Asia-Pacific countries. 3. M embers of thi s regi onal network should set up/strengthen their national network. 4. Activities of the regional/national net- work should be disseminated through existing websites or through internet/ newsletters. 5. M utual sharing of expertise and materi- als through the clearing house process should be encouraged and promoted. 6. All the governments in the Asia-Pacific region should be encouraged to develop an EE poli cy and to allocate funds specifically for EE reflected in the annual budgets/plans of the M inistry of Educa- tion/Environment. For further information contact: Lucille C. Gregorio UNESCO/PROAP (address above) logo credits: CEOS/CNES/ESA Connect 11 STEE Activities Worldwide T his manifestation, the 8th of its kind, wasorganised under the high patron- age of UNESCO by the M ouvement Inter- nati onal pour le Loi si r Sci enti fi que et Technique (M ILSET), the town of Grenoble and the Centre de Culture Scientifique, Technique et Industrielle (CCSTI), Grenoble Rhne Alpes. It was held in Grenoble, France, from 9-14 July 2001 and attracted a record participa- ti on of 1, 109 persons representi ng 54 countriesfrom 4 continents. The main objective of Expo-Sciences, held every two years in a different country* , is the popularisation of science and technol- ogy among children and youths the world over. O rganised in teamsrepresenting their regi on/country and accompani ed by a guide/teacher, they are asked to present a concrete science/technology project to sci- ence specialists and experts, educators, industrialists- and the general public, mak- ing use of their knowledge, inventiveness and creativity. Thus, Expo-Sciencesactsasa unique forum where young persons from countries all over the world can exchange experiences, ideas and processes as well as express their doubts and interrogations on science and technology not only among themselves but also before a wide public. At the 8th International Expo-Sciences, as many as 375 projects were presented by the youthseach afternoon to a total of over 12, 000 visitorswho came to the huge Alp- Expo pavilion located in the outskirts of Grenoble. Very often the visitors consisted of families on vacation who came in with their children. Besidesthe projects, there were also a host of shows, demonstrations and presenta- tions of all kinds aimed at popularising sci- ence and technology and targeted specifically at children of all ages. These i ncluded preparati on of mi cro-rockets, humori sti c theatri cal presentati ons, quizzes, games, etc. If the afternoonswere devoted to the presentation of their pro- jects to visitors, every morning between 500-600 of the participating youths were taken to vi si t museums, laboratori es, research centresor very simply to indulge in leisure and nature sportsand other open air activities. O ne of the most popular activities of the manifestation, proposed by the CCSTI of G renoble, was Un Jour, une M ani p (Hands-on activity of the day). M eant for children and adults alike, a number of important themessuch asmagnetism, Fou- caults pendulum, informatics, etc. , were dealt with in a practical manner inviting and receiving active public participation. The Grenoble International Expo-Sciences was an immense success for all the actors of science and technology education. A number of professional meetingswere also organised alongside such as the 1st meet- ing of cultural mediatorsof the CSTI organ- i sed by the O ffi ce de Cooprati on et d Informati on M usographi ques (O CIM ); the annual congress of the Association des M uses et Centres pour le dveloppement de la Culture Scientifique, Technique et Industrielle (AM CSTI) and the international meeting on scientific and technological culture organised by the Collectif Interasso- ciatif pour la Ralisation d Activits Scien- tifiques et Techniques, et Internationales (CIRASTI). The next International Expo-Scienceswill be held in M oscow, Russia, from 15-22 July 2003. The organisers expect to attract a multitude of projects from all over the world and are counting on the presence of 2, 000 participants. A number of meetings, visits and discussions between the youths, renowned sci enti sts and poli ti ci ans are planned for this manifestation which is expected to be a festival of the youthful intellect celebrating the spirit of coopera- tion, research and friendship. For further information contact : CCSTI de Grenoble La Casemate Place St Laurent 38000 Grenoble, France. Tel: (33-4) 76.44.88.77 Fax: (33-4) 76.42.76.66 http://www.ccsti-grnoble.org/somesi.html F ollowing the Environmental Education Plan concretised in 1995 and 1998, the M inistry of Education (M INED) contin- ued developing concrete programmes and actions in environmental education (EE) in the 1997-2001 period, in collaboration with the M inistry of Science, Technology and the Environment (CITM A). It isthisPlan that fixed the conception of the work to be done i n EE and speci fi c results to be obtained in the 5 year period. Consequently, the M INED focused upon integrating the environmental dimension in all disciplines with the following major results: Incorporati on of the envi ronmental dimension as an integral part in each type and level of teaching; its develop- ment in formal and non-formal typesof education and itsgradual reinforcement in methodological work STEE Activities W STEE Activities W orldwide orldwide 8th Inter 8th International Expo-Sciences national Expo-Sciences Grenoble, France, 9-14 July 2001 Envir Environmental Education in Cuba onmental Education in Cuba Programmes and actions implemented by the M inistry of Education from 1997-2001 * The previous seven International Expo-Sciences were held at: Qubec, Canada(1987); Brest, France (1989); Prague, Czech Republic (1991); Amarillo, U.S. (1993); Kuwait city, Kuwait (1995); Pretoria, South Africa (1997) and Puebla, Mexico (1999). Vol. XXVII, No. 1-2, 2002 12 STEE Activities Worldwide Development and incorporation of EE with greater emphasis on teacher train- ing Promotion and creation of environmen- tal activities in selected schools and polytechnics Implementation of an increased number of educational projects, programmes and experiencesfor the improvement of local environments through problem- solving approaches Gradual increase of educational activi- ties with families and communities as well asthe development of publications, videos and other educational means and methods The i nclusi on and associ ati on of the environment, particularly in the sciences and humanities, has been progressively achieved, though with more encouraging results in the sciences and in general edu- cation. The environment is taken as the subject and related to local ecological prob- lems. Besides, a significant number of suc- cessful extra-curricular activities are being carried out which complement the envi- ronmental work carried out in the classes. The environmental dimension hasalso been incorporated in pedagogy, curricula, practi- cal work, research, extra-curricular activi- ties, etc. , at the Institutes of Education (Instituto superior pedagogico - ISP) includ- ing their branch for technical and voca- tional education. There has been a marked increase in the number of courses, degrees, diplomasdone in thisperiod which hashad a positive influence by way of strategies and concrete actions in careers, subjects and specialitiesin the ISP. Thanks to existing local experiences which highlight the educational and participative role of schools in the work of environmen- tal protection, it hasbeen seen that greater participation of the family and community forges stronger linkages and better results in environmental work. However, it must be pointed out that these results have been more significant in suburban, rural and mountainouszonesand in small communi- ties