GUIDELINES FOR THE PREPARATION AND PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATORS
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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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GUIDELINES FOR THE
PREPARATION AND
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATORS
North American Association
for Environmental Education
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Guidelines for the Preparation and Professional Development of Environmental Educators
was funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency through the
Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP) under agreement
number EPA-NT90289701 -3 with the North American Association for Envi-
ronmental Education.
Additional funding and support for this project have been received from
Northern Illinois University and the National Environmental Education and
Training Foundation.
The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of
the United States Environmental Protection Agency, nor does mention of trade
names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommenda-
tion for use.
Special thanks 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 die 2004 revision of the National
Project for Excellence in Environmental Education publications.
Additional copies of this book can be obtained by contacting:
NAAEE
2000 P Street, NW
Suite 540
Washington, DC 20036
(202)419-0412 (phone) • (202)419-0415 (fax)
Email: email@naaee.org
Web site: www.naaee.org; www.eelink..net
ISBN #l-884008-78-X
Copyright © 2000, 2004 by the North American Association for Environ-
mental Education (NAAEE). Commercial reproductions of any material in
this publication is stricdy prohibited without written permission from the
publisher, NAAEE. Educators may photocopy up to 100 copies of these
materials for noncommercial educational purposes.
| Printed on recycled paper
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Preface
Guidelines for the Preparation and Professional Development of Environmental Educators
represents another 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. These guidelines and others produced as part of the Project synthesize the best thinking
about environmental education through an extensive process of review and discussion. Thus far,
thousands of individuals and organizations representing all aspects of environmental education have
reviewed materials, working outlines, and drafts for the guidelines projects. Reviewers have included
teachers, educational administrators, environmental scientists, curriculum developers, university
faculty, staff from natural resource agencies and education departments, and people from many other
areas of expertise. The National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education has been funded by
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Environmental Education and Training
Partnership (EETAP), under agreement with NAAEE.
Members of the Guidelines Writing Team
Bora Simmons, Chair Department of Teaching and Learning
Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois
Michele Archie, Writer The Harbinger Institute
Lori Mann, Copy Editor Environmental Education, Consultant
Layout & Design Burlingame, California
Mary Vymetal-Taylor, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois
Project Assistant
Caroline Alston Project Learning Tree, Washington, DC
JudyBraus World Wildlife Fund-US, Washington, DC
Matt Hayden ITW Hi-Cone, Itasca, Illinois
Don Hollums Department of Education
State of Colorado, Denver, Colorado
Rosalyn McKeown-Ice University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee
MaryPaden GreenCom, Academy for Educational Development,
Washington, DC
Margaret Paters on Tacoma Public Schools, Tacoma, Washington
Robert Raze Office of Environmental Education
Florida Gulf Coast University, Tallahassee, Florida
Brenda Weiser Environmental Institute of Houston
University of Houston—Clear Lake, Houston, Texas
Peggy Soong Yap Lee Seattle Public Schools, Seattle, Washington
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Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Environmental Education: A Vision for the Future 1
The Instructional Vision of Environmental Education 2
How to Use these Guidelines 4
The Guidelines at a Glance 5
Theme #1—Environmental Literacy 7
Theme #2—Foundations of Environmental Education 8
Theme #3—Professional Responsibilities...
of the Environmental Educator
11
Theme #4—Planning and Implementing 14
Environmental Education Programs
Theme #5—Fostering Learning 21
Theme #6—Assessment and Evaluation 23
Appendix: Executive Summary, ,
Excellence in Environmental Education—
Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12)
27
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Introduction
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:
• 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;
• 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
• To full-time environmental educators as well as for those for whom environmental
education is just one of their responsibilities.
Environmental educators work in a variety of settings, at a variety of jobs. They teach in public
and private classrooms, and lead activities for children and adults at nonformal educational
institutions such as nature centers, zoos, museums, and parks. They teach at universities in
education, environmental studies, geography, natural resource, and science programs. They
develop curriculum materials and administer national, state, and local programs. Regardless of the
setting, Guidelines for the Preparation and Professional Development of Environmental
Educators outlines the experiences and learning that will help them deliver instruction that
effectively fosters environmental literacy.
This document presents an ambitious overview of the abilities and knowledge of a well-prepared
environmental educator; it does not seek to address more general educational competencies. 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.
Environmental Education:
A Vision for the Future
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).
