Methods for teaching environmental education

It is argued that there are no standardized methods for the teaching of environmental education (Lee & Williamson, 2001). But for effective implementation of environmental education, appropriate teaching and learning methods need to be used to address all the three components of environmental education (education about, in and for the environment). The interdisciplinary nature of environmental education emphasizes holistic and interdisciplinary teaching and learning. This can be done by engaging pupils in critical inquiries into real issues of the environment, and development and in actions addressing those issues (Stevenson, 2007). Elaborating on holistic education, learning styles and methodologies which are participatory in nature are suggested (Sterling, 1992). Sometimes participatory learning is referred to as active learning (Kane, 2004; O’Donoghue, 2001) which encourages critical thinking among learners and encourages learners to take responsibility for their own learning. Pedagogical activities which engage learners help them develop higher order or critical thinking skills, which are needed in analyzing environmental issues (Ballantyne & Packer, 2009; Stevenson, 2007).

The teacher, therefore, has the task of planning and organizing appropriate learning tasks which will enable learners obtain actual experiences from the environment, such as making investigations in the environment and reflecting on the interrelations that exist between man and his biophysical surroundings. It is widely held that individuals learn better when they learn through experience. As a result, environmental education is equated with outdoor education and experiential learning. These terms are usually used interchangeably. Although each of these areas have their own objectives and purpose, they share related purposes and focus (Adkins & Simmons, 2002). This situation is expected because whether it is outdoor learning or experiential learning, they are all done in the environment. So the environment cannot be separated from them.

When emphasizing the use of experiences and outdoor activities in the teaching of environmental education, teachers are obliged to teach their learners about the environment and how to conserve it for future use by using different activities which will give learners different experiences in the environment (Schatz, 1996). These experiences will help pupils interact with the natural environment, understand the ecological processes and the human impact on the environment (Meyer, 2006). Also, learners will develop skills for searching for knowledge about the environment, different relationships between the phenomena around them and environmental issues/problems. As a result, they will develop environmental sensitivity, action skills, taking responsible action in nature, social relationships and self-confidence (Palmberg & Kuru, 2000). These will enable them to learn how to analyze for themselves different situations, to propose viable solutions and take appropriate actions in their environment. Learners possess a wealth of prior knowledge and understanding concerning different things which they learn in school. Prior knowledge refers to the kind of

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knowledge an individual develops as a result of experience and interactions with the environment and with other people (Wood, 1998). Research in cognitive and development psychology and science education has shown that individuals construct personal knowledge structures on the basis of everyday experiences (Stanistreet & Boyes, 1997). But some of the prior knowledge which individuals hold may have misconceptions, and as a result the structures they have are different from scientific concepts (Duit, 1994). Therefore, through cooperative learning methods learners get the opportunity to share their prior knowledge with the teacher and also with other learners because education involves the sharing of different knowledge and understanding of the learners and the teacher (Kane, 2004). Through cooperative learning some of the misconceptions that they have will be clarified.

Cooperative learning is based on learning theory which emphasizes learning through social interactions (Vygotsky, 1978). The theory states that apart from individuals constructing their own meanings, as advocated by Piaget and Bruner, they also learn from other individuals (Wood, 1998). Therefore, it is argued that social interaction is important because personal views need to be set against the views of others and generally accepted (Littledyke, 2008). In cooperative learning, different methods are used by the teacher to organize and conduct classroom instruction. Some of the methods that can be used in cooperative learning are group discussion, project work, group investigation role play, amongst.

The use of investigative, experiential and cooperative teaching learning methods in environmental education addresses the issues of knowledge acquisition, skills and attitude development. Through these methods learners are provided with the opportunity to carry out guided inquiry into environmental issues (Meyers, 2006). When learners are provided with the opportunity to carry out guided investigations into the environment and environmental issues, they generate knowledge and also develop observation, recording and interpretation skills, which are important in understanding the environment. This approach to learning is referred to as “place-based education” (Stevenson, 2008; Van Kannel-Ray, 2006). Place-based education focuses on the use of the local environment as the place to investigate nature. It is argued that hands-on activities provided for learners in their local area help them develop action competence and critical thinking skills (Van Petagem et al., 2007). Although it involves the local context of the learner, it needs to be connected to national and global situations, hence the slogan, “think and act locally and globally” (Stevenson, 2008). It is envisaged that place-based education has various benefits, including attitude and behavioural benefits. It facilitates the development of ecoliteracy and ecological identity, which in turn will lead to local ecological and cultural sustainability or the social and ecological well- being of the places where people stay (Gruenewald, 2003; Sobel, 2004; Woodhouse & Knapp, 2000). The notion of ecoliteracy refers to an individual’s capacity to understand how the natural world works (Orr, 1992). Therefore, an ecologically literate person is one who has the knowledge to understand the interrelationships that exist in nature and has the competence and attitude to take care of nature. Another benefit of place-based education is that it contributes to critical teaching (Smith, 2007).

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While the use of investigative, experiential and cooperative learning is considered to enhance deep learning among learners, the view of teaching as transfer of knowledge dominates among teachers in Tanzania, where the learners listen to the teacher and answer his/her questions individually or in chorus (Barrett, 2007; Mahenge, 2004; O-Saki & Agu, 2001). The use of participatory and cooperative teaching methods has been introduced into the school system in Tanzania, with the aim of shifting from teacher-centered methods to learner- centered ones which are referred to as “good practices” (Barrett, 2007). Despite all these efforts, it is questionable whether teachers will be able to employ them, given the classroom context and conditions under which they operate, where the class size is big, teaching and learning resources are scarce, and there is pressure to cover the syllabus. Given these challenges, I am of the opinion that the teachers’ adoption of these teaching methods will depend on their knowledge of the subject matter, and pedagogical skills and knowledge of the context, which they can develop through professional development programs.