and popular councils than in big cities. It isimportant to note that though environ- mental work in the last triennium has focused on the development of concrete projects, research work and integral studies and experiences, it has been based on the conception that EE transforms and con- tributes to solving diverse environmental projects with community participation and with intersectoral support. The following proj ects are some notable examples: Gestin para la Educacin Ambiental (M an- agement for EE) of the Ciudad Escolar Lib- ertd; Cmo Reali zar la Educaci n Ambiental (How to achieve EE) in San Cristobal, Pial del Ro; Proyecto de Preven- cin del Parasitismo Intestinal y Proteccin Ambiental (Prevention of intestinal para- sitism and environmental protection pro- ject) in Sierra del Escambray and Prevencin de los Desastres Naturales y Proteccin del M edio Ambiente (Natural Disaster Preven- tion and Environmental Protection) in Hol- gu n. Some of these proj ects i nclude activitiesthat are still continuing in the pre- sent term and have led to the development of activitiesin other fieldsaswell. M oreover, the M INED has been the funda- mental protagonist of the Environmental M ission Project: children and youths for sustai nable development, a proj ect i n which there has been a massive participa- tion of regional schoolsand which hashad very positive resultsincluding publication of the work done by the participants. Some other notable examples of CITM A projects in which the Education sector par- ticipated were those related to EE in the north zone of Sabana-Camaguey and Bio- diversity of the south west of Cienaga de Zapata as well as that of EE in coastal ecosystems that has succeeded in creating a movement for the protection of coastal resources. The M inistry of Basic Industry and the M INED together with the nickel industry and concerned municipal delega- tions have been developing in M oa, Hol- gu n, ti mely proj ects focusi ng on environmental protection and education related to ore extraction, risks of industrial accidents and natural phenomena, refor- estation of marshlands, etc. , with wide school participation. The M INED, in conjunction with other insti- tutions, has enlisted schools in the Pro- gramme of Water Basi ns of Nati onal Interest whose report spoke favourably of the work of the Education sector asking for itsreinforcement and systematisation. From 1999 to 2001 the following programmes were approved: Nati onal Drought and Desertification Programme, National Pro- gramme for Conservation and Improve- ment of Soil and the Biological Diversity Programme. These programmes, whi ch have been recognized as priorities by the government, are bei ng i ntegrated i nto schools so that they may develop concrete educational activitieson these subjects. Another M INED programme that hashad a significant impact is the Programme for Energy Saving which has generated activi- ties in schools and communities on energy saving and the rational use of natural resources. In the schools affi li ated to UNESCO s Associated Schools Programme (ASP) and certain Centres of Reference, EE work hasbeen systematised significantly as well as linking it to other subjects such as childrensrights, culture of peace, historico- cultural heritage and equality of races. Due to all the work accomplished in EE, Cuba was selected for the celebration of the World Environment Day on 5 June, which saw a massive participation of chil- dren, teachers and educators in all the activities carried out and events celebrated in the country. The work that has been accomplished is positive and favourable but it is necessary to achieve greater promotion, systematisa- tion, reinforcement and perfection as well as generalising the best experiences. Based on the activitiesand work carried out in the schools, it can henceforth be affirmed that EE has been incorporated - in one form or another and albeit with varying degrees of success, in all teaching centres. In order to strengthen this work in the 2001-2003 biennium the M INED hasset out Guidelines for Work in EE which include notably: Strengthening of methodological work at educational levels and departments Emphasising incorporation of EE in cur- ricula Promoting and implementing innovative projects Reinforcing work in suburban, rural and mountain-region schools Encouraging work on the perception of EE by studentsaswell asteachers Developing teacher training and capac- ity building Designing and perfecting dimensions, indicators and variables for the evalua- tion of processes, results and impacts Strengthening bonds between student bodies, institutions and organisations and the M INED as well as promoting dissemination of information. For further information contact: Dr. Orestes Valdes Valdes Instituto Central De Ciencias Pedagogicas Ministerio De Educacion De Cuba Calle 17 #1 Esquina A Calle Ovedado C.P 10400-Habana 4, Cuba Fax: 00 537 33 56 52 E.Mail: ICCP@ICCP.RIMED.CU Connect 13 STEE Activities Worldwide T he International Environmental Tech- nology Centre (IETC) of UNEP has developed an Environmental M anagement Systems (EM S) Resource Kit as part of the development of a seriesof toolsto help city managers and officials build a framework for enacting various urban environmental strategies and activities. Primarily designed for city managersand officialsto use in the design, implementation and operation of EM S for their own cities, the kit contains relevant materials and support resources such as case studies, check-lists and ques- tionnaires. As it has been recognized that an integral part of the EM S process is the training of city staff responsible for suc- cessful establishment and maintenance of EM S, the kit has also been designed to serve asa resource for training. Recognizing the need to train personswho will be responsible for the environmental management systems of cities, IETC has also undertaken a series of training work- shopsfor trainers. These effortsare increas- ing the number of persons who can act as trainerswithin their own citiesor train oth- ers who will be responsible for establish- ment of EM S. The workshops, held in Hungary and Singapore in past M arch and M ay respectively, form the initial phase of IETCs urban environmental management trai ni ng programme. The trai ni ng pro- gramme will be offered globally, on a regional basis, as well as within specific countri es should there be suffi ci ent demand. O ther courses are also planned for 2002 focusing on: Environmental Auditing Integrated Waste M anagement Energy Efficiency and M anagement Waste for Cities O ther relevant courses will be developed and delivered on a demand basis subject to sufficient resources and availability of partners. For further information contact: UNEP/IETC 2-110 Ryokuchi Koen Tsurumi-ku Osaka 538-0036 Japan Fax: (81-6) 6915-0304 E-mail: ietc@unep.or.jp Envir Environmental Management Systems for onmental Management Systems for Cities: Cities: Resource Kit & Training Workshops T hisnational conference wasorganised by the group of the C. K. Norwid Sec- ondary Schoolswith financial support from Bandku Handlowy and Warta and was attended by 60 participantsform Bialystok, Gorzow Wielkopolski, Jelenia Gora, Nowy Sacz, Wroclaw, Warszawa and Czesto- chowa. The participants included secondary school teachers and students as well as doctors and nurses. The purpose of the meeting was to provide participants with informa- tion related to the problem of euthanasia and to make them aware of all the issues involved in the practice of euthanasia in Australia, Netherlandsand USA. Students taking part in the seminar were asked to collect information in their region on welfare organisations and those who look after the old and the terminally ill. Doctors and nurses, members of the Hos- pi ce Care A ssoci ati on of Czestochowa