The Belgrade Charter -was adopted by a United Nations conference and provides a widely
accepted goal statement for environmental education:
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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 collectively toward solutions of current problems and the prevention of new
ones.
Two 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, soda/, 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 environment;
• 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 an internationally 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, 1997), and the World Summit on Sustainable Development in
Johannesburg (United Nations, 2002) have influenced the work of many environmental educators.
By highlighting the importance of viewing the environment within the context of human
influences, this perspective has expanded the emphasis of environmental education by focusing
more attention on social equity, economics, culture, and political structure.
The Instructional Vision
of Environmental Education
These guidelines outline the abilities and understandings—or competencies—an educator needs to
implement environmental education successfully. Environmental education is a comprehensive
and cohesive whole that both draws on and advances broader educational goals and instructional
methods. Taken by themselves, these competencies may not capture this rich vision.
Environmental education is, at its heart, an integrative undertaking. Instructors teach across
disciplines, linking the methods and content of natural and social sciences, arts, mathematics,
and humanities to help learners fully understand and address complex environmental issues.
Environmental educators need the ability and the commitment to keep the whole picture in mind
as they guide students toward environmental literacy.
The learner is an active participant in environmental education. If learning is to become a
natural, valued part of life beyond school, instruction should engage the learner in the
process of building knowledge and skills and be guided in part by the student's interests.
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Three important ideas
that shape the instructional
vision of environmental educators
Systems
The idea of systems helps make sense of a large and complex world. A system has
parts that can be understood separately, but the whole cannot be understood
completely without recognizing the relationships among its parts. The human body
can be seen as a system; so can galaxies. Organizations, individual cells,
communities of animals and plants, and families can all be understood as systems.
And systems are nested within other systems.
Interdependence
Human well being is inextricably bound with environmental quality. We and the
systems we create—our societies, politics, economics, cultural activities,
technologies—affect the systems and cycles of the rest of nature. Since we are "in"
the system, a part of nature rather than outside it, we are challenged to recognize
the ramifications of our interdependence.
The importance of where one lives
Environmental education begins close to home, encouraging learners to explore and
understand their immediate surroundings. The sensitivity, knowledge, and skills
gained by forging this local connection provide a base for moving out into larger
systems, broader issues, and a lifetime of learning about causes, connections, and
consequences.
Environmental issues are complex and multifaceted. Especially because they can prompt deep
feelings and strong opinions, educators must take a balanced approach to instruction.
Environmental educators incorporate differing perspectives and points of view evenhandedly and
respectfully and present information with intellectual honesty. They involve learners in critical
evaluation of data, results, models, conclusions, and opinions. Fairness and accuracy are
watchwords for instruction.
Environmental education works both in and outside the classroom. Instructors foster learners'
innate curiosity and enthusiasm, providing them with early and continuing opportunities to
explore their environment. Experiences outside the classroom are an important instructional
strategy for engaging students in direct discovery of the world around them. This awareness of
their local community can prompt a personal commitment to apply skills and knowledge in pursuit
of environmental quality and quality of life.
Finally, environmental education provides opportunities for learners to enhance their capacity for
independent thinking and effective, responsible action. Engaging in individual and group
experiences helps learners develop these capacities independently and in collaborative situations
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that anticipate the ways in which problem-solving happens in the community, on the job, and in
the family. A strong emphasis on developing communication skills helps learners demonstrate
and disseminate their knowledge.
How to Use the Guidelines
Guidelines for the Preparation and Professional Development of Environmental Educators
is organized around six themes. Each theme describes a knowledge or skill area that must be
included in the pre-service and in-service training of an environmental educator. Under each
theme, general guidelines further articulate the knowledge and skills that must be mastered to
gain competency in that area. Finally, each guideline is accompanied by several more specific
indicators that suggest ways of assessing the abilities of new environmental educators, as well as
the quality of the programs that prepare them for their profession. Indicators are to be used simply
as examples and do not represent an all inclusive listing of abilities.
Sample Format for the Guidelines:
Theme #2—Foundations of
Environmental Education
invironmental educators must have a basic understanding of the theory, practice, and history of the
leld of environmental education. This knowledge provides a solid foundation on which new educators
:an build their own practice.
2.1 Fundamental characteristics
and goals of environmental education
Educators understand environmental education as a distinct field and know its defining charactenstics
ad goals.
