ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION MATERIALS
GUIDELINES FOR EXCELLENCE
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The North American Association
for Environmental Education
The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) is a network
of professionals, students, and volunteers working in the field of environmental
education throughout North America and in over 55 countries around the world.
NAAEE combines the perspectives of the environmental and educational
communities, taking a cooperative, non-confrontational, scientifically balanced
approach to promoting life-long learning about environmental issues.
NAAEE members think about how people become literate concerning environmental
issues and believe education must go beyond consciousness-raising about these issues.
It must prepare people to think together about the difficult decisions they have to make
concerning environmental stewardship, and to work together to improve, and try to
solve, environmental problems.
NAAEE recognizes the need for a coherent body of information about environmental
issues. Its members also recognize that information and analysis are only part of an
effective education program. To be truly effective, this body of knowledge must be
integrated into all aspects of the curriculum and into all types of educating institutions
for the widest array of audiences.
In order to provide support for environmental education and its practitioners, NAAEE
offers a variety of professional products, events, and services. These include the
NAAEE Annual Conference, printed and electronic publications, Internet-based
resources, and representation among leading organizations within the educational and
environmental communities.
NAAEE
2000 P Street, NW - Suite 540
Washington, DC 20036
USA
Telephone: (202)419-0412
Fax: (202)419-0415
Email: email@naaee.org
www.naaee.org
www.eelink.net
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ENVIRONMENTAL
EDUCATION MATERIALS
GUIDELINES FOR
EXCELLENCE
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This book represents another in a series of documents published by NAAEE as part of the National Project
for Excellence in Environmental Education.
Members of the Guidelines Writing Team
Bora Simmons Department of Teaching and Learning, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois
Michele Archie Harbinger Institute, Kapa'au, Hawaii
Terry Bedell The Clorox Company, Oakland, California
Judy Braus World Wildlife FundU.S., Washington, D.C.
Glenda Holmes Washington, D.C., School District, Washington, D.C.
Mary Paden Academy for Educational Development/GreenCom, Washington, D.C.
Robert Raze Florida Gulf Coast University, Tallahassee, Florida
Andrew Smith The American Forum for Global Education, New York, New York
Talbert Spence Cranbrook Institute of Science, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
George Walker Office of Environmental Education, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
Washington, D.C.
Brenda Weiser Environmental Institute of Houston, University of HoustonClear Lake,
Houston, Texas
Special thanks to the hundreds of teachers, curriculum developers, educational administrators, environmental
education specialists, and environmental scientists who reviewed drafts of this document, and to Carol Adkins,
Bob Carter, Jane Eller, Joe Heimlich, John Lancos, Colleen Murakami, Al Stenstrup, Susan Toth, Sally Wall,
and Sarah Wilcox for kindly providing input into the 2004 revision of the National Project for Excellence in
Environmental Education publications.
This project has been funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Office of
Environmental Education.
The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of EPA nor does mention of
trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
Additional funding and support for this project has been received from the Environmental Education and
Training Partnership (EETAP), Northern Illinois University, the National Consortium for Environmental
Education and Training (NCEET), World Wildlife Fund, World Resources Institute, National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation, and the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation.
Additional copies of this book can be obtained from NAAEE, 2000 P Street, NW-Suite 540, Washington, D.C.
20036, USA. Phone: (202) 419-0412, FAX: (202) 419-0415. Web site: www.naaee.org, www.eelink.net
ISBN 1-884008-41-0
Copyright © 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2004 by the North American Association for Environmental Education
(NAAEE). Commercial reproduction of any materials in this publication is strictly prohibited without
written permission from the publisher, NAAEE. Educators may photocopy up to 100 copies of these
materials for non-commercial educational purposes.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction 1
How to Use the Guidelines 3
Key Characteristic #1
FAIRNESS AND ACCURACY 5
Key Characteristic #2
DEPTH 7
Key Characteristic #3
EMPHASIS ON SKILLS BUILDING 9
Key Characteristic #4
ACTION ORIENTATION 12
Key Characteristic #5
INSTRUCTIONAL SOUNDNESS 14
Key Characteristic #6
USABILITY 20
Glossary of Key Terms 22
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INTRODUCTION
Environmental
Education Materials:
Guidelines for
Excellence is a set of
recommendations for developing
and selecting environmental
education materials. These guidelines
aim to help developers of activity guides,
lesson plans, and other instructional materials
produce high quality products and to provide
educators with a tool to evaluate the wide array
of available environmental education materials.
These 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).
The Belgrade Charter was adopted by a United
Nations conference, and provides a widely
accepted goal statement for environmental
education:
The goal of environmental education is to
develop a world population that is aware of
and concerned about, the environment and its
associated problems, and which has the
knowledge, skills, attitudes, motivations, and
commitment to work individually and
collectivelv toward solutions of current
problems and the prevention of new ones.
A few years later, at the world's first
intergovernmental conference on environmental
education, the Tbilisi Declaration was adopted.
This declaration built on the Belgrade Charter
and established three broad goals for
environmental education. These goals provide
the foundation for much of what has been done
in the field since 1978:
To foster clear awareness of and concern about
economic, social, political, and ecological
interdependence in urban and rural areas;
To provide every person with opportunities
to acquire the knowledge, values, attitudes,
commitment, and skills needed to protect and
improve the env ironment;
To create new patterns of behavior of
individuals, groups, and society as a whole
towards the environment.
As the field has evolved, these principles have been
researched, critiqued, revisited, and expanded.
They still stand as a strong foundation for a shared
view of the core concepts and skills that
environmentally literate citizens need. Since 1978,
bodies such as the Brundtland Commission
(Brundtland, 1987), the United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development in Rio
(UNCED, 1992), the International Conference on
Environment and Society in Thessaloniki
(UNESCO, 1998), and the World Summit on
Sustainable Develoment in Johannesburg (United
Nations, 2002) have influenced the work of many
environmental educators.
Environmental Education and Learning
Environmental education is good education.
Environmental education is learner-centered,
providing students with opportunities to construct
their own understandings through hands-on, minds-
on investigations. Learners are engaged in direct
experiences and are challenged to use higher-order
thinking skills. Environmental education supports
the development of an active learning community
where learners share ideas and expertise, and
prompt continued inquiry. Environmental
education provides real-world contexts and issues
from which concepts and skills can be learned.
Environmental education recognizes the
importance of viewing the environment within the
context of human influences, incorporating an
examination of economics, culture, political
structure, and social equity as well as natural
processes and systems. As conceived in this
document, the goal of environmental education is
to develop an environmentally literate citizenry.