Region and who have been taking care of the ill since 1993, were invited to make presentations and answer students ques- tions. The main part of the conference consisted of two sessions held on 21 April. The first sessi on consi sted of a fi lm proj ecti on related directly to the subject followed by a discussion on whether the decision to com- mit suicide was justifiable. The second ses- sion wasmainly devoted to the informative presentations of invitees from the Hospice followed by a general discussion. Some of the conclusions of the conference were that: Lack of information on the latest pain- relieving techniques may account for the popularity of euthanasia among many medical personnel Euthanasia entertains the myth of free- dom of choosing the moment of death Euthanasia represents lack of respect and love for the sick and non-willing- nessto take care of them The purpose of the conference being infor- mative, it did not aim to influence students thinking on the subject. It only intended to give them the opportunity to learn more about, and to reflect upon, the problem of euthanasia. Collaterally, the very interesting information collected by students from the variousregionsof Poland showed that hos- pice care and volunteer activity in the coun- try still need to be developed. For further information contact: Ms Anna Cukier and Mr Grzegorz Herman Szkol im. Cypriana Kamila Norwida Ul. Jasnogorska 8 42200 Czestochowa Poland E-mail: norwid@zsno.ids.czest.p Euthanasia: For or Against Euthanasia: For or Against National Conference of Polish UNESCO afliated secondary schools Czestochowa, Poland, 20-22 April 2001 Vol. XXVII, No. 1-2, 2002 14 STEE Centres, Associations, Networks * The member statesof the OECS are: Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, M ontserrat, St. Kitts& Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vin- cent & the Grenadines F ollowi ng the recommendati ons of the World Conference on Sci ence, Budapest, 1999, which highlighted the importance of education, as well as those of the International Conference on Science, Technology and M athemati cs Educati on (ICSTM E), Goa, 2001, which called upon governments to take action in renewing and reforming science, technology and mathematics education, UNESCO s Section for Sci ence & Technology Educati on launched an International Network of Gov- ernment O fficersin Science and Technology Education (INGO STE) in order to stimulate action in STE at the governmental level in the M ember Statesof UNESCO . The rationale behind the launching of this network is that if effective changes are to be made in the traditional modes of deliv- ery of STE and expertshave long been of the opinion that fundamental changes are necessary to reverse the current trend of falling interest in S& T - it is at the govern- mental level that action has to be taken. For in the majority of the countries around the world, STE i s pri mari ly deli vered through the formal education system which is under government control. Thus, with- out the active involvement of governmen- tal bodies all efforts to reform STE are at best doomed to be little more than pious wishes. Again, given the disparities in the level of STE in diverse countries, the establishment of communications between governmental representatives in charge of STE across the world would be an excellent way to share information, knowledge, procedures, expe- riences, etc. , for the benefit of all con- cerned. The M inistries of Education of all UNESCO M ember Stateswere thusrequested to des- ignate an STE specialist who would offi- cially represent the country in thisnetwork and serve as a focal point for exchange of information on STE. Until new, over 60 countries worldwide have responded posi- tively naming their representative in STE. The network will facilitate access to infor- mation on STE in each of the participating countries which will be stored in a data- bank available to all the members of the network. It ishoped that thiswill lead to a permanent dialogue among the various members on the initiatives, innovations, successes, failures, specific problems, etc. , encountered by each country. The constant interflow of information should lead to a better understanding of how to deal with a variety of problems that beset STE special- ists in various parts of the world, not the least of which is that of attracting children and youths to S& T in order to ensure the future of a world increasingly dependent on its applications as well as of convincing the general public of the importance, as responsible members of a democratic soci- ety, of possessing at least a basic level of scientific and technological knowledge. For further information contact: Section for Science and TechnologyEducation (address on last page) Inter International Network of Gover national Network of Government Of nment Of cers in cers in Science and T Science and Technology Education (INGOSTE) echnology Education (INGOSTE) STEE Centr STEE Centr es, Associations, Networks es, Associations, Networks S WEEN, the Solid Waste Environmental Education Network of the O rganisa- tion of Eastern Caribbean States (O ECS)* was formed by environmental education officers in solid and hazardous waste man- agement of the region. The network was proposed and endorsed at the Regional Round Table discussion on Solid and Ship Generated Waste M anage- ment, which was recently held in Grenada. The Round Table meeting was conducted by the O ECS through its Natural Resources M anagement Unit (NRM U). The objective of SWEEN is to serve as a mechanism for sharing information such as best practices and solutions as well as to update member countrieson developments pertaining to solid waste management. The recently formed network has been described as a success story of the O ECS Secretari at i n faci li tati ng collaborati ve approaches towards the development of member states. It wi ll be chai red by St. Lucia for the initial year with the NRM U playing a supportive role. SWEEN compri ses envi ronmental education officers from Antigua and Bar- buda, Domi ni ca, G renada, St. K i tts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. For further information contact: Raymond OKeiffe, Comm. Ofcer, NMRU Email:pickon@mailcity.com Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States NMRU Morne Fortune PO Box1383, Castries, St Lucia or Carlene Jules SLSWMA 453-2208. Dept of Environment Anguilla (264) 497-2518 Solid W Solid Waste Envir aste Environmental Education Network onmental Education Network (SWEEN) (SWEEN) Connect 15 STEE Centres, Associations, Networks T he Sociedade Galega de Educacin Ambiental (The Galician Society of Environmental Education) is an indepen- dent, non-profit association founded in M ay 2001 in order to associate the efforts of a large and varied section of educators working for the promotion of EE in the state of Galicia and who wish to affirm their role in the society through a common, action-oriented project. The principal objective of the SGEA is to contribute, through the various fields and modalities of education, to the construc- tion of a more just and equitable society in the distribution and management of nat- ural resources as well as in a more respon- sible relationship with the environment. The foundation of the SGEA is a response to a need felt for many yearsby many envi- ronmental educators in Galicia, geographi- cally close but without mutual contact. Since itsfoundation, the SGEA hasfocused itswork fundamentally on consolidating its structure, divulgating its objectives and establishing permanent means of commu- nication and contact among educators. In a meeti ng i n December 2001, members of the association were called upon to reflect, through exchange of ideas and experiences, on professionalism asa neces- sity for the development