The Environment in

Education

Environmental Education re-

fers to teaching about how

natural environments function

and how human beings are

able to run a sustainable living

on the planet earth. The term

is often used to imply educa-

tion within the school system,

from primary to post -

secondary; however, it is

sometimes used more broadly

to include all efforts to edu-

cate the public.

Developing a sense of na-ture appreciation

There is a movement that has progressed since the relatively recent founding (1960s) of the idea of environmental educa-tion in industrial societies, which has transported the participant from nature appre-

ciation and awareness to edu-cation for an ecologically sus-

tainable future.

Visualizing the harm human beings are doing to the na-ture

Animating the information typically concealed in building monitoring systems, such as kilowatts or volume of water used promotes awareness of resource consumption and offers a practical alternative to remote meters concealed in

utility closets .

Revealing the wrong as-sumptions

A recent article published by Tier America warns about the growth of the so called “Climate tourism” describing it as, “A mix of legitimate inter-

est in protecting nature.

The desire to see rare wildlife on the verge of extinction and of course the search for profit generated irreversible dam-

ages to the nature.

-See Awareness on p.2

Cruise ship in Antarctica

Raising Environmental Awareness

Sustainability, ecosystems, biodiversity, climate change and environmental crisis. These are terms we hear every day, as changes in the Earth’s environment have become a major concern for everyone, including our stu-

dents.

Environmental education is “education about the environ-ment, for the environment, and in the environment that

promotes an understanding of, rich and active experience in, and an appreciation for the dy-

namic interactions of”:

The Earth’s physical and bio-

logical systems

The dependency of our social and economic systems on these

natural systems

The scientific and human di-mensions of environmental is-

sues

The positive and negative consequences, both intended and unintended, of the inter-action between human-

created and natural systems.

Working Group on Environ-mental Education-Shaping Our Schools, Shaping our Future, Ontario Ministry of

Education, 2007

- See Outdoor Education on p.2

Environmental Education in Action

PED 3102D Schooling in Society

February 6, 2008

Cree Indian Prophesy 2

Booklist 3

Teaching Environmental Edu-cation

3

Green Street: A Resource 3

Top 10 Reasons 4

Wild Geese 4

Websites 4

Inside this issue:

A recent initiative by the Ontario govern-ment launched two new websites - www.obviously.ca for secondary students and www.ontario.ca/ezone for elementary students - these sites explain the challenges facing our planet and how to take action to protect the environ-ment

“What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing” - Aristotle

Students record findings

One of the responsibilities of teachers is to guide students to be aware of and concerned about the environment. A resulting goal is to empower students to become responsible future citizens and make changes. But where do we start and how do we encourage stu-dents to become active? One place to start is the Outdoor Classroom which naturally seems to connect well with environmental education. If we want students to know about the environ-ment and what they can do about it, let’s get them doing.

The outdoor classroom gives students direct, hands-on learning, reaches all learning styles and helps achieve the following expectations:

Education for Environment-students make personal connections, develop knowledge, skills and a lifelong con-cern for the environment they live in whether it be in a rural or urban setting

Education for Curriculum-Students relate the curriculum to the real world

and begin to understand the natural environment around them. It helps develop critical thinking skills, fosters imagination and deepens the under-standing of other subject areas.

Education for Character-Students are given opportunities for both personal and interpersonal growth. The con-texts, experiences and interactions that occur in the outdoor classroom en-courage the development of individual skills such as confidence, empathy and responsibility. The outdoor classroom also encourages groups skills such as effective communication and group cohesiveness

Education for Well-being-Students’ physical and emotional wellbeing is supported through engaging in out-door activities that are rewarding and environmentally sustainable.

Source: COEO (Council for Outdoor Educators of Ontario), 2004.

One of the first steps to creating an outdoor classroom is right in your own schoolyard. Many schools across North America and Europe have be-gun to use their own schoolyard as a place for students to connect with the environment around them. Evergreen, a Canadian non-profit organization founded in 1991 motivates people to create and sustain healthy, natural out-door spaces and gives them the practi-

cal tools to be successful. One of its pro-grams is transforming school grounds to learning grounds. Macoun Marsh, an out-door classroom project in Ottawa also aims to educate the community about the value of urban wetlands with a focus on involving students from two local schools. Bill Mason Centre and MacSkimming Outdoor Education Centre, owned and operated by the OCDSB are other local examples of schools which provide stu-dents with hands-on outdoor education that teaches the importance of the envi-ronment we live in.

to grow an interest in protect-

ing the planet.

Accidents like the sank of a cruise ship in Antarctica last December left a petrol stain five kilometers long and proved how hard it is for tour-ism to truly be safe and re-

sponsible.

What do you think?

According to the article, tour-ism companies are now using climate change as a marketing tool, offering to take people to places endangered by global warming or with species in the verge of extinction. We know tourism is an obvious danger for delicate environments, but some sectors say this could also be a good way for people

Outdoor Education -continued from p.1

Awareness -continued from p.1

Cree Indian Prophecy

Only after the Last Tree

has been cut down,

Only after the Last River

has been poisoned,

Only after the Last Fish

has been caught,

Only then will you find

that money cannot be

eaten.

Page 2

Teacher explaining forest ecosystems to students

in an “outdoor” classroom.

Humpback whale waves to tourists

"In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught."

— Baba Dioum, Senegalese conservationist

Teaching Environmental Education

Green Street: A Resource

The McGuinty government is working with education and community partners to inspire students to fight climate change and become environmentally responsi-ble citizens.