Through comprehensive, cohesive programs,
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learners explore how feelings, experiences,
attitudes, and perceptions influence environmental
issues. They become knowledgeable about natural
processes and systems and gain an understanding of
human processes and systems. Learners are able to
investigate and analyze environmental problems and
issues using a variety of techniques. They also use
basic science and math skills and explore the nature
of bias. They develop a sense of their rights and
responsibilities as citizens, are able to understand
the ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in
our democratic republic, and they gain the skills
necessary for citizenship.
A knowledgeable, skilled, and active citizenry is a
key to resolving the environmental issues that
promise to become increasingly important into the
next century. While our schools play a major role,
cultivating environmental literacy is a task that
neither begins nor ends with formal education. Many
parts of our society shape attitudes toward and
knowledge about the environmentfamily, peers,
religion, community, interest groups, government,
the media, etc.
Environmental education often begins close to
home, encouraging learners to understand and forge
connections with their immediate surroundings. The
awareness, knowledge, and skills needed for these
local connections and understandings provide a
basis for moving out into larger systems, broader
issues, and a more sophisticated comprehension of
causes, connections, and consequences.
Environmental education fosters skills and habits
that people can use throughout their lives to
understand and act on environmental issues. It
emphasizes critical and creative thinking skills along
with other higher level thinking processes that are
key to identifying, investigating, and analyzing
issues, and formulating and evaluating alternative
solutions. Environmental education builds the
capacity of learners to work individually as well as
cooperatively to improve environmental conditions.
For each environmental issue there is not just one
right answer or solutionthere are many perspectives
and much uncertainty. Environmental education
cultivates the ability to recognize uncertainty,
envision alternative scenarios, and adapt to changing
conditions and information.
Knowledge, skills, and habits of mind translate into
a citizenry that is better able to address its common
problems and create advantage of opportunities,
whether environmental concerns are involved or not.
Through the National Project for Excellence in
Environmental Education, the North American
Association for Environmental Education
(NAAEE) is taking the lead in establishing
guidelines for the development of coherent, cogent,
and comprehensive environmental education
materials and programs. These guidelines also
point the way toward using environmental
education as a means for meeting the standards set
by the traditional disciplines and providing students
with opportunities for synthesizing knowledge and
experience across disciplines. Good quality
environmental education facilitates the teaching of
science, civics, social studies, mathematics,
geography, language arts, etc. It is hoped that these
guidelines will help educators develop meaningful
environmental education programs that integrate
across and build upon the disciplines.
In an effort to assure that these Guidelines for
Excellence do reflect a widely shared understanding
of environmental education, they were developed by
a "writing team" comprised of env ironmental
education professionals from a variety of
backgrounds and organizational affiliations. This
team took on the challenge of turning ideas about
quality into usable guidelines. In addition, drafts of
these guidelines were circulated widely to over
1,000 practitioners and scholars in the field (e.g.,
teachers, educational administrators, environmental
scientists, and curriculum developers), and their
comments were incorporated into successive
revisions of the document.
References
Brundliand, G. H. (1989) Our Common Future: The World
Commission on Environment and Development. N.Y.: Oxford
University Press.
UNCED (1992) Agenda 21: Programme of Action for Sustainable
Development. Rio Declaration on
Environment and Development. N.Y.: United Nations.
UNESCO-UNEP (1976) The Belgrade Charter. Conned: UNESCO-
UNEP Environmental Education Newsletter,
Vol.1 (I) pp. 1-2.
UNESCO (1978) Rnal Report Intergovernmental
Conference on Environmental Education. Organized by UNESCO in
Cooperation with UNEP, Tbilisi, USSR, 14-26 October 1977, Paris:
UNESCO ED/MD/49.
UNESCO (1998) Environment and Society: Education and Public
Awareness for Sustainability. Proceedings of the Thessaloniki
International Conference. Paris: UNESCO.
United Nations (2002) Report of the World Summit on Sustainable
Development. Johannesburg, South Africa, 26 August - 4 September
2002. New York: United Nations.
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How TO USE THE GUIDELINES
Environmental
Education Materials:
Guidelines for
Excellence points out six
key characteristics of high
quality environmental education
materials. For each of these
characteristics, there are listed some
guidelines for environmental education materials
to follow. Finally, each guideline is accompanied
by several indicators listed under the heading,
"What to Look For." These indicators suggest ways
of gauging whether the materials being evaluated
or developed follow the guidelines. They are
simply clusters of attributes you might look for to
help you figure out whether the characteristic is
embodied in the materials you are reviewing or
developing.
There is a glossary at the end of the Guidelines.
Words that are defined in this glossary are
underlined the first time they appear in the text.
Sample format for the guidelines:
#1: Key Characteristic
1.1) Guideline
What to look for:
Indicator
Indicator
1.2) Guideline
What to look for:
Indicator
Indicator
Indicator
The Guidelines For Excellence can help educators,
administrators, curriculum designers, or materials
developers evaluate the quality of environmental
education materials. They provide direction while
allowing flexibility to shape content, technique,
and other aspects of instruction.
These guidelines offer a way of judging the relative
merit of different materials, a standard to aim for in
developing new materials, and a set of ideas about
what a well-rounded environmental education
curriculum might be like. It is not reasonable to
expect that all environmental education materials
will follow all of the guidelines. For example, a set
of materials might not present differing viewpoints,
as outlined in guideline 1.2. (Balanced presentation
of differing viewpoints and theories.) This
shortcoming does not necessarily mean that the
materials should not be used. An instructor could
work them into a larger set of activities that
explores different viewpoints and helps learners
discern opinion and bias in individual presentations
of the issue. In cases such as this one, the
Guidelines for Excellence can point out a weak-
ness that instructors can compensate for in the way
they use the materials.
Of course, no set of guidelines could be complete,
and there are bound to be important characteristics
missing. Environmental Education Materials:
Guidelines for Excellence provides a foundation on
which to build evaluation systems that work for
different people in different situations. As a tool to
inform judgment, these Guidelines for Excellence
can contribute to more effective environmental
education.
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Environmental Education Materials:
Guidelines for Excellence Summary
#1 Fairness and accuracy: EE materials should be
fair and accurate in describing environmental
problems, issues, and conditions, and in reflecting
the diversity of perspectives on them.
1.1 Factual accuracy
1.2 Balanced presentation of differing
viewpoints and theories.
1.3 Openness to inquiry
1.4 Reflection of diversity
#2 Depth: EE materials should foster awareness of
the natural and built environment, an
understanding of environmental concepts,
conditions, and issues, and an awareness of the
feelings, values, attitudes, and perceptions at the
heart of environmental issues, as appropriate for
different developmental levels.
2.1 Awareness
2.2 Focus on concepts
2.3 Concepts in context
2.4 Attention to different scales
#3 Emphasis on skills building: EE materials
should build lifelong skills that enable learners to
address environmental issues.