of EE in Galicia. At the meeting, the first issue of the SGEA bulletin was presented together with the SGEA website (http://www. sgea. org). Currently the association is working to develop two polesof action: Working groups for trai ni ng, local Agenda 21, EE equipment and EE in for- mal education Encounters programme in order to keep constant contact with educatorsas well as with the Galician environment. To this end a meeting with educators is organised every two months in a differ- ent locality where novel experiences in EE, educational research or publications of interest are presented In the current year, the SGEA proposes to develop a directory and to collaborate in the organisation of a state-wide meeting of EE associations. For further information contact: Sociedade Galega de Pontevedr Ambiental R/Curros Enrquez, 19 1 interior 32003 Ourense Spain T he IndigenousScience Network isan e- mail based network that was initiated after a combined meeting of participants at the Conference of the Australian Science Teachers Association (CONASTA) and the Australasian Science Education Research Association (ASERA) in Darwin in July 1999. Since then the network has been in use for communication between members. The network currently counts about 75 members representing 12 countries from all continents. They include a number of Aus- tralian academics, practitioners and post- graduate students, as well as some academics and students from overseas. M embershi p of the network has been extended to all those who request it. Bulletins are produced every second month. Back issues can be accessed at the site as well as the most recent issue. Recently the bulletins were archived into a more useful format and they can be accessed through the website (http://www. ozemail. com. au /~ mmichie). Active linksare given wherever possible, including e-mail links, although some older linksmay no longer exist. E-mail is used in between bulletins to keep in touch with members. A number of items are incorporated into the bulletinssuch as: information about conferences abstractsfrom conference papersand e- mail contact with authors information about recent publications websitesworth visiting members current projects. There are two ways of accessing the Net- work. The first is to be listed among the e-mail addresses of members (mail to: mmi chi e@ ozemai l. com. au). After you receive your first e-mail you can reach the network by sending a message to all or selected members. The other way is to access the bulletins which are posted on the website every two months at <http://www. ozemail. com. au/~ mmi chi e/network. html>. In this way you only see the bulletins rather than having the potential to take part in any discussion. For all further information contact: Michael Michie mmichie@ozemail.com.au Sociedade Galega de Educacin Ambiental Sociedade Galega de Educacin Ambiental (SGEA) (SGEA) Spain The Indigenous Science Network The Indigenous Science Network Australia Vol. XXVII, No. 1-2, 2002 16 Doing it & Telling it Place: The Pico Codazzi Nature M onument in the Vargas, M iranda and Aragua states. Target group: Pupilsfrom three schoolsadjacent to the monument belonging to two age groups:10-15 yrs(Basic Education) and 16-17 yrs(M iddle school) together with their teachers. Introduction: This nature reserve is home to a great variety of fauna and flora associated with the tropical cloud forest. Seven rivers, vital for the adjacent communities, spring from the reserve. But due to the expansion of agriculture, hunting, forest fires and high urban pressure brought on notably by tourism, resources of this zone are imminently threatened. As a response, the National Institute of Parkshasdeveloped an educational project targeting educational institutionsin the surrounding areas, whose objective isto inculcate conservation and management awarenessand skillsin itsfuture caretakers. Objectives: To develop a programme of educational activities and materials that are locally relevant and adapted to the charac- teristics of the target groups in order to promote knowledge, appreciation and pro-environmental attitudes best suited for the conservation and sustainable management of the nature monument Pico Codazzi. Resources: The programme wasimplemented with nancial support from the British Embassy. Two childrensactivity handbooksand one teachersmanual were developed. The basic education level handbook wasentitled Playing and Learning whereasthat for the middle school level wasentitled Challenges in Codazzi. The teachersmanual contained factsand gureswith pedagogical sugges- tions on their use at different educational levels in different subject areas. All were printed on recycled paper in green and black. Methodology: Phase I consisted of researching pre-conceptionsand interest areas. Thus, 15 teachersand 115 pupilswere inter- viewed in order to gauge their knowledge about the monument, its resources, centres of interest, activities to implement in the zone and programme propositions. In Phase II, going on from the resultsof the previousphase, appropriate materialswere prepared and a plan charted for activities to be undertaken. Phase III was devoted to the development of the programme in the area. The first part was done in the schools through work- shops with teachers and discussions and programmed activities with the children. These were followed by excursions with each of the four participating groups consisting of discovery, exploration and knowledge gathering by means of games and environ- mental interpretation based on the didactic material that had been produced. Evaluation: Printedmaterial: During production thiswasdone through the viewsof expertson the form and contents. Later on, the suit- ability of the selected format and contentswasverified during the implementation of the programme. Programmeactivities: These were evaluated by meansof a questionnaire based on the material, aswell aswhat waslearned during the programme Results: Although the activity did not allow evaluation of the impact on the environmental conditionsthat generated it, 97% of the participantsclassed it 5 in a low-high scale of 1-5. Furthermore, 98% considered the experience highly satisfactory on a scale of very unsatisfactory, unsatisfactory, satisfactory, very satisfactory and highly satisfactory. As for the variable of acquired knowl- edge, participantsnoted the number of monuments, the major tourist resourcesincluded in the circuit, the rock carvingsand the rulesand regulations. In the course of thisyear an evaluation isplanned in order judge the long term learning effect of the activ- ity among participating teachersand pupilsand to gauge their pro-environmental attitudeswith respect to thiszone. Sent by: Jos Al Moncada y Ulandia Rvago, Direccin General Sectorial de Parques Nacionales, Instituto Nacional de Parques, Ave. Rmulo Gallegos, Sta. Eduvigis, Caracas, Venezuela. Telefax: (00-58-212-285-30-70) e - mails: parqnacional@cantv.net.ve / jmoncadar@hotmail.com EDUCodazzi: Natur EDUCodazzi: Nature conser e conservation for school childr vation for school children near a en near a pr protected zone otected zone Venezuela Doing it & T Doing it & T elling it elling it Connect 17 Doing it & Telling it Cr Creating envir eating environmental awar onmental awareness in cyclone devastated eness in cyclone devastated communities communities O rissa, India Place: Sanadhar village of Naharana G. P. , Jagatsinghpur district, O rissa. Target Groups: The village community asa whole Introduction: The super-cyclone of 1999 that devastated the state of O rissa in eastern India caused large scale destruction not only in termsof human and animal lossbut also in termsof the deforestation that it occasioned seriously affecting ecological bal- ance in the region. The Sanadhar village of Naharana