Guidelines For The Preparation And Professional Development Of Environmental Educators

Guidelines for the Preparation and Professional Development of Environmental Educators is a set of recommendations about the basic knowledge and abilities educators need to provide high-quality environmental education. The guidelines are designed to apply: (1) Within the context of pre-service teacher education programs and environmental education courses offered to students with varied backgrounds such as environmental studies, geography, liberal studies, or natural resources; (2) to the professional development of educators who will work in both formal and nonformal educational settings, offering programs at the pre-kindergarten through 12th grade levels; and (3) to full-time environmental educators as well as for those for whom environmental education is just one of their responsibilities. This document presents an ambitious overview of the abilities and knowledge of a well-prepared environmental educator. The guidelines provide a mechanism for gauging the quality of pre-service and in-service preparation programs and the abilities of environmental educators. Instead of offering fixed rules, these guidelines suggest a broad vision--a goal to work toward and a guide for professional and programmatic development. The guidelines are grounded in a common understanding of effective environmental education. For many environmental educators, that understanding is rooted in two founding documents of the field: the Belgrade Charter (UNESCO-UNEP, 1976) and the Tbilisi Declaration (UNESCO, 1978). This guide is organized around six themes. Each theme describes a skill area that must be included in the training of an environmental educator, and a sample format for the "Guidelines" is provided. Each theme is accompanied by references at the end, and appended are: The Executive Summary, Excellence in Environmental Education, and Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12).

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This document is the eighth in a series of documents published by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) as part of the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education. This book offers recommendations for the basic knowledge and abilities educators need to provide high-quality environmental education (EE). These recommendations cover pre-service K-12 teacher education and EE courses for both formal and non-formal education. Recommendations also apply to those professionals who will serve as environmental educators full- and part-time. Contents include: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Environmental Education: A Vision for the Future"; (3) "The Instructional Vision of Environmental Education"; (4) "How To Use These Guidelines"; (5) "Theme #1--Environmental Literacy"; (6) "Theme #2--Foundations of Environmental Education"; (7) "Theme #3--Professional Responsibilities of the Environmental Educator"; (8) "Theme #4--Planning and Implementing Environmental Education Programs"; (9) "Theme #5--Fostering Learning"; and (10) "Theme #6--Assessment and Evaluation." (CCM)

In the coming decades, the general public will be required ever more often to understand complex environmental issues, evaluate proposed environmental plans, and understand how individual decisions affect the environment at local to global scales. Thus it is of fundamental importance to ensure that higher quality education about these ecological issues raises the environmental literacy of the general public. In order to achieve this, teachers need to be trained as well as classroom practice enhanced. This volume focuses on the integration of environmental education into science teacher education. The book begins by providing readers with foundational knowledge of environmental education as it applies to the discipline of science education. It relates the historical and philosophical underpinnings of EE, as well as current trends in the subject that relate to science teacher education. Later chapters examine the pedagogical practices of environmental education in the context of science teacher education. Case studies of environmental education teaching and learning strategies in science teacher education, and instructional practices in K-12 science classrooms, are included. This book shares knowledge and ideas about environmental education pedagogy and serves as a reliable guide for both science teacher educators and K-12 science educators who wish to insert environmental education into science teacher education. Coverage includes everything from the methods employed in summer camps to the use of podcasting as a pedagogical aid. Studies have shown that schools that do manage to incorporate EE into their teaching programs demonstrate significant growth in student achievement as well as improved student behavior. This text argues that the multidisciplinary nature of environmental education itself requires problem-solving, critical thinking and literacy skills that benefit students’ work right across the curriculum.