3.1 Critical and creative thinking
3.2 Applying skills to issues
3.3 Action skills
#5 Instructional soundness: EE materials should
rely on instructional techniques that create an
effective learning environment.
5.1 Learner-centered instruction
5.2 Different ways of learning
5.3 Connection to learners' everyday lives
5.4 Expanded learning environment
5.5 Interdisciplinary
5.6 Goals and objectives
5.7 Appropriateness for specific learning
settings
5.8 Assessment
#6 Usability: EE materials should be well designed
and easy to use.
6.1 Clarity and logic
6.2 Easy to use
6.3 Long-lived
6.4 Adaptable
6.5 Accompanied by instruction and
support
6.6 Make substantiated claims
6.7 Fit with national, state, or local
requirements
#4 Action orientation: EE materials should
promote civic responsibility, encouraging
learners to use their knowledge, personal skills,
and assessments of environmental problems and
issues as a basis for environmental problem
solving and action.
4.1 Sense of personal stake and
responsibility
4.2 Self-efficacy
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KEY CHARACTERISTIC #1 FAIRNESS AND ACCURACY
Environmental education materials should be fair and accurate
in describing environmental problems, issues, and conditions,
and in reflecting the diversity of perspectives on them.
1.1) Factual accuracy.
Environmental education materials
should reflect sound theories and
well-documented facts about
subjects and issues.
What to look for:
Sources of factual information
are clearly referenced.
Data are drawn from current and
identified sources of information.
(Knowing the source of information
can aid in judging its trustworthiness
or identifying possible bias.)
Factual information is presented in
language appropriate for education
rather than for propagandizing.
Information comes from primary
sources, which provide context,
documentation, and explanation,
rather than from reviews or
newspaper articles that simply
provide bits and pieces of arguments
or evidence.
A range of experts in the appropri-
ate fields reviewed the materials or
participated in their development
in another way. The materials pro-
vide a list of the people involved
in development and review, and
their areas of expertise.
1.2) Balanced presentation of
differing viewpoints and theories.
Where there are differences of
opinion or competing scientific
explanations, the range of
perspectives should be presented
in a balanced way.
Example: 1.1
Pro and Con: Consumptive and Non-Consumptive
Uses of Wildlife
The background information for this activity, intended for use
with secondary school learners, is presented in language
appropriate for education, rather than for propagandizing.
Consumptive uses are generally considered to be those in
which wildlife is killed, as in hunting, fishing, and trapping.
Such uses may include as a food source; for sport; for
recreation; as a source of products for personal use; as a
source of products for commercial use and sale; as a means
to control damage to private land and crops; and as a
population management tool.
Non-consumptive uses are generally considered to be those
in which any wildlife is watched, studied, or recorded without
being killed, such as in hiking, birdwatching, sketching, and
photography. Such uses may be for purposes of recreation,
education, and research. Some non-consumptive uses may
actually be vicarious, such as movie, television, and gallery
viewing of wildlife.
Just as consumptive uses of wildlife have impacts on
individuals and populations, so can non-consumptive uses.
There are times, for example, when non-consumptive uses
may actually be damaging to wildlife and its habitat, such as
observation of wildlife at too close ranges during breeding
seasons, and high human use of areas where endangered
species may be negatively impacted.
Project WILD Activity Guide. Council for Environmental Education.
Reprinted with permission from Project Wild, © 1983,1985,1992, 2002.
What to look for:
Proponents of differing viewpoints reviewed the materials or helped
develop them in another way. The materials list the people involved
in development and review, and their organizational affiliation.
Opinions or policies of an agency or organization are clearly
identified as such.
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Scientifically and socially credible
positions and explanations are covered
thoroughly, while other positions are also
mentioned. (Balanced presentation does
not mean giving equal time and space
to every opinion or perspective, but
treating major positions fairly.)
Materials communicate areas of
consensus among scientists or other
experts.
1.3) Openness to inquiry. Materials
should encourage learners to explore
different perspectives and form their
own opinions.
What to look for:
Educators are given tools to use in
helping learners to form and express
opinions about competing theories.
Exercises are suggested for helping
learners explore personal and societal
values and conflicting points of view
within the context of the issue.
Materials promote an atmosphere of
respect for different opinions and an
openness to new ideas.
There are exercises that encourage
learners to understand the opinions of
their peers.
Materials suggest projects that involve
learners in collecting and analyzing
their own data and comparing those
data to similar data from other places.
Activities encourage learners to become
discerning readers and observers of
media coverage of environmental matters.
1.4) Reflection of diversity.
Different cultures, races, genders, social
groups, ages, etc., are included with
respect and equity.
What to look for:
Materials contain descriptions and
illustrations that depict people of various
races, ethnic groups, genders, and
social groups in a respectful and
equitable manner.
Example: 1.3
What Do People Think?
This activity shows an openness to inquiry, suggesting
ways for students of all ages to explore values and
conflicting points of view.
Procedure
1. Tell the children that they are going to be responsible
for creating a survey to find out other people's
knowledge and attitudes about food and hunger.
2. Go around the room and ask each student to
contrib-ute possible questions for the survey.
3. Have the group choose a list of eight to fifteen ques-
tions to be used in the survey [depending on their age].
4.Type or carefully write out the survey.
5. Distribute the surveys. Have each person fill one out.
Compare the results.
6. Ask the children to take two or three surveys home
and find people in their neighborhoods of any age to
answer the questions. Ask that they bring the surveys
back to class.
7. When the surveys are returned, compile the results.
8. Discuss how people's attitudes differ or are the same,
how attitudes of community members differ from attitudes
of group members, how well-informed people seem to
be, whether there are any attitudes that the children
would like to change, and how these could be changed.
9. JournalsGive children time to put their surveys in
their journals and to make entries about what other
community members think about food and hunger and
on what they've learned about doing a survey.
Rubin, Laurie. Food First Curriculum, Oakland, CA: Institute
for Food and Development Policy, 1984
Where such variety is appropriate, the content and illustrations
depict rural, suburban, and urban settings.
If the material is designed for nationwide use, the content
and illustrations reflect geographic differences appropriately.
Experts in multicultural education and members of historically
under-represented groups, such as women and people of color,
have been involved in the development and review process.
Readings and additional resources that present concepts and
perspectives from different cultures are offered.
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KEY CHARACTERISTIC #2 DEPTH
Environmental education materials should foster awareness of the natural
and built environment, an understanding of environmental concepts,
conditions, and issues, and an awareness of the feelings, values, attitudes,
and perceptions at the heart of environmental issues, as appropriate for
different developmental levels.
2.1) Awareness. Materials should acknowledge
that feelings, experiences, and attitudes shape
environmental perceptions and issues.