G. P. , in particular, which hasa large area of community land where the state governments Department of Social Forestry had planted over 60, 000 casuarina trees, suffered heavy damage in O ctober 1999 when the cyclone left the entire forest barren. The trees formed a natural barrier between the village and the river on the other side of the forest, besidespreventing soil erosion, checking wind, conserving moisture, etc. Objectives: To create environmental awarenessin the villagers To raise a plant nursery To re-generate the forest devastated by the cyclone Resources: The entire project wascarried out under the Food for Work (FFW) programme supported by CARE-O rissa and imple- mented by the PeoplesForum. Methodology: Asa start, training courseswere organised for the village community with the purpose of raising environmental awarenessand mak- ing them realise the importance of the objectivesof the project: starting a plant nursery and re-generating the forest in the cyclone devastated land. Following the coursesit became possible to mobilise the same villagersin June 2000 to start a plant nursery and to plant as many as 60, 000 saplings in the 27 acres of the community forest land in order to restore the forest to its pristine state. Evaluation: No formal evaluation was made, but the interest shown by the villagers in nurturing and guarding the plants is a good indication of the successof the project. Results: The reforestation carried out in the community land resulted in a survival rate of over 90% - i. e. a total of 55, 000 saplings, which now stand about 3 metreshigh. The villagershave recovered their forest through their own effortsand their vil- lage has become a model for the surrounding communities. O ur only regret is that due to limited resources we are not able to extend our action for spreading greenery to other areasin need of similar projects. Sent by: Alice Noronha, Executive Director, Peoples Forum, 725/2 Gandamunda, Bhubanesar, Orissa, India. Readersare invited to send ustheir FIELD experiences in Science/Technology/Environmental Education activities involving the teaching/learning process - but not necessarily limited to students and teachers. They should be as brief as possible and set under the following headings: Place: Locality where the activity wascarried out Target Groups: For whom the activity wasintended Introduction: Background information - reasonsfor initiating the activity Objectives: What wasthe activity expected to achieve? Resources: M aterials/fundsneeded for the activity Methodology: The way in which the activity wascarried out Evaluation: How wasthe activity judged? By whom? Results: Did the activity produce any concrete changesin the target group(s)? Selected experiences will be published with the name and address of the author. Please address your contributions to: Doing it and Telling it (address on last page) Vol. XXVII, No. 1-2, 2002 18 News & Publications M r Kochiro M atsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, paid an ofcial visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran from 16 to 19 February2002. In Shiraz, he spoke to universitystudentsand teachersand representa- tivesof the scientic community, stressing the urgent need to rem- edy the growing unpopularity of science and technology in universitiesso asto be readyto meet the new economic, ethical and political challengesof the earlytwenty-rst century. It is vital to make clear the explicit link between science and tech- nology, ontheonehand, andeconomicandsocial development and poverty eradication, on the other, he said. The Director-General particularly stressed the fact that theexchangeof scienticknowl- edge, the conduct of joint research projects, and the education of young scientists, engineersand technologistsserveother purposes too. In particular, they help to create bridges linking people, insti- tutions, societies and cultures more closelytogether. It isthusvital, given the dynamicsof globalization, to signal clearly the importance of the cultural dimension of science as an instru- ment of international cooperation, one that isparticularly effective in reducing social, digital and cultural divides and avoiding the moral pitfallsof scientic progressthat isnot shared. Data base of STEE resource persons/institutions in South Asia UNESCO in collaboration with the Punjab State Council for Science and Technologyhasinitiated a data-base of resource persons/institu- tions, associations, organisations, etc., in South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, M aldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka) involved in science, tech- nology and environmental education (STEE). All those involved in STEE - educators, experts, specialists, volunteer workers interested in guring in thiscomprehensive data base are kindlyrequested to contact: Dr Neelima Jerath, Principal Officer for Environment, Punjab State Council for Science and Technology (PSCST), Adj. Sacred Heart School, Sector 26, Chandigarh, India. Fax: 0172-793143 GRANTS AVAILABLE ICRA Training Course on Interdisciplinary TeamworkResearchfor Agricultural Development 13January 24July 2003(English) -- 20January 31July 2003(French) The International Centre for development oriented Research in Agriculture (ICRA) has announced the availability of a few grants worth 26, 9001 aswell aspossibilitiesof co-financing for the above-mentioned training courses. Deadline for applications: Grants 1 July 2002; Enrollment: 1 O ctober 2002. For more information contact: ICRA, Agropolis International, Avenue Agropolis, 34394 Montpellier CX05, France. Fax: 33- (0)467.04.75.26 E-mail: icra@agropolis.fr http: //www.icra.agropolis.fr News & Publications News & Publications Science and technology at the heart of UNESCO Director-Generals visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran, 16 - 19 Februry 2002 The International Programme on Chemical Safety(IPCS) hasdecided to open up access to its INCHEM database on the Web free-of- charge. The database contains a wealth of information including notablythe international evaluationsof chemicalscarried out bythe IPCS for over two decades, a range of documentson chemical safety, environmental health criteria monographs, health and safetyguides, pesticide data sheets, etc. Internet address: www.inchem.org The Central InformationAgency for ScienceandTechnology, DPR of Korea, haspublished the latest 2001 edition of their M ulti- lingual Scientic and Technical Dictionary KWANGMYONG 2001 initially published on CD-ROM in 1998. Terms are given in 7 lan- guages: Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean and Russian. The dictionary, which has required the collaboration of several hundred scientists, technicians, professorsand expertscon- tains 3, 000, 000 entries and covers 210 sub-elds of agriculture, atomic energy, biology, chemistry, construction, electrical engineer- ing, electronics, geology, geography, informatics, light industry, machines, mathematics, mechanics, medicine, metals, mining engineering and physics. For further information contact: Ju Gyong Son, Head of Exchange Section, CIAST of the Academyof Sciences, PO Box 81, Wasan Dong, Podunamu St., Sosong Dis- trict, Pyongyang, DPRof Korea. Fax: 850-2-381.2100 The French Centre National dEnseignement Distance (CNED) (The National Centre of Distance Learning) has started a higher education level training course in French entitled Eduquer l environnement: de la rflexion la pratique (EE: from theory to practice) aimed at all those involved in activities of popularisation /communication related to the environment. The 10 month course includes 50 hours of training and registration is open all year through. For further information contact: Eduquer lenviron- nement (Ref :P1004), CNED, BP200, 86980 Futuroscope Cedex, France. http: //www.cned.fr Connect 19 News & Publications Two courses organised by the Smithsonian Institutions M onitor- ing and Assessment of Biodiversity program (M AB) will be held at itsConservation and Research Centre near Washington DC, USA: Biodiversity Assessment and Monitoring for Adaptive Management Course, an intensive course for resource man- agers, ecologists, biologistsand environmental educatorsand consultantsfrom 12May 14June 2002 The Smithsonian Environmental Leadership Course, for improving personal and team leadership, negotiation and strategic planning skillsand creating effective communication in and acrossorganisational cultures. 