• Identify the goals and objectives of environmental education as laid out in founding documents
of the field such as the Belgrade Charter (UNESCO-UNEP, 1976) and Tbilisi Declaration
(UNESCO, 1978), as well as in more recent definitions such as Agenda 21 (UNC^D, 1992).
• Describe the broad view that environmental education takes of "environment,^fncorporating
concepts such as systems, interdependence, and interactions among humans^other living
organisms, the physical environment, and the built or designed environmei
• Discuss environmental education as an interdisciplinary field and prov/ae examples of ways in
which it draws on and integrates knowledge from across academicyaisciplines.
Identify major components of environmental literacy. Discuss i
to the evolution of these concepts.
fluences that have contnbuted
• Relate environmental education's focus on environmentaLfiteracy and citizenship with the need
to provide opportunities for learners to enhance their capacity for independent thinking and
effective, responsible action.
2.2 How environmental education
is implemented
Educators understand that environmental education takes place in a vanety of settings and
•f support, program requirements, and other factors vary from context to context.
Identify a range of individuals, organizations, and agencies delivering environme
programs, including formal and nonformal programs. Identify efforts to link for
nonformal programs through partnerships and other collaborations.
feducation
1 and
-Theme
'Guidelines
Indicators
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To assist in the development of programs for pre-service and in-service preparation, each theme is
accompanied by references to several relevant articles and books. These references enable
developers and instructors of professional development programs and environmental education
courses to delve more deeply into the content of each theme.
The Guidelines at a Glance
This list includes the six themes and general guidelines required for competency in environmental
education. Each guideline is further articulated in the sections following this summary.
#1 — Environmental Literacy
Educators must be competent in the skills and understandings outlined in Excellence in
Environmental Education — Guidelines for Learning (Pre K—12).
1.1 Questioning, analysis, and interpretation skills
1.2 Knowledge of environmental processes and systems
1.3 Skills for understanding and addressing environmental issues
1.4 Personal and civic responsibility
#2 — Foundations of Environmental Education
Educators must have a basic understanding of the goals, theory, practice, and history of the field
of environmental education.
2.1 Fundamental characteristics and goals of environmental education
2.2 How environmental education is implemented
2.3 The evolution of the field
#3 — Professional Responsibilities
of the Environmental Educator
Educators must understand and accept the responsibilities associated with practicing
environmental education.
3.1 Exemplary environmental education practice
3.2 Emphasis on education, not advocacy
3.3 Ongoing learning and professional development
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#4—Planning and Implementing
Environmental Education
Educators must combine the fundamentals of high-quality education with the unique features of
environmental education to design and implement effective instruction.
4.1 Knowledge of learners
4.2 Knowledge of instructional methodologies
4.3 Planning for instruction
4.4 Knowledge of environmental education materials and resources
4.5 Technologies that assist learning
4.6 Settings for instruction
4.7 Curriculum planning
#5—Fostering Learning
Educators must enable learners to engage in open inquiry and investigation, especially when
considering environmental issues that are controversial and require students to seriously reflect on
their own and others' perspectives.
5.1 A climate for learning about and exploring the environment
5.2 An inclusive and collaborative learning environment
5.3 Flexible and responsive instruction
#6—Assessment and Evaluation
Environmental educators must possess the knowledge, abilities, and commitment to make
assessment and evaluation integral to instruction and programs.
6.1 Learner outcomes
6.2 Assessment that is part of instruction
6.3 Improving instruction
6.4 Evaluating programs
Selected References:
Brundtland, G. H. Our Common future: The World Commission on Environment and Development.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.
UNCED. Agenda 21: Programme of Action for Sustainable Development: EJo Declaration on
'.velopment. New York: United Nations, 1992.
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UNESCO/UNEP. "The Belgrade Charter," Connect \, no. 1 (1976): 1-2.
UNESCO. Final Report: Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education. Organized by
UNESCO in cooperation with UNEP, Tbilisi, USSR, 14-26 October 1977. Pans:
UNESCO, 1977.
UNESCO. Educating for a Sustainable Future: ^4 Transdisciplinary Vision for Concerted Action. Report
from the International Conference on Environment and Society: Education and Public Awareness for
Sustainability. Organized by UNESCO and the Government of Greece, Thessaloniki, 8—12
December 1997. Pans: UNESCO, 1997.
UNITED NATIONS. Report of the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Johannesburg,
South Africa, 26 August-4 September 2002. New York: United Nations, 2002.