What to look for:
As appropriate for the developmental level,
opportunities are provided for learners to explore
the world around them.
Activities provide opportunities for experiences
that increase learners' awareness of the natural and
built environments.
Materials help learners understand the interde-
pendence of all life forms, including humans
(i.e., dependence of human life on the resources of
the planet and on a healthful environment).
Exercises and activities encourage students to
identify and express their own positions regarding
environmental issues.
2.2) Focus on concepts. Rather than presenting a
series of facts, materials should use unifying
themes and important concepts.
What to look for:
Concepts from environmental science fields such
as ecology, earth science, chemistry, conservation
biology, etc., are presented, as appropriate for the
intended developmental level.
Concepts from social science fields such as
economics, anthropology, sociology, history, and
political science are presented, as appropriate for
the intended developmental level.
Facts are presentedand vocabulary words
introduced and definedin context and support of
the important concepts.
Ideas are presented logically and are connected
throughout the materials, emphasizing a depth of
understanding rather than encyclopedic breadth.
Materials include a clearly articulated conceptual
framework that states the concepts to
be learned and relates them to each other.
2.3) Concepts in context Environmental concepts
should be set in a context that includes social and
economic as well as ecological aspects.
What to look for:
Environmental issues are explained in terms of
specific concepts.
Historical, ethical, cultural, geographic, economic,
and sociopolitical relationships are addressed, as
appropriate.
Learners are offered opportunities to examine
multiple perspectives on the issue and to gain an
understanding of the complexity of issues, as
appropriate for their developmental level.
Further investigations help learners probe more
deeply into the ecological, social, and economic
aspects of issues, and their interrelationships.
Concepts are introduced through experiences
relevant to learners' lives.
Materials help learners to make connections
among the concepts.
Learning is based on students constructing
knowledge through research, discussion, and
application to gain conceptual understanding.
2.4) Attention to different scales.
Environmental issues should be explored using a
variety of scales as appropriate, such as short to
long time spans, localized to global effects, and
local to international community levels.
What to look for:
Materials consider communities of different
scales. These scales include the local, regional,
national, and global levels.
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Example: 2.2
Project Learning Tree Pre K-8 Activity Guide: Conceptual Framework
The PLT conceptual framework links concepts from different fields around
common themes such as diversity, systems, and patterns of change.
Theme: Diversity
Throughout the world, there is a great diversity of habitats, organisms, soci-
eties, technologies, and cultures.
Diversity in Environments
1.1 Biological diversity results from the interaction of living and nonliving envi-
ronmental components such as air, water, climate, and geologic features.
1.2 Forests, as well as other ecosystems, contain numerous habitats that sup-
port diverse populations of organisms.
1.3 The Earth's atmosphere, water, soil, climate, and geology vary from region
to region, thus creating a wide diversity of biological communities.
Diversity of Resources and Technologies
2.1 Humans use tools and technologies to adapt and alter environments and
resources to meet their physical, social, and cultural needs.
2.2 Technologies vary from simple hand tools to large-scale and complex
machinery, mechanisms, and systems.
2.3 Successful technologies are those that are appropriate to the efficient and
sustainable use of resources, and to the preservation and enhancement of
environmental quality.
Diversity Among and Within Societies and Cultures
3.1 Human societies vary ... and inhabit many land forms and climates
[around] the world.
3.2 Humans ... create differing social, cultural, and economic systems and
organizations to meet their physical and spiritual needs.
3.3 The standard of living of various peoples... depend[s] on ... the availability, uti-
lization, and distribution of resources; the government; and culture of its inhabitants.
3.4 Natural beauty ... enhances the quality of human life by providing artistic
and spiritual inspiration, as well as recreational and intellectual opportunities.
Project Learning Tree Pre K-8 Activity Guide. Washington, D.C.: American
Forest Foundation, 1996.
Local, regional, continental, and global geo- Materials examine issues over a variety of
graphic scales are used to help learners temporal scales so that short-term and long-term
understand that issues can be important, problems, actions, and impacts are clear.
widespread, and complex.
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KEY CHARACTERISTIC #3 EMPHASIS ON SKILLS BUILDING
Environmental education materials should build lifelong
skills that enable learners to address environmental issues.
3.1) Critical and creative thinking. Learners
should be challenged to use and improve their
critical thinking and creative skills.
What to look for:
Materials offer learners opportunities to practice
critical thinking processes such as problem
definition, forming hypotheses, collecting and
organizing information, analyzing information,
synthesizing, drawing conclusions, formulating
possible solutions, and identifying opportunities
for action.
Materials provide learners with opportunities to
practice creative thinking processes such as
modeling, using metaphors and analogies, and
formulating questions.
Learners are challenged to use higher level
thinking processes such as identifying bias,
inferring, relating, applying, and reflecting.
* Materials provide guidance for judging the
validity of various sources of information, and
learners are encouraged to apply these guidelines.
Learners are given opportunities to practice skills
individually and in groups.
3.2) Applying skills to issues. Students should
learn to arrive at their own conclusions about what
needs to be done based on thorough research and
study, rather than being taught that a certain course
of action is best.
What to look for:
Materials help students learn to identify, define,
and evaluate issues on the basis of evidence and
different perspectives. Ethical and value
considerations are included.
Materials provide a list of organizations and other
resources that learners can use to explore the issue
on their own, as appropriate for their
developmental level. This list should include
groups and resources with various perspectives.
There are opportunities to use different methods
of evaluating environmental issues and their
potential solutions, as appropriate for the intended
age level. These methods may include risk
analysis, cost/benefit analysis, ethical analysis,
environmental impact analysis, analysis of
cumulative effects, different kinds of economic
analyses, social impact analysis, etc.
Materials help learners understand the strengths,
weaknesses, and biases of these different means of
evaluating an issue.
Learners develop their own solutions to issues.
Environmental issues are presented with a range
of possible solutions as well as information about
how the problems are currently being addressed.
Materials compel learners to consider the
implications of different approaches.
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3.3) Action skills. Learners should gain basic
skills needed to participate in resolving
environmental issues.
What to look for:
Materials give learners an opportunity to learn
basic skills for addressing environmental issues, as
appropriate for the intended age level. These skills
may include defining an issue, determining if
action is warranted, identifying others involved in
the issue, selecting appropriate action strategies
and understanding their likely consequences,
creating an action plan, evaluating an action plan,
implementing an action plan, and evaluating
results.
Learners hone their ability to forecast and to plan
for the long term.
Learners practice interpersonal and
communication skills, including oral and
written communication, group cooperation,
leadership, conflict resolution, and others.
Learners are provided with opportunities to
develop a variety of citizenship skills, including
participation in the political or regulatory process,
consumer action, using the media, and community
service.