8 20September 2002 Further information from: MABProgram, Smithsonian Institution, 1100 Jefferson Drive, SW, Suite 3123, Washington DC 20560- 0705, USA. Fax:202.786.2557. e-mail: simab@ic.si.edu http:// www.si.edu/simab International Conference on Trends in Mathematics Educa- tion, Beirut, Lebanon, 26 28 June 2002. M ore information from: May Abboud (E-mail: mabboud@lau.edu.lb) or Sameer Habre (E-mail: shabre@lau.edu.lb) The 16th Caretakers of the Environment International Confer- ence on Sustainable mobility and ICT will take place in Turin (Italy) from 29 June - 3 July 2002. Further information from: GiusySpinasanta COREP, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi, 24 - 10129 TORINO, Italy. FAX +39 0115645199 http://www. lamp.polito.it/ globalconvention/index2.htm International Design and Technology Research Conference organised by the Design & Technology Association, UK, will be held in Wellesbourne, UK from 2-5July 2002. M ore information from: Natalia Link, Managing Editor, DATA, 16 Wellesbourne House, Walton Road, Wellesbourne CV35 9JB, UK. Fax:01789-841955 E-mail:natalia@data.org.uk http://www. data.org.uk Conferenceon Creativity in Mathematics Education organised by the Latvian Education Informatization System (LIIS), to be held in Riga, Latvia, 15-19 July 2002. M ore information from: LIIS izveide, Universityof Latvia, Rainabulv. 19, Riga, LV 1586, Latvia. Fax: 7 034 513 E-mail: info@liis.lv http://www.liis.lv Third Interdisciplinary Conference of the International Soci- ety of the Arts, Mathematics and Architecture organised by the Pedagogical University of Freiburg in cooperation with the Uni- versity of Albany - N.Y., USA, will be held in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, 22- 26July 2002. Further information from: Prof. Diet- mar Guderian, Institute of Mathematics, Informatics and their Didactics, Pedagogical University Freiburg, Kunzenweg 21, 79117 Freiburg, Germany. Fax +761 682 525. e-mail: isama2002@ph- freiburg.de http://www.ph-freiburg.de/ISAMA2002 Fifth Annual International Conference of BRIDGES: Mathematical Connectionsin Art, Music, and Scienceorganised byTowson Uni- versityfrom 27-29July2002in Baltimore, M D, USA. M ore informa- tion from: rsarhangi@towson.edu www.sckans. edu/~bridges EECOM 2002 conference: COMMUNAUTERE:Les ds de ld- ucation relative lenvironnement centre sur la commu- naut (CO M M UNIT EE: Communi ty centred challenges i n environmental education) to be held in M ontral, Canada, from 12-15 August 2002. M ore information from: AQPERE, Con- frence EECOM 2002, 6400, 16e Avenue, Montral (Qubec), Canada H1X 2S9. Fax: (514) 376-1905. E-mail:aqpere@crose- mont.qc.ca http://www.eecom.org ICM-2002: International Satellite Conference on Mathemat- ics Education, organised by the Tibet University in Lhasa, Tibet, China, from 12-17 August 2002. M ore information from: Mr. YutianFei, Department of Mathematics, Tibet University, Lhasa, Tibet, 850000, China Email: xzsxh@campus.utibet. edu.cn <www.math.ecnu.edu.cn/ meeting/Conference.htm> Training programme on Leadership and Adaptive Manage- ment in Forest Environment comprising ve short courses and one seminar offered by the International Agricultural Centre (IAC), Netherlands, 9 September 22 November 2002. Further infor- mation from: IAC, POBox88, 6700 ABWageningen, TheNether- lands. Fax: +31-317-495.395 E-mail: training@iac.agro. nl http://www. iac.wageningen-ur.nl International Conference: The Humanistic Renaissance in Mathematics Education organised by The M athematics Educa- tion into the 21st Century Project to be held in Palermo, Sicily, Italy from 20-25 September 2002. Further i nformati on from: Dr A. Rogerson, ul LISTOPADOWA 1/45, 60-153 POZNAN, Poland.E-mail: arogerson@vsg.edu.au http://www.math. unipa.it/ ~grim/palermo 2002 The European Space Agencys Research and Technology Centre (ESA/ESTEC is organizing, in cooperation with UNESCO , space events on 6-7 October 2002 in Noordwijk, Netherlands as part of the World Space Week 2002 celebration. Activities foreseen are a personal appearance and presentation of a European astro- naut, a Virtual Reality tour of the International Space Station (ISS) and a walking tour of the International Space Station User Infor- mation Centre. The events are open to students, educators and N.B. change of dates: 17th International Conference on Chemical Education, Beijing, China, 6-10 August 2002 (from 18-23 August 2002). http://www.iupac.org/symposia/conferences/17icce For Forthcoming confer thcoming conferences, workshops, ences, workshops, seminars seminars Vol. XXVII, No. 1-2, 2002 20 News & Publications the general public aged 12 and above. For more information and pre-registration, please visit: http://www.esa.int/worldspaceweek An International Seminar on Education for Science and Technology designed for directors, managersand supervisorsof educational institutionsand systemshasbeen announced by the Aharon O fri International Training Center of M ASHAV to be held in Jerusalem, Israel, from 29 October 27 November 2002. For further information contact: Aharon Ofri International Train- ing Center, Ramat Rachel, D.N. Tsafon Yehuda 90900, Israel. Fax: 972-2-670.25.38. E-mail: ofriaa@netvision.net.il Por una educacin que permita preservar la naturaleza para las presentes y futuras generaciones (Promoting nature conservation education in the interests of present and future generations) is the title of the 1st Symposium on Environmental Education organised by the Centro de Estudios para la Edu- cacin Ambiental (CEEA) to be held in Granma, Cuba, 22-24 November 2002. For further information contact: Lic. Sergio Torres Zamora, Director del CEEA, Carretera Blanquizal Km1, Manzanillo, Granma, Cuba 87510. Tel: 5-4779 E-mail: ceea@isp.granma. inf.cu Publications Publications Teaching about Climate Change: Cool schools tackle global warming (2001, 80 p.)This new anthology by the Green teacher offers a frame- work for teaching fundamental con- cepts and a variety of activities that can be undertaken in school, at home and in the community. Includes experi ments demonstrati ng the greenhouse effect, school energy and waste audits, hands-on explorations of energy as well as up-to-date lists of learning resources and related organisations. Price:US$12.95 (+s& h). Bulk rates possible. (Also available in French as: Des ides fraches de lcole : activ- its et projets pour contrer les changements climatiques). For copies contact : Green Teacher, 95 Robert Street, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 2K5. Fax: (416)925-3474 http://www. green- teacher.com Education et environnement lcole secondaire (EE in secondary school) (2001, 311 p. ) by L. Sauv. This work is the fruit of a collabora- tive work carried out from 1996- 2000 by a research group of the Universit de Q ubec M ontral and one composed of teachers and edu- cators from local secondary schools. It consists of a brief presentation of the methodological processes used, followed by the description of nine model approaches of inter- vention in EE developed by the teachersand educatorsand finally a project for continuing education. French only. For further information contact: LesEditionsLogiques, 7, chemin