Theme #1—
Environmental Literacy
Environmental educators must possess the understandings, skills, and attitudes associated with
environmental literacy. These competencies have been defined in detail in Excellence in
Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K—12), published by the North American
Association for Environmental Education, which should be considered a companion to this
document. Educators must gain a working knowledge of the content and skills they will be
teaching, with a mastery, at minimum, appropriate to the grade level at which they will be teaching
The outline below offers a broad summary of the content knowledge and basic skills required of
environmentally literate educators, and should guide the preparation of instructors. A more
detailed summary of Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K—12) is
included in the Appendix to this document, and the complete Guidelines document is referenced
below.
1.1 Questioning, analysis, and interpretation
skills
Developing environmental literacy depends on a willingness and ability to ask questions about the
surrounding world, speculate and hypothesize, seek and evaluate information, and develop
answers to questions. Environmental literacy requires a familiarity with some basic modes of
inquiry, a mastery of fundamental skills for gathering and organizing information, and an ability to
interpret and synthesize information and communicate explanations.
1.2 Knowledge of environmental processes and
systems
Environmental literacy hinges on understanding the processes and systems that comprise the
environment, including human social systems and their influences. That understanding is based on
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knowledge synthesized from across the traditional disciplines (especially the natural and social
sciences) and includes knowledge about: the Earth as a physical system; the living environment;
humans and their societies; and how society and the environment are linked.
1.3 Skills for understanding and
addressing environmental issues
Environmental literacy includes the abilities to learn about, evaluate, and act on environmental
issues. The skills and knowledge outlined in the first two guidelines (1.1, questioning and analysis
skills and 1.2, knowledge of environmental processes and systems) are applied and refined in the
context of these issues—the real-life dramas where differing viewpoints and interpretations of
data about environmental problems and their potential solutions are played out.
1.4 Personal and civic responsibility
Environmental literacy is activated by individual commitment. Environmentally literate citizens
are motivated and empowered to act on their own informed conclusions about what should be
done to ensure environmental quality. In developing and applying concept-based learnings and
skills for inquiry, analysis, and action, people cultivate an understanding that what they do as
individuals and in groups makes a difference.
References:
Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Learning (Pre K—12). Washington, D.C.:
North American Association for Environmental Education, 2nd edition 2004.
Theme #2—Foundations of
Environmental Education
Environmental educators must demonstrate a basic understanding of the goals, theory, practice,
and history of the field of environmental education. This knowledge provides a solid foundation
on which educators can build their own practice.
2.1 Fundamental characteristics
and goals of environmental education
Educators understand environmental education as a distinct field and know its defining
characteristics and goals.
• Identify the goals and objectives of environmental education as laid out in founding
documents of the field such as the Belgrade Charter (UNESCO-UNEP, 1976) and Tbilisi
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Declaration (UNESCO, 1978), as well as in more recent definitions such as Agenda 21
(UNCED, 1992).
• Describe the broad view that environmental education takes of "environment,"
incorporating concepts such as systems, interdependence, and interactions among humans,
other living organisms, the physical environment, and the built or designed environment.
• Discuss environmental education as an interdisciplinary field and provide examples of
ways in which it draws on and integrates knowledge from across academic disciplines.
• Identify major components of environmental literacy. Discuss influences that have
contributed to the evolution of these concepts, such as work done by Charles Roth, Harold
Hungerford, R. Ben Beyton, and Rick Wilke.
• Relate environmental education's focus on environmental literacy and citizenship with the
need to provide opportunities for learners to enhance their capacity for independent
thinking and effective, responsible action.
2.2 How environmental education
is implemented
Educators understand that environmental education takes place in a variety of settings and that
sources of support, program requirements, and other factors vary from context to context.
• Identify a range of individuals, organizations, and agencies delivering environmental
education programs, including formal and nonformal programs. Identify efforts to link
formal and nonformal programs through partnerships and other collaborations.
• Discuss how school policies, state or local mandates for environmental education, and
federal legislation influence environmental education efforts.
• Describe a variety of national, regional, state, and local environmental education programs
and support services, including funding sources and resources.
2.3 The evolution of the field
Educators are familiar with how the field of environmental education has changed over time and
continues to change.
• Discuss how educational movements, including progressive education, nature study,
outdoor education, conservation education, and ecology education, contributed to the
development of environmental education and how they differ from environmental
education.