The Ontario Education Min-

ister, Kathleen Wynne, re-

cently decided (June 2007)

that environmental educa-

tion will, as of January

2008, be taught within

every subject of the curricu-

lum from kindergarten

through Grade 12. The re-

port calls for “embedding

environmental expectations

and topics across all sub-

jects, disciplines and

grades” and calls environ-

mental education a

“ p r o v i n c i a l p r i o r -

ity” (Cameron Smith

www.thestar.com July 07,

2007). There is, therefore,

potential for students

across Ontario to leave high

school with a thorough un-

derstanding of how humans

are interconnected with the

environment, along with an

understanding of real world

implications of sustainable

practices. In an age of glob-

alization and mounting en-

vironmental concerns, it

seems necessary to bring

the “real world” and the

impact of climate change

into the classroom. "Ontario

is taking important steps to

help more students under-

stand that their local ac-

tions affect the global com-

munity today and for gen-

erations to come," said sci-

entist and astronaut, Dr.

Roberta Bondar, chair of

the Working Group on Envi-

ronmental Education.

The York Environmental Education Consortium has so far produced seven Re-source Units for Elementary and Secondary Grades. For elementary grades, the ma-jor components of environ-mental literacy are pre-sented in terms of three concepts: Sense of Place, Ecosystems Thinking, Hu-m a n I m p a c t s

(www.yorku.ca)

Based on these three con-cepts, elementary school chil-dren will participate in engag-ing cross-curricular lessons that have an environmental focus. Experiential learning opportunities for students will be increased. They will be en-couraged to think about where their food comes from, the food production process, and the byproducts associated with their favorite foods. They will analyze garbage and ex-amine recycling options. They will gain a perspective on dif-ferent consumption habits in developing and developed countries, and the effect that mass consumption has on the ecological footprint of a coun-try and an individual. "It is vital to the future of our great province, that our next gen-eration of community leaders and global citizens has a strong understanding of the environ-ment, climate change and the importance of conservation," said Environment Minister Laurel Broten.

(www.ogov.newswire.ca)

ment. To some educators

this subject matter may be

daunting. An excellent

website for educators is

Green Street (www.green-

street.ca). Their mission is

to “endeavour to provide

opportunities to actively

engage students and

With the mandate to incor-

porate environmental edu-

cation into all aspects of

the Ontario Curriculum,

Ontario teachers will be

able to help their students

better understand the in-

terconnectedness of peo-

ple with their environ-

teachers in environmental

learning and sustainability

education”. The site is spon-

sored by J.W.McConnell

Family Foundation , Cdn

Teachers Federation and

Centrale des Syndicats du

Quebec. The site includes; a

Teacher Zone where teach-

ers can access the Cdn Envi-

ronmental Education Cur-

riculum Assessment Program

– a searchable database; Stu-

dent Zone where young peo-

ple can access the Youth Ac-

tion Center; and a learning

blog for educators to post

thoughts and ideas.

Page 3

Picture Books for

Environmental Education

1. That Chickadee Feel-

ing by Frank Glew

2. Boomer by Frank Glew

3. Common Ground: the

water, earth and air we

share by Molly Bang

4. One Well: the story of

water on earth by Ro-

chelle Strauss

5. The Water Hole by

Graeme Base

6. The Great Kapok Tree

by Lynne Cherry

7. Diary of a Worm by

Doreen Cronin

8. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

9. A Log's Life by Wendy

Pfeffer

10. Samuel’s Important

Message by Frank

Glew

Wild Geese

By Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred

miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body love

what it loves.

Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes, over the prairies

and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers.

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clear blue air,

are heading home again.

Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world

offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the

wild geese, harsh and exciting—over and over an-

nouncing your place in the family of things.

Adventure with Bobby Bigfoot www.kidsfootprint.org

The BioKIDS "Critter Catalogue" www.biokids.umich.edu/ critters/

Earth Care, An Environmental Partnership www..earthcarecanada.com/

EcoKids www.ecokids.ca

Global Environmental and Outdoor Education Council www.geoec.org/lessons

Go Green Ontario www.gogreenontario.ca

Green Teacher www.greenteacher.com/

Green Street www.green-street.ca

Green Learning www.greenlearning.ca

Defenders of Wildlife: Kids' Planet's www.kidsplanet.org

National Wildlife Federation: Kids Zone www.nwf.org/kidZone

Sierra Club of Ontario www.sierraclub.ca

The Nature Conservancy www.natureconservancy.ca

U.S. Environmental Protection Associatio n www.epa.gov/teachers/

Websites for further reading and resources

Prepared by:

Heather Holmes,

Catherine Shapiro,

Tonya Fraser,

Mozhgan Iranmanesh

Page 4

1) Park it- leave your car at home for a day and try walking,

biking or taking the bus. (one city bus eliminates the emissions

of 40 cars)

2) Shut down - turn off lights, the computer and the TV when

they are not in use

3) Where's the beef? - try eating meat-free at least one day a

week (a meat based diet requires seven times more land than

a plant-based diet. Livestock is responsible for more climate

change gasses than all the motor vehicles in the world

4) Eat it- choose foods produced organically, locally and in

season

5) Let it rot- put a composter in your backyard or use your

green bin to reduce household waste.

6) Don't be idle- turn off your car's engine if stopped for more

than 10 seconds

7) Keep your eye on the temp.- turn the heat down in your

house at night and during the day when you're not home

8) Bright ideas- replace incandescent light bulbs with compact

fluorescent bulbs

9) Don't dump it-blue box it! Recycling has a powerful positive

impact on the environment

10)Tell someone- encourage others to get involved and do

something.

Top 10 Actions to Help the Environment

Unless some-

one like you

cares a whole

awful lot,

nothing is

going to get

better. It’s

not.

- The Lorax,

Dr. Seuss