Bates, Out- remont, Qubec, Canada H2V 1A6. Fax: (514) 270-3515 http://www.logique.com World Environmental Library (2000) ThisCD-ROM , initiated and coordinated by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Technis- che Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) and the Human Info NGO in cooperation with World Information Transfer (WIT), World Resources Insti- tute (WRI) and the United Nations Uni versi ty (UNU) , contai ns 400 publications in the eld of environment containing 12, 000 images and 45, 000 pages of ideas and solutionson topicssuch as: Biodi- versity, Climate Change, Energy, Health, Sustainable Development, Waste M anage- ment and Water. For information on obtaining copies contact: Human Info NGO, Oosterveldlaan 196, B-2610 Antwerp, Belgium. Fax:32-3-449.75.74 E-mail:wel@humaninfo. org Community Development library (2001) Thi s i s a practi cal CD-RO M edi ted by Human Info NG O i n coopera- ti on wi th other partner organi sati ons. Intended to help prevent poverty, i ncrease human potenti al and pro- vi de educati on for all, i t con- tai ns 1, 550 publi cati ons i ncludi ng 32, 000 i mages and 160, 000 pages. Treats subj ects li ke: A gri culture, aquaculture, economy, educati on, forestry, gen- der, i ndustry, nutri ti on, sani tati on, soci ety and water. For i nformati on on obtai ni ng copi es contact: Human Info NGO (address above) Connect 21 News & Publications Youth, sustainable consumption patterns and lifestyles (2001, 214 p. ) reflects the results of the UNESCO/UNEP joint project on Youth, Sustainable consumption and Life styles launched in M arch 2000 (v. Connect, Vol. XXVI, No. 1-2, 2001). Thisreport attemptsto under- stand some preliminary youth atti- tudes towards consumption and to evaluate the potential role of young people in a transition towardssustainable consumption lifestyles. For copies contact: Julia Heiss, Programme Specialist, UNESCO/ ED/STE (address last page). E-mail: j.heiss@unesco.org YouthXchange: towards sustain- able lifestyles. The Guide (2001, 52 p. ) isa training kit on responsible consumption produced jointly by UNESCO and UNEP following their joint project on sustainable con- sumpti on menti oned above and treatstopicssuch asfood, air pollu- ti on, touri sm, waste reducti on, energy saving, climate change, water, human rights and globali- sation. For copiescontact: Julia Heiss (see above) LEau partage: Approche pda- gogique (Sharing water: an educa- tional approach) (2001, 30 mn). This video-cassette was produced by the Syndicat Intercommunal de Distribu- tion d Eau de la Corniche des M au- res, France, in collaboration with UNESCO /ED/STE following an edu- cational experience undertaken by schools and the community in the South of France and a Sahelian vil- lage in Burkina Faso threatened by desertification. French only. For copiescontact: Connect (address on last page) Educao Ambiental: Princpios e Prcticas (2000, 551 p. ) by G. Freire Dias, is the 6th revised and updated version of a very extensive work on EE at the international and Brazilian level. Includes reports on the major conferences and events as well as di scussi ons on i mportant i ssues, case studies, periodicals, etc. Por- tuguese only. Informati on on copi es from: Editoria Gaia, Rua Pirapitingui, 111-A, Liberdade, CEP 01508-020 So Paulo SP, Brazil. Fax: (11)3277-8141 E-mail: gaia@dialdata.com.br Secrets dire sur lenviron- nement (Let me tell you a secret about the environnement) (2001, 20 p. ) isa colourful booklet of the Euro- pean Commission addressed to 6-10 yr old children. Written in a story- form, the booklet ai ms to rai se awarenesson 3 environmental issues : waste proliferation; ozone layer depletion and global warming. Pub- li shed i n 11 languages: Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Italian, Por- tuguese, Spanish and Swedish. For copiescontact: Mme M.A. Pauwels, European Commission. Fax :31-2-299.61.98. Hydrogen Futures: Toward a Sus- tainable Energy System (2001, 92 p. ) by S. Dunn, is a Worldwatch Insti tute publi cati on. The author holdsthat in a world fuelled by con- cerns about air pollution, energy security and climate change, interest in hydrogen, the simplest and most abundant element in the universe, asfuel resource isrising. But to help governments arrive at a hydrogen economy stronger public policies and educational efforts are essential. Price US$5 (+s& h). O rder from: Worldwatch Institute, PO Box 879, Oxon Hill, MD20797, USA. Superkid Science Quiz (2001, 87 p. ) ; Superchild Science Quiz (2001, 108p.); The little about Scientists and Inventors all should know (2001, 86p. ) by D. Salwi are three publications aimed at providing accessible i nformati on and amusement to 6-12 yr old children. Price: +/- US$1 each. O rder from: Rupa & Co, 7/16, Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi 110 002, India. Fax: (91-11) 327.7294 E-mail: rupa@ndb.vsnl.net.in Language & Literacy in Science Education (2001, 160 p. ) by J. Wellington and J. O sborne isan accessible book which explores the main difficulties of the language of science and examines practical ways to aid students in understanding, reading, speak- ing and writing scientific language. Aimed at pre- and in-service secondary science school teachersaswell asscience advisersand school mentors. Price: 14. 99 (paperback). O rder from: Open University Press, Celtic Court, 22 Ballmoor, Buckingham, MK18 1XW, UK. Fax: +44(0)1280-82.32.33 E-mail:enquiries@openup. co.uk http://www.openup.co.uk Principles and Practices in Arithmetic Teaching: Innovative Approachesfor the Primary Classroom (2001, 224 p. ) edited by J. Anghileri. This book shows contrasting influences for change in traditional arithmetic teaching dominated by a focuson standard algori thms, wi th leadi ng mathemati cs educators from the Netherlands, UK and USA identifying the way research isused to develop different classroom practices. Price 15. 99 (pb); 50 (hb). O rder from: Open University Press (address above). ScolAir: mallette pdagogique is a resource kit on air pollution for primary school children. The objective of the kit is to inform children of the problemsof air pollution, to make them aware of their role in combating it and encourage them to act. Developed by environmentalistsin close collaboration with teachers, trainers and educators the kit contains informative brochures, question- naires, material for experiments, posters, projection slidesaswell as supplementary information. In French only. For all further information contact: Association pour la Surveillance de la Qualit de lAir en Picardie, 44 rue Alexandre Dumas, 890094 Amiens Cedex, France. Fax: (33-3)22.33.66.96 http://www. atmo-picardie.com Educational Illustrations (2001) by Ric Lowe isa practical guide for teachers, instructional designers, illustratorsand publishersof educational materials. It isdesigned for all those who select, use, design or create illustrations to support learning. Science, tech- nology and environmental education are increasingly reliant on diagrams, graphicsand other formsof illustration to present chal- lenging subject matter. However, for learners to benefit from these illustrations, they must be properly designed. This book covers fundamental principles of visual learning and how they can be applied to make illustrations more effective. US$25. 