• Discuss how the work of bodies such as the Brundtland Commission (Brundtland, 1987),
the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, 1992), the
International Conference on Environment and Society (UNESCO 1997), and the World
Summit on Sustainable Development (2002) has influenced—or might influence—
environmental education.
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Describe specific findings from environmental education research and discuss their effect
on how environmental education might be perceived, defined, or practiced.
Identify current and emerging issues in the field of environmental education. For example,
evaluate assertions that environmental education focuses more on advocacy rather than
education and discuss how these assertions are affecting environmental educators and
education programs.
Describe how specific environmental education research findings have informed the
educator's own perspective.
Selected References:
Brundtland, G. H. Our Common Future: The World Commission on Environment and Development.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.
Disinger, J. F. "Environmental Education's Definitional Problem," ERIC Clearinghouse for
Science, Mathematics and Environmental Education Information Bulletin #2. Columbus: ERIC/
SMEAC, 1983.
Disinger, J. F. "Tensions in Environmental Education: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow."
In Essential Readings in Environmental Education, edited by H. Hungerford, W Bluhm, T
Volk, and J. Ramsey. Champaign, IL: Stipes Publishing Company, 2001.
Disinger, J. F. and M. C. Monroe. Defining Environmental Education. EE Toolbox—Workshop
Resource Manual. Ann Arbor, MI: National Consortium for Environmental Education
and Training, 1994.
Disinger, J. F. and C. E. Roth. Environmental Uteracj. ERIC Clearinghouse for Science,
Mathematics and Environmental Education. CSMEE Digest 92-1, 2003.
Elder, J. A Field Guide to Environmental Literacy: Making Strategic Investments in Environmental
Education. Manchester, MA: Environmental Education Coalition, 2003.
Hungerford, H. R., R. B. Peyton, and R. Wilke. "Goals for Curriculum Development in
Environmental Education." Journal of Environmental Education 11, no. 2 (1980): 42^-7.
Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs. Benchmarks on the Way to
Environmental Uteracy. Boston, MA: Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental
Affairs, 2003
National Environmental Education Advisory Council. Report Assessing Environmental Education
in the United States and the Implementation of the National Environmental Education Act of 1990.
Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1996.
National Environmental Education and Training Foundation. Environmental Education: Resources
at a Glance. Washington, DC: National Environmental Education and Training Foundation,
2002.
Schoenfeld, C. "What's New About Environmental Education?" Journal of Environmental
Education 1, no. 1 (1969): \-4.
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Simmons, D. The NAAEE Standards Project: Papers on the Development of Environmental Education
Standards. Rock Spring, GA: North American Association for Environmental Education,
1995.
Stapp, W B., et al. "The Concept of Environmental Education." Journal of Environmental
Education 1, no. 1 (1969): 30-31.
Swan, M. "The Forerunners of Environmental Education." In What Makes Education
Environmental? edited by N. Mclnnis and D. Albrecht. Louisville, KY: Data Courier, 1975.
Tilbury, D., R. Stevenson, J. Fien and D. Schreuder (eds.) Education and Sustainable Development:
Responding to the Global Challenge. Gland: IUCN Commission on Education and
Communication, 2002.
UNCED. A_genda 21: Programme of Action for Sustainable Development: Rio Declaration on
Environment and Development. New York: United Nations, 1992.
UNESCO-UNEP. "The Belgrade Charter." Connect. UNESCO-UNEP Environmental
Education Newsletter 1, no. 1 (1976): 1-2.
UNESCO. "The Tbilisi Declaration: Final Report Intergovernmental Conference on
Environmental Education Organized by UNESCO in cooperation with UNEP, Tbilisi,
USSR, 14-26 October 1977." Connect 3, no. 1 (1978).
UNESCO. Educating for a Sustainable Future: A Transdisciplinary Vision for Concerted Action.
(Report from the International Conference on Environment and Society: Education and
Public Awareness for Sustainability, Thessaloniki, December 8-12, 1997), 1997.
UNESCO. Education for Sustainability - From Rio to Johannesburg: Lessons Learned from a Decade of
Commitment. NY: UNESCO, 2002.
Theme #3—Professional
Responsibilities of the
Environmental Educator
Environmental educators must understand and accept the responsibilities associated with
practicing environmental education. In their pre-service and in-service preparation, educators
should come to understand environmental education as a profession that maintains consistent and
high standards for instruction and professional conduct.
