Environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD) are asserting their growing role in curricula around the world, yet how deeply embedded are they in the learning systems of the Pacific nations? Building on an earlier analysis in China and Taiwan, this volume expands its purview to examine the quality and extent of environmental and sustainable development education in a number of countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including China itself, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Indonesia. As well as offering detailed national analyses provided by Asian-Pacific academics and professionals, this work includes examples in the US and Canada and an introduction that assesses the contrasting challenges and positive commonalities among diverse education systems. The chapters reflect leading-edge practice, innovation, and depth of experience and at the same time as detailing locally relevant and culturally appropriate strategies they also provide clear models and strategies for expanding the application and influence of education for sustainable development elsewhere. In doing so, they mirror the global nature of environmental issues as well as the local nature of the solutions.

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).

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.

In spring 1994, the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) Board of Directors approved a recommendation that the Association take the lead in establishing standards for environmental education. The four working papers contained in this publication are the first step in the NAAEE Standards Project. The papers discuss the importance and need for environmental education standards, review what has been done in the past, and propose a framework of actual preparation of standards in three key areas: (1) student performance; (2) educator performance; and (3) education materials. This project will facilitate the development of a model set of national standards for environmental education. The papers are as follows: (1) "Developing National Standards for Environmental Education: Context and Scope"; (2) "Developing a Framework for National Environmental Education Standards"; (3) "Developing a Framework for National Environmental Educator Performance Standards"; and (4) "Proposed National Environmental Education Materials Development Standards." Chapter subareas include developing a framework for Standards, guidelines based on environmental education literature, and synthesis of guidelines. The paper on educator standards also addresses state-level certification or endorsement requirements. The paper on education materials covers guidelines for curriculum review as well as for materials development and use. (PVD)

Guidelines For The Preparation And Professional Development Of Environmental Educators