00 + s& h. O rder from :Curtin Bookshop, Curtin University of Technol- ogy, GPO Box U 1987, Perth WA, Australia 6845. FAX: +61 8 9266 3188 Email: cubs@bookshop.curtin.edu.au Studies in Science Education is an international review of research, policy and related issuesfor all who are interested in the education dimensions of science. Published by the Centre for Studies in Science and M athematics Education, University of Leeds(U. K. ), it isintended to complement other journalsby pro- viding reviews of research on specific aspects of science educa- tion and by drawing together, in analytical surveys, recent contributions which may be published in widely scattered loca- tions. The editor welcomesapproachesfrom prospective authors who feel that their research experience qualifies them to write a comprehensive review of studiesin a particular field. M ore infor- mation from: <http:education.leeds.ac.uk/~edu//sse/home. htm> Subscription enquiries: Studies in Education, Driffield Road, Nafferton, Yorkshire YO25 0JL, U.K. Education lenvironnement: six propositions pour agir en citoyens(EE : 6 propositionsfor responsible citizenship) (2001, 80 p. ) coord. P. Robichon, C. Souchon, Y. Ziaka, isthe result of a col- lective work based on the conviction that the finality of EE is to form responsible citizensand that to do thisit isessential to deal with the three ruptures that the planet today is suffering from: rupture between humans and nature; rupture among humans themselves and rupture between societies. To this end, the publication presents six propositions backed by case-studies. Available in French and English. Further information from: Editions Charles Lopold Mayer, 38 rue Saint Lubin, 75011 Paris, France. Fax: (33-1)48.06.94.86 E-mail:diffusion@fph.fr Introduction to Environmental Management Self-study Course (2001, 408 p. ) based on Industri al Envi ronmental M anagement, A Practical Handbook by Jack. E. Daugherty, is designed asa guide to hands-on, day-to-day environmental man- agement. The course provides a thorough introduction for those new to the field or those needing a thought provoking refresher. Students learn the practicalities of understanding environmental hazards, controlling air and water pollution, managing hazardous wastes, implementing pollution prevention programmes, dealing with compliance auditsand regulatory inspections, etc. Each les- son is followed by a self-test. US$495+postage. M ore informa- tion from: Martin Heavner, Self-study Director, ABS Consulting Inc,4 Research Place, Suite 200, Rockville MD20850-3226, USA. Tel: 301-921-2345. Fax: 301-921-0373 http://www.absconsult- ing.com The Science of Cooking (2001, 244 p. ) by P. Barham setsout to demonstrate that a kitchen isno different from most science lab- Vol. XXVII, No. 1-2, 2002 22 News & Publications Gender, Science & Technology: Participation and Performance in Africa (2001, 126 p. ); ed. V. Reddy, P. Naidoo, M . Savage. Thispublication of the African Forum for Childrens Li teracy i n Sci ence and Technology (AFCLIST) containspaperspresented at two Gender and Science and Technology Confer- ences (M alawi, 1997 and Ghana, 1999) which report work in M alawi, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Zanzibar. For copies contact: AFCLIST, University of Durban-Westville, Pvt Bag X54001, Durban 4000, South Africa FaxL27)31-262-8044 E-mail: afclist@ pixie. udw.ac.za or AFCLIST, Chancellor College, PO Box 280, Zomba, Malawi. Fax: (265)522-046 E-mail: afclist@Malawi.net Connect 23 News & Publications oratories and cookery may properly be regarded as an experi- mental science. Food preparation and cookery involve many processes which are well described by the physical sciences and so understanding the chemistry and physics of cooking should lead to improvements in performance in the kitchen! 19. 95 + VAT & shi ppi ng. O rder from: Springer-Verlag, 1, rue Paul Cezanne, 75008 Paris, France. http://www.springer.de Applied Environmental Education and Communication isan international quarterly peer-reviewed journal featuring articlesfor academics and practitioners, a discussion and editorial section and reviews of books and materials. It has announced a Call for Papersfor itscoming issues. For more information contact: Brian A. Day, Editor, Academyfor Educational Development, 1825Con- necticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20009, USA. Fax:202- 884.8997 E-mail:AEEC@aed.org IAEA Bulletin, the quarterly journal of the International Atomic Energy Agency, contains in its Vol. 43, No3, 2001, a special sup- plement entitled Advancing the Agenda on IAEAs technical cooperation in support of the Earth Summits Agenda 21. Also contains interesting articles on Energy, Technology and Sustain- able Development and IAEAs project on saline soils. For copies write to: IAEA, Division of Public Information, PO Box 100, Wagramerstrasse 5, A-1400 Vienna, Austria. http://www. iaea.org Volunteers needed for Sea Turtle Conservation Work in Greece ARCHELO N, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, which conductsconservation projectson all major nesting groundsof the loggerhead in Greece invitesvolunteersfor: the year 2002 nesting season (M ay-O ctober) on Zakynthos, Crete and Peloponnesus, opportunitiesfor fieldwork, public aware- nessand maintenance all year round at ARCHELO Ns Rescue Centre in Athens, work on sea turtle rehabilitation, public awareness and maintenance Basic accommodation with cooking facilities provided. Research opportunities are available for graduate and undergraduate students. Requirements: minimum age 18 years minimum 4-week commitment capacity to cope with challenging work and basic living conditions capacity to communicate in English Further information from: ARCHELON, The Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, Solomou 57, GR-10432 Athens, Greece. Tel/Fax: +30-10-523.13.42. E-mail: stps@archelon.gr Vol. XXVII, No. 1-2, 2002 24 Viewpoint Viewpoint Dear Sir/Madam, We are a common initiative group (sustainable agriculture for poverty alleviation and environmental protection) SAPAEP-CIG, based in the south west province of Cameroon. We are activelyinvolved in working with the rural masses as sustainable agricul- ture and environmental protection are the only way to protect the environment and conserve biodiversity. We have been working as service providers in these domains with the Mount Cameroon Project, Limbe -Cameroon, for the rural populations in the Mount Cameroon region. We would therefore be pleased to share ideas with other organizations also involved in similar activities. Best regards. Shu Moses Ngwa Public Relations Officer, SAPAEP, P.O.BOX 1205, Limbe, Cameroon. If you have something concerning STEEto communicate to us - information, suggestions, opinions, ideas - on events or even the articles in Connect, write to us - briefly. The most interesting letter(s) will be published, in substance, with the sender's name. Send your letters to Viewpoint, address below. Due to staff shortage, it is no longer possible to attend to requests for mailing list changes without the SUBSCRIPTION NUMBER (top right hand corner of addresslabel). Editorial Board: Chairman: J. Daniel Assistant Director-General for Education W. Iwamoto M. J. Pigozzi M. Nalecz O. Hall-Rose K. Langer (WOCATE) W. Goldstein(IUCN) Editor: D. Bhagwut Unlessotherwise stated, all correspondence concerning Connect should be addressed to: Editor, Connect, UNESCO/ED/STV/STE, 7, place de Fontenoy, 75352 Paris Cedex 07, France. Fax: (33-1) 45.68.56.26 E-mail: d.bhagwut@ unesco.org N.B. Replies to unsolicited correspondence cannot be ensured Savetrees. This issue is printed on recycled paper not retreated with chlorine. Connect is also published in French as Connexion, in Spanish as Contacto, in Russian as Kontakt, in Arabic as Arra- bita, in Chinese as Lianjie and in Hindi as Sampark. Connect is free. Reproduction of its contents is not only permitted, it is solicited and encouraged; please send clippings, if used. Connect Published by UNESCO Education Sector 7, place de Fontenoy 75352 Paris07 SP France. Tel: (33-1) 45.68.08.09 Fax: (33-1) 45.68.56.26 E-mail: d.bhagwut@ unesco.org R E C Y C LE P A P E R CONNECT isalso available on the Science and Technology Education homepage: http://www.unesco.org/education/educprog/ste/index.html