3.1 Exemplary environmental
education practice
Educators understand their responsibility to provide environmental education that is appropriate,
constructive, and aligned with the standards of the field.
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Identify ways in which environmental education can be used as a tool for meeting
curriculum standards and addressing education reform goals. Identify and practice ways in
which educators can enhance these links in their work.
Assess the role of partnerships with community members and organizations, government
agencies, businesses, the formal and nonformal education systems, and others in providing
environmental education that is appropriate and helpful to the community.
Model responsible, respectful, and reasoned behavior during instruction.
Model the process of inquiry and application of environmental investigations in
instruction.
3.2 Emphasis on education, not advocacy
Educators understand that their commitment as environmental educators is to provide accurate,
balanced, and effective instruction—not to promote a particular view about environmental
conditions, issues, or actions.
• Identify and implement instructional techniques for presenting differing viewpoints and
theories in a balanced manner and identifying potential sources of bias in information.
• Differentiate among instructional materials on the basis of their factual accuracy. Select
and use materials that together present a range of differing viewpoints, ethical positions
and interpretations where there are differences of opinion or competing scientific
explanations. Weigh evidence regarding environmental problems based on validity of data
(e.g., from scientific societies or reputable journals).
• Identify and implement instructional strategies and techniques that encourage learners to
explore different perspectives, form their own opinions, and explain their beliefs.
3.3 Ongoing learning and professional
development
Educators are aware of the need to be active learners in their professional lives.
• Identify and practice ways of continually updating information about the environment and
issues, current research, environmental education materials, and instructional methods. For
example, critically read scientific journals or join and actively participate in local, state,
national, or international organizations associated with environmental education, or
participate in a professional certification program.
• Identify and develop relationships with mentors, advisors, and others who challenge
educators to expand and upgrade their knowledge and skills and expand their firsthand
understanding of different points of view about environmental issues.
• Reflect on and learn from personal practice as an environmental educator, both
individually and with other professionals and colleagues. Use tools such as peer coaching,
portfolios, and journals.
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Seek out opportunities to learn essential content and skills in real-world environmental
settings or contexts, especially within the communities and ecosystems in which one lives
and teaches.
Learn and use research and analytical skills to expand existing knowledge about the
environment, related issues, and environmental education.
Selected References:
Archie, M. Environmental Education—Moving into the Educational Mainstream. Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2001.
Archie, M. Advancing Education Through Environmental Literacy. Alexandria, VA: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2003.
Environmental Education Materials: Guidelines for Excellence. Washington, D.C.: North American
Association for Environmental Education, 2nd edition 2004.
Hug, J. "Two Hats." In The Report of the North American Regional Seminar on Environmental
Education for the Real World, edited by J. Aldrich, A. Blackburn, and A. George. Columbus,
OH: SMEAC Information Reference Center, 1977.
National Environmental Education and Training Foundation and North American Association
for Environmental Education. Environment-Based Education: Creating High Performance Schools
and Students. Washington, DC: National Environmental Education and Training
Foundation, 2000.
National Environmental Education and Training Foundation and North American Association
for Environmental Education. Using Environment-based Education to Advance Learning Skills
o o
and Character Development. Washington, DC: National Environmental Education and
Training Foundation, 2001.
"Nine Guiding Principles: Professional Responsibilities of Environmental Educators. In
Environmental Education in the United States—Past, Present, and Future: Collected Papers of the
1996 National Environmental Education Summit, edited by M. Archie. Washington, DC: North
American Association for Environmental Education, 1998.
Nonformal Environmental Education Programs: Guidelines for Excellence. Washington, D.C.: North
American Association for Environmental Education, 2004.
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Theme #4-Planning
and Implementing
Environmental Education
Environmental educators must combine the fundamentals of high-quality education with the
unique features of environmental education to design and implement effective instruction. Their
professional preparation should enable educators to provide the interdisciplinary, hands-on,
investigative learning opportunities that are central to environmental education.
4.1 Knowledge of learners
Educators know how to tailor instructional approaches to meet the needs of, yet challenge,
different learners.
• Identify and model methods for presenting the environment or environmental issues in
appropriate and engaging ways for learners of different ages, backgrounds, levels of
knowledge, and developmental abilities. (This range may include adults, especially for
educators in nonformal settings.)
• Select environmental education materials and strategies that are developmentally
appropriate for a designated age or level of knowledge. Adjust these to respond to
individual differences among learners