Materials and activities help students sharpen
basic laboratory and field skills such as
experimental design, observation, data collection,
and data analysis.
Materials facilitate student learning of basic
skills of applied science, including environmental
monitoring, evaluating others' research, and setting
up an independent research proposal.
Learners use various forms of technology that
help them develop and apply their skills. These
technologies might include computers and
electronic communication networks, data gathering
equipment, video equipment, etc.
10
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Example: 3.3
Investigating and Evaluating Environmental Issues and Actions:
Skill Development Modules
This program offers learners opportunities to learn basic skills for addressing environmen-
tal issues and to develop a variety of citizenship skills.
Program Description
This program consists of a series of six illustrated modules. These modules are designed to
provide training in both the investigation and action skills needed by a responsible citizen.The
program is highly interdisciplinary and introduces students to environmental issues, the skills
needed to investigate and evaluate issues, the skills needed for information processing, and those
skills used by responsible citizens in applying environmental action strategies.
Key Activities
Chapter I: Environmental Problem Solving.
Students explore the impact of beliefs and values on environmental issues.
Students critically analyze environmental issues.
Chapter II: Getting Started on Issue Investigation.
Students identify environmental issues.
Students learn how to write research questions.
Students learn how to gain information from secondary sources.
Students compare and evaluate information sources.
Chapter III: Using Surveys, Questionnaires, and Opinionnaires in Environmental
Investigations.
Students learn how to draw samples from human populations.
Students learn how to gain information using primary sources.
Students collect and record data using model surveys, questionnaires, and/or opinionnaires.
Chapter IV: Interpreting Data from Investigations.
Students learn how to draw conclusions, make inferences, and formulate recommendations.
Students learn how to communicate data using a number of strategies including graphs.
Chapter V: Investigating an Environmental Issue.
Students select and investigate environmental issues.
Chapter VI: Environmental Action Strategies.
Students learn six methods of citizenship action.
Students analyze the effectiveness of individual versus group action.
Students evaluate the action decisions of others.
Students develop and evaluate action plans of their own.
Hungerford, H., Litherland, R., Peyton, R.B., Ramsey, J. & Volk, T. Investigating and Evaluating
Environmental Issues and Actions: Skill Development Modules. Champaign, IL: Stipes Publishing
Company, 1996.
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KEY CHARACTERISTIC #4 ACTION ORIENTATION
Environmental education materials should promote civic
responsibility, encouraging learners to use their knowledge,
personal skills, and assessments of environmental problems and
issues as a basis for environmental problem solving and action.
4.1) Sense of personal stake and responsibility.
Materials should help learners to examine the
possible consequences of their behaviors on the
environment and evaluate choices they can make
which may help resolve environmental issues.
What to look for:
Materials promote intergenerational and global
responsibility, linking historical and current actions
with future and distant consequences.
Learners are provided with opportunities to
reflect on the effects of their actions and to sort out
their opinions about what, if anything, they should
do differently.
Materials contain examples of people of different
ages, races, genders, cultures, and education and
income levels who have made a difference by tak-
ing responsible action.
Materials convey the idea that many individual
actions have cumulative effects, both in creating
and addressing environmental issues.
4.2) Self-efficacy. Materials should aim to
strengthen learners' perception of their ability to
influence the outcome of a situation.
What to look for:
Materials challenge learners to apply their think-
ing and act on their conclusions.
Materials include a variety of individual and
community strategies for citizen involvement and
provide learners with opportunities to practice
these strategies through projects they generate indi-
vidually in their school or in the larger community.
There are examples of successful individual and
collective actions. Learners are encouraged to
examine what made these actions successful.
(Where actions were not successful, students are
encouraged to examine the reasons for failure.)
Learners are encouraged to share and celebrate
the results of their actions with peers and other
interested people.
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Example: 4.2
Different Kinds of Action
Following are some examples of individual and community strategies for citizen
involvement included in environmental education materials. The actions range in
scale from the individual level to the larger community level.
How Can I Help? In this activity, students are encouraged to take action to improve
their community by making some positive environmental changes. Students brainstorm
a list of possible projects, narrow the list to ones that particularly interest them, and
select one or more that can be accomplished during the school year. Simple projects
might include picking up litter from an area; planting flowers, grass, shrubs, or trees;
scrubbing graffiti off walls; or designing a mural for a nearby wall.
Ecological Citizenship: Urban Environmental Education and Action. Chicago, IL: The
Chicago Academy of Sciences, 1996.
Pollution Detectives This activity encourages students to seek out and describe water
quality in their community. Students may choose to develop a photo essay or videotape to
accompany their presentation, and may wish to make presentations at a schoolwide
assembly, a community meeting, or a meeting of a local environmental group.
Always a River. Cincinnati, OH: USEPA Office of Research and Development, 1991.
Car Trouble This lesson begins by asking students to examine their own use of motor
vehicles [in light of] facts about motor vehicle usage. Students then examine the hidden
environmental costs of driving ... and look back at the automobile's history to see how our
dependence on the gasoline-powered automobile developed. Finally, students consider
what they can do to address the problems outlined in the lesson.
Paden, M., ed. Teacher's Guide to World Resources. Washington, D.C.; World
Resources Institute, 1994.
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KEY CHARACTERISTIC #5 INSTRUCTIONAL SOUNDNESS
Environmental education materials should rely on
instructional techniques that create an effective
learning environment.
5.1) Learner-centered instruction. When
appropriate, learning should be based on learner
interest and on the learner's ability to construct
knowledge to gain conceptual understanding.
What to look for:
Activities allow learners to build from previous
knowledge and lead toward further learning.
Learners gain understanding through research,
discussion, application, and practical experiences.
Instruction assists learners in undertaking their
own inquiry.
Where appropriate, activities and projects use
learner questions and concerns as a starting point.
Materials facilitate learner participation in
planning and assessing learning. Materials promote
learner reflection on the process and content of
learning.
5.2) Different ways of learning. Materials should
offer opportunities for different modes of teaching
and learning.
What to look for:
Materials encourage educators to experiment
with a range of instructional methods to reach
learners with a variety of learning styles. These
techniques may include research, experimentation,
observation, lecture, discussion, creative
expression, field studies, role playing, independent
work, cooperative learning, cross-age teaching, etc.
Important concepts are conveyed in several ways
(visual, auditory, tactile, etc.) so that all students
can understand them.
Materials and activities are developmentally
appropriate for the designated grade, yet sensitive
to individual differences in educational experience
and learning mode.
Opportunities are provided for students to learn
from expression and experiencefor example,
using music, art, poetry, and drama, or involving
parents, families, and the community in learning
activities.
Diverse sensory involvement is a criterion for
selecting learning activities.
Learners are challenged to develop their multiple
intelligences.
