A Three-fold Approach: the basis
Environmental
for Education For
Sustainability
• There are three differing
approaches to environmental
education—education about/in/for the
environment.
• Each of these approaches has distinct
objectives.
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A Three-fold Approach: the basis for
EEFS Cont’d
• Education about the environment is concerned
with developing awareness knowledge and
understanding about human-environment interaction.
• This informative approach frequents the science and
geography curricula, where the environment
becomes a topic or theme of study.
• Through it pupils primarily develop ecological or
environmental understanding, although at times
environmental concern may also result.
• Education about the environment which is also
referred to as environmental science or studies, is the
prevalent form of environmental education in schools.
2
A Three-fold Approach: the basis for
EEFS Cont’d
• Education in the environment favors pupil-
centred and activity-based learning.
• This approach usually takes the form of outdoor
education.
• Whilst education about the environment could be
interpreted as involving the 'head', education in the
environment can be seen to be concerned with the
'heart’.
• The approach, mostly developed through fieldwork,
has a strong experiential orientation,
developing environmental awareness and concern3
A Three-fold Approach: the basis for
EEFS Cont’d
• Education for the environment regards
environmental improvement as an actual goal of education.
• Whilst the above approaches limit themselves to
promoting understanding, appreciation and concern,
education for the environment goes beyond this to
develop a sense of responsibility and active pupil
participation in the resolution of environmental problems.
• It adopts a holistic outlook to the study of environmental
problems, reflected in its global and interdisciplinary
approach.
• Education for the environment acknowledges the political
elements that underpin any study of the environmental
situation and thus incorporates critical education goals
within an issue-based pedagogy. 4
A Three-fold Approach: the basis for
EEFS Cont’d
• Achieving the goals of EEFS requires the integration of
these three approaches to environmental work.
• Such a strategy would ensure that the cycle of
learning, with all its corresponding objectives, is
completed.
• In practice, this will entail ensuring that learning
programs include developing environmental awareness,
knowledge, values, concern, responsibility and
action, although not necessarily in that order. 5
A Three-fold Approach: the basis for
EEFS Cont’d
• Teaching approaches should also reflect this
cycle, e.g. fieldwork, which is initiated by data
collection/observation and leads to the investigation
of an issue and the seeking of solutions
to an environmental problem, or practical
conservation, like cleaning of a stream, which is
action-based, but which provokes questions about
waste and pollution, leadingto the development
of environmental knowledge and understanding.
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