Environmental Education

Environmental education:
about the environment, in the environment, for the environment

Environmental education is a “field of study” as opposed to an academic

discipline or subject. Therefore, it can cross over subjects. In this way, EE
materials can be designed for one subject or become an important integrator of
a number of subjects.

In whichever subject or mode EE learning occurs, the teaching and learning

materials must remain true to the field of EE (its concepts, skills, processes
and values).

EE is focused on positive outcomes achieved through action. To act in an

informed way, students need both knowledge and skills. An example of poor EE
is the EE lesson: “What can we do to save the planet” or “We are going to study
‘the environment’ in the next three lessons” (that’s like studying world history in
three lessons). Nor is EE about solely studying places other than where we are
e.g. rainforests. The thinking skills and concepts for systems thinking and
interdependence are vital to EE.

Values are also important in EE e.g. the inherent value of the environment, the
value of rights and responsibilities.

Attitudes make or break EE. Futility is often the impact of EE where students
are shown the worst case scenarios and become cynical or despair. No action
occurs from this disposition. Optimism and a belief that one can make a
difference need to be developed through positive stories and opportunities for
real action appropriate to the age and situation of students.

To achieve the action aspect of EE, knowledge, skills and attitudes are applied
to make a difference. To come up with actions and solutions, students need
conceptual and factual knowledge and skills. They cannot go straight to solutions
The concepts, skills and processes are broad but this list offers an overview:

Major concept strands:

• Environments – definitions e.g. social, natural, built
• Ecological systems – the elements, processes and interactions within
e.g. food chains, food webs, simple ecosystems like ponds through to
complex such as air, climate and stratosphere
• Interactions between environmental systems — e.g. effect of a mine
(economic / built system) on a rainforest system near a river system
(natural systems)
• Value of the environment – intrinsic value for its own sake, not just as a
source of resources
• Stewardship – care and respect of environments
• Human-environment relationships – how people use environments,
including Indigenous and past cultures

© Michele Davis – GIN Conference – Teacher Session - 20 March 2010

 • Ecological and economic sustainability – the understanding that ecology
and economics are interdependent (not just preservation) and how
sustainability can be achieved
• Civic participation and action – e.g. democratic processes, laws,
regulatory bodies, rights and responsibilities, active citizenship, formal
and informal forms of action, ethics of actions

Skills and processes

Good EE is based on inquiry. Thus, lessons should be based on a topic question
and an inquiry model e.g. action research, TELSTAR, Social Action Strategy. An
EE unit would thus involve:
• inquiry skills
• thinking skills
• research skills
• problem solving skills
• communication skills
• creative skills
• critical thinking

A futures perspective
In particular, creative thinking and problem solving can be focused on “futures”:
• personal and collective futures
• preferred futures
• probable and possible futures

EE should include activities that focus us on future possibilities. See David

Hicks, David Suzuki, Richard Slaughter and national education authority
websites for teaching materials, policies and ideas.

Critical thinking
Critical thinking is utterly important in EE. Where does power lie involving an
issue? Whose voices are silent? What messages are silent? How is information
presented to create a public message and whose agenda is supported in that
message? etc

In summary, when critiquing the appropriateness of

materials for EE, or when developing them for EE,
one must ask:
Does this material:
• help students understand the significance of our environment?
• develop the conceptual knowledge needed to understand environmental
issues?
• create optimism and help students participate in change?
• offer students opportunities to develop the thinking skills needed to be
a problem solver, inquirer and action-oriented person?
• allow students to make a difference in how they operate right now,
personally and collectively?

© Michele Davis – GIN Conference – Teacher Session - 20 March 2010

 Health Education
Contemporary health education, once underpinned by a medical model, is based
on the “socio- cultural approach”, aiming to assist students to:
• understand the interconnectedness of our health with our environment
(physical, cultural, geographic, ecological etc)
• take a personally responsible approach to community and personal health

Main conceptual strands in Health include:

• factors effecting health
• environmental health
• individual behaviours and actions for health
• health products and services.

The same skills as EE can be involved in health education.

© Michele Davis – GIN Conference – Teacher Session - 20 March 2010