Learning is accessible to students with limited
English proficiency.
5.3) Connection to learners' everyday lives.
Materials should present information and ideas in a
way that is relevant to learners.
What to look for:
Concepts to be taught are related directly to
students' experiences.
Case studies and examples are relevant to the
learner. If the material is designed for use in a
specific area of the country, the content and
illustrations are appropriate for that area.
Instructional materials are easy for students to
use and understand. Materials reflect cultural,
gender, and age differences.
Materials provide for continuing involvement
throughout the year by the learner, both at home
and at school. Means for involving learners'
families or care givers are suggested.
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Example: 5.2
Aqua Words
This activity, intended for use with primary and intermediate grade levels, illustrates how concepts
can be conveyed in more than one way within one activity. Its objective is to enable students to
describe a variety of ways and reasons why water is important to people and wildlife,
Procedure
1. Have the students bring in photographs from magazines that show water. Ask them to look
especially for pictures that show how living things depend on water. Display these photographs
and use them as a basis for discussion.
2. Ask students to think about some of the ways they have used water that day. Emphasize how
all living things are ultimately connected to water.
3. Using a long strip of butcher paper or spacious empty chalkboard for recording, ask the
students to list at least 100 words that have something to do with water. Note: For younger
students, use pictures or a combination of words and pictures.
4. Using the list of words that were recorded, ask the students to create word trees of water-
related words. Begin with a simple word tree [and move to] more complex ones.
Condensation
' , -
Cloud^ (Rain
5. When students have finished several word trees, have them look at what they have done and
create one or two poetic definitions of water or water-related concepts.These could begin:
"Water . . ." or "Water is . . ." If not definitions, the students could create sentences or even
paragraphs about water.
6. Have students write their poetic statements onto various shades of blue, aqua, gray, white, and
green construction paper cut to graphically fit the feeling of their idea.
Aquatic Project WILD, Council for Environmental Education. Reprinted with permission from
Project WILD,© 1987, 1992, 2001.
15
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5.4) Expanded learning environment.
Students should learn in environments that extend
beyond the boundaries of the classroom.
What to look for:
Students learn in a diverse environment which
includes the school yard, laboratory,
field settings, community, and other settings
beyond the classroom.
Learners share their knowledge and their work
with others.
Materials use examples that reflect real-world
experiences.
Materials suggest partnerships with local civic
organizations, businesses, religious communi-
ties, or governments to explore a local issue.
Partnerships with local universities, colleges, or
technical schools to allow learners to participate in
research, environmental monitoring, creative
projects, etc.
Materials suggest experiential learning activities
in which students immerse themselves in an
activity outside the classroom.
Materials suggest linkages to informal.
experiential, and service learning opportunities in
the community.
Lists of written materials and other resources for
further study are included.
5.5) Interdisciplinary. The materials should
recognize the interdisciplinary nature of
environmental education.
What to look for:
Materials clearly list the subject disciplines
integrated into each lesson or lessons, suggest tie-
ins with other subject areas, such as the science
disciplines, social studies, math, geography,
English, arts, physical education, occupational
education, etc.
The material helps develop skills useful in other
subject areas, such as reading comprehension,
math, writing, and map reading and analysis.
Where appropriate, materials are keyed to
national standards for other disciplines or standards
adopted by the school district or state.
Example: 5.4
Streams
Studying a local stream can include activi-
ties that immerse learners in experiences
outside of the classroom and encourage
them to share their knowledge.
Study a Stream
Divide the children into small groups and
give each group a Stream Studies sheet to
complete during their explorations. Put
needed equipment in a central spot. Send
half the groups to a slow part of the stream
and half to a fast-moving section.When
Stream Study sheets are complete,
compare results:
What is the bottom like where the water is
moving fast? slow?
Where were the most animals found?
How are animals different in fast and slow
sections of the stream?
Follow-up Activity
History of a Local Stream Have the children
interview local residents or read in old
newspapers about the history of a local
stream (uses, floods, bridges, pollution) and
write an article for the newspaper.
Lingelbach J., ed. Hands On Nature. Woodstock, VT:
Vermont Institute of Natural Science, 1986, 2000.
16
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Example 5.5
Curriculum Integration
This graphic shows how curriculum materials can be designed to integrate across the
curriculum by suggesting tie-ins with several subject areas.
Mathematics
Scale models, ratio and
proportion, measurement
Reading
Research, workbook, manuals,
lists, directions, experiments,
fiction set near lakes
Art
Map work,
collage activity,
model making,
illustrations
Language Arts
Essays, expository
writing, information
outlining, spelling,
persuasive writing
Social Science
Government,
social activism,
geography,
human behavior
Science
Physical science,
biology, ecology,
process skills,
experimentation
Denocour, M.T. Interactive Lake Ecology. Concord, NH: New Hampshire Department of
Environmental Services, 1991, 2002.
5.6) Goals and objectives. Goals and objectives
for the materials should be clearly spelled out.
What to look for:
Goals and objectives for learner outcomes are
clearly stated.
The content is appropriate for achieving the
objectives, and steps for accomplishing the
objectives are identified in written lesson or
activity plans.
Instructional methods are appropriate to the
guide's goals.
Objectives should be in keeping with goals and
objectives of general education.
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5.7) Appropriateness for specific learning
settings. Claims about the material's appropriateness
for the targeted grade level(s) and the implementation
of the activity should be consistent with the
experience of educators.
What to look for:
The content is appropriate (level and language)
for the target grade levels. The examples, terminology,
and comparisons used are within the probable
vocabulary and experience of students.
Lesson-related activities can be accomplished in
the time specified, with resources provided or
easily available.
* Experiments and activities are relevant, accurate,
predictable, and suitable for the target grade levels.
Materials include suggestions for appropriate
variations and extensions.
Activities are efficient. The amount of time
required is consistent with the importance of what
is to be learned.
Environmental responsibility is modeled in the
design, underlying philosophy, and suggested
activities of the lessons and materials.
5.8) Assessment A variety of means for assessing
learner progress should be included in the materials.
What to look for:
Materials state expected learner outcomes and
provide examples of how to use specific performance-
based assessments such as portfolios, open-ended
questions, group or independent research, or other
appropriate projects to indicate mastery.
Learner outcomes are tied to the goals and
objectives of the materials.
Means of assessing learners' baseline
understandings, skills, and concepts at the beginning
of each lesson are included.
Materials use current and appropriate educational
assessment techniques.
Suggested assessment techniques are practical
and efficient.
Assessment is on-going and tied to student learning.
Expectations are made clear to students at the
onset of an activity.
Students assess their own and other students' work.
Example: 5.8
Irrigation Interpretation
This activity, designed for upper elementary
and middle school, states learner objectives
in measurable terms and provides specific
performance-based assessments to
indicate mastery.
Objectives
Students will:
identify reasons people irrigate.
construct a classroom irrigation system
and monitor crop growth.
describe different irrigation methods and
evaluate the costs and benefits of each.
propose explanations for an ancient
culture abandoning its homeland.
Assessment
Have students:
demonstrate and identify irrigation
systems (Part I, steps 3-6).
construct classroom irrigation models,
demonstrating and comparing different
irrigation systems (Part II, steps 1 and 2).
develop a questioning strategy to
determine why a culture could abandon
its homeland (Part III).
create a chart summarizing irrigation
techniques and assessing ecological and
economic benefits and costs (Wrap Up).
Upon completing the activity, for further
assessment, have students:
research and identify on a world map
locations with salinization problems.
investigate and report on what is being
done to overcome salinization problems.
Project WET Curriculum and Activity Guide.
Bozeman, MT: The Watercourse and
Houston, TX: Western Regional
Environmental Education Council. 1995, 2001
18
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Example: 5.8
Sample Rubric
7?7/s rubric was developed by an Earth Systems teacher for use in evaluating individual student research projects.
Research Time
Utilization
The student needed
continual reminders to
get back to work. Work
may be inappropriate to
the project.
The student was usually
on task, but needed an
occasional reminder to
get back to work. All
work is appropriate.
The student was always
on task and did not need
reminders to get back to
work.
Participation
In Project
The student does not
add an equitable amount
of work to the project and
does not meet all
requirements for the
length of presentation.
The student adds an
equitable amount of work
to the project, but may
not meet all requirements
for the length of the
presentation.
The student adds an
equitable amount of work
to the project and meets
all requirements for the
length of the project.
The student's information ; The student's information
Accuracy of
Information
During
Presentation
is lacking in content and
is not factually correct in
many places. Information
may not be pertinent to
the presentation.
is for the most part
factually correct.
Information may not be
pertinent to the
presentation.
The student's
information is factually
correct and pertinent
to the presentation.
Clarity of
Presentation
Visual Aid
Worksheet, or
Simple
Demonstration
The student's work is not
well planned.The student
was confused by much of
the information present-
ed.The student was not
clear in explaining topics.
The student's work is
well planned. There
seemed to be some
confusion or
misinterpretation of
information.
The device used by the
student was not used at a
timely place in the pres-
entation, had little bearing
on the presentation, or
was absent from the
presentation.
The device used by the stu-
dent was appropriate for the
presentation. It may have
been used in a more appro-
priate manner. The design of
the device may not have
maximized the learning.
The student's work is well
planned and clearly
explained. The student
showed a clear
command of the
information presented.
The use of the device
was timely and
appropriate.The design
of the device was
constructed to
maximize learning.
Mayer, V.J. and Fortner, R. W. eds. Science is a Study of Earth, Columbus, OH: Ohio State University, 1995.
19
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KEY CHARACTERISTIC #6 USABILITY
Environmental education materials should be
well designed and easy to use.
6.1) Clarity and logic. The overall structure
(purpose, direction, and logic of presentation)
should be clear to educators and learners.
What to look for:
Materials are clearly and engagingly written.
Main concepts are well articulated. Examples in
the text are appropriate to the content and easily
understood.
Instructions for educators are clear and concise.
The following information is included in a
straightforward manner:
Q Intended audience/grade level;
Q Instructional setting and optimal number of
learners;
G Disciplines and concepts covered;
G Intended learner outcomes;
Q Process skills addressed (i.e., observing,
communicating, comparing, ordering,
categorizing, relating, inferring, applying)
G Equipment needed;
G Safety precautions and clean up if appropriate;
LI Time needed for activity;
LI Brief overview of the activity;
G Instructions for conducting the activity;
G Suggestions for assessing the activity; and
G Pre- and post-activities, such as suggestions
for enrichment activities, if appropriate.
Background information for the educator is
adequate and accurate, and there is a listing of
additional resources.
Materials are organized sequentially and in an
easy-to-use fashion.
Lab and field work, and other activities, are
clearly linked to related content material.
6.2) Easy to use. Materials should be inviting and
easy to use.
What to look for:
The layout of materials is interesting and
appealing for educators and learners.
Illustrations, photographs, maps, graphs, and
charts are useful, clear, and easy to read.
The material is easy for educators to keep and
use (8.5x 11", 3-hole punched, able to lie flat on
desk).
Masters for student handouts and overhead
transparencies are easily duplicated.
* Copyright is spelled out or permission to copy is
granted.
Where appropriate, materials are available in
electronic form such as computer file, CDROM, or
over the Internet.
6.3) Long-lived. Materials should have a life span
that extends beyond one use.
What to look for:
* Materials include information on where
replacements, updates, equipment, and special
supplies can be obtained.
Equipment and materials are listed, reasonably
accessible, inexpensive, and simple to use.
Student materials are sufficiently supplied.
Consumable instructional materials are of good
quality and sufficient quantity to support the
objectives.
Nonconsumable materials can be reused by
another educator.
6.4) Adaptable. Materials should be adaptable to a
range of learning situations.
What to look for:
* Suggestions are provided for adapting lessons
and activities for learners from particular ethnic or
cultural backgrounds.
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Materials are available in more than one
language, if appropriate.
Where appropriate, the materials suggest easy
adaptations for different environments, such as
indoor and outdoor environments, formal and
informal settings, large and small classes, mixed-
level classes, or rural, suburban, and urban settings.
There are suggestions for finding low-cost or
no-cost alternatives for the equipment and
materials needed.
Materials provide suggestions for adaptations for
students with special learning needs, language
needs, and physical needs.
Materials offer ideas for adapting to different
grade levels.
6.5) Accompanied by instruction and
support. Additional support and instruction should
be provided to meet educators' needs.
What to look for:
Professional development programs are
accessible to educators in your area.
Continuing technical support for educators is
provided (for example, a toll-free telephone
number or a list of local or regional points of
contact for questions about the materials).
Instructional programs provide follow-up
activities or evaluations and help develop a
network of practitioners.
Materials include lists of essential resource and
supporting materials, such as agency contacts,
references to videos, information on computer
databases, etc.
6.6) Make substantiated claims. Materials should
accomplish what they claim to accomplish.
What to look for:
Claims of learning outcomes are substantiated by
systematic evaluation rather than merely by letters
of endorsement and anecdotal comments from users.
Materials were field tested under conditions
similar to their intended use and evaluated in terms
of stated goals and objectives prior to wide scale
implementation.
Example: 6.6
Field Testing
This acknowledgments section indicates
that new activities were field tested and
evaluated.
Thank you to the following parents,
teachers, naturalists, environmental
educators, and youth leaders who donated
large amounts of their time and
consideration as they field-tested and
evaluated the activities newly designed for
this book: (The list of 46 names includes
many people involved in formal and
nonformal education).
Caduto, M.J. and Burchac, J. Keepers of Life.
Golden, CO: Fulcrum Publishing, 1994.
If materials are part of a larger program, the
program provides for continuous feedback and
modification once it is underway.
Educators who work in the settings in which the
material is intended to be used participated on the
development team or reviewed drafts of materials.
Experts in learning theory, evaluation, and other
appropriate educational disciplines were involved
on the development team or reviewed drafts of
materials.
6.7) Fit with national, state, or local
requirements. Environmental education
materials should fit within national, state, or local
standards or curricula. (Also see guideline #5.5 for
other ideas about fitting with local curricula.)
What to look for:
Materials have been or could be easily correlated
with national, state, or local requirements or
learning objectives.
Materials can be readily integrated into
established curricula.
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GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS
Assessment. Measurement of a learner's
achievement or progress.
Concept. A general idea or understanding,
especially one based on common or related
attributes of specific instances. For example, the
concept of ecological interdependencethat all
living elements of an ecological system depend on
the othersis based on a knowledge of
interrelationships among living things in many-
specific systems.
Conceptual framework. An organized sequence
of ideas that directs teaching towards a focused
understanding.
Constructing knowledge (constructivist
learning). A guiding philosophy that believes that
individuals make meaning of situations for
themselves through a dynamic combination of
knowledge they already possess, new knowledge
presented to them, social interaction, and personal
reflection and experience. This personally
constructed knowledge by the learner evolves
throughout the learner's lifetime. (See Cheek, D.W.
(1992) Thinking Constructively about Science,
Technology, and Science Education. SUNY Press.)
Cost/benefit analysis. An examination of a
program that seeks to evaluate the resources
expended in relation to the outcome, often noted in
financial terms.
Creative thinking. Thinking which results in
connections or possibilities previously
unrecognized by or unknown to the learner.
Critical thinking. Analysis or consideration based
on careful examination of information or evidence.
Critical thinking relies on thoughtful questioning
and logical thinking skills such as inductive and
deductive reasoning.
Cumulative effects analysis. A systematic process
using as many known facts and factors as possible
to estimate the total impact or likely result of many
individual events or actions.
Developmental appropriateness. The suitability
of an activity for learners of a certain age or
cognitive ability.
Environmental issue. Related to, but
distinguished from, an environmental problem. An
environmental issue reflects the presence of
differing perspectives on possible solutions to an
environmental problem.
Environmental monitoring. Systematic
measurement, over time, of one or more indicators
of an ecosystem's stability or health.
Environmental problem. Related to, but
distinguished from, an environmental issue. An
environmental problem results from an interaction
between human activity and the environment.
Experiential learning. Learning by means of
personal experience or direct observation.
Fact/factual information. A verifiable
phenomenon or association. Factual information
can be consistently corroborated by standardized
means.
Global responsibility. A person's accountability
for the potential or actual impact of individual
actions on the earth and the world community.
Goal. A desired outcome from an activity.
Informal learning opportunities. Situations in
which learning can occur without formal or
traditional direction from an instructor.
Interdisciplinary. A knowledge view and
curriculum approach that applies methodology and
language from more than one discipline to examine
a central theme, issue, or experience. Related terms
include innltidisciplinar\ (juxtaposing several
disciplines focused on one problem with no direct
attempt to integrate) and transdisciplinary (beyond
the scope of the disciplines, for example starting
with a problem and bringing to bear knowledge
from relevant sources).
Intergenerational responsibility. A person's
accountability for the potential or actual impact of
individual actions on future populations.
Learner centered instruction. Instructional
methods that are driven by the individual needs of
the student rather than externally imposed goals or
objectives.
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Learner outcomes. The intended cognitive result
of an educational program.
Learning styles. The belief that individuals favor
particular methods of learning (e.g., oral vs. written,
self-taught vs group mediated) and can optimize
their understanding when such methods are
available to them within the learning environment.
Multiple intelligences. Theory advanced by
Howard Gardner that classifies cognitive abilities
according to eight broadly grouped aptitudes:
linguistic intelligence, logical-mathematical
intelligence, spatial intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic
intelligence, musical intelligence, interpersonal
intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, and
naturalistic intelligence.
Objective. A statement of a specific measurable or
observable result desired from an activity.
Risk analysis. Activity which seeks to predict the
overall results or broad consequences and degree
of impact, whether beneficial or not, of a given
project or activity.
Rubric. A scoring mechanism for performance-
based tests that provides model answers.
Self-efficacy. One's ability, or attitude about that
ability, to be a catalyst or agent of change in one's
own life and in situations involving others.
Service learning. Learning in which the student
takes part in a project or activity that is beneficial
to some segment of the community.
23
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THE NATIONAL PROJECT FOR EXCELLENCE
IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
What does it mean to be environmentally literate? The National Project for Excellence in
Environmental Education, initiated by the North American Association for Environmental
Education (NAAEE) in 1993, is attempting to answer that question. Environmental
education is a process that aims to develop an environmentally literate citizenry that can
compete in our global economy; has the skills, knowledge, and inclinations to make well-
informed choices; and exercises the rights and responsibilities of members of a community.
Publications
Publications created by the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education
include:
Environmental Education Materials: Guidelines for Excellence (2nd edition, 2004). A
set of recommendations for developing and selecting environmental education materials.
Excellence in Environmental Education: Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) (2nd
edition, 2004). A comprehensive framework for environmental education, demonstrating
environmental education's alignment with national academic standards.
Excellence in Environmental Education: Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12)
Executive Summary & Self Assessment Tool (2nd edition, 2004). An easy-to-use
outline listing the guidelines and a set of checklists for analyzing educational activities.
Guidelines for the Preparation and Professional Development of Environmental
Educators (2nd edition, 2004). A set of competencies for educators preparing to teach
environmental education in a variety of job settings.
Nonformal Environmental Education Programs: Guidelines for Excellence (2004). A
set of recommendations to be used in the development of comprehensive environmental
education programs or to trigger improvements in existing ones.
Environmental Education Materials: Guidelines for Excellence Workbook - Bridging
Theory and Practice (2000). Activities and examples to deepen your understanding of
Environmental Education Materials: Guidelines for Excellence.
The Environmental Education Collection: A Review of Resources for Educators,
Volume 1 (1997). A resource guide to help educators find curricula, multimedia resources,
and other educational materials that can enhance the teaching of environmental
education.
The Environmental Education Collection: A Review of Resources for Educators,
Volume 2 (1998).
The Environmental Education Collection: A Review of Resources for Educators,
Volume 3 (1998)
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North American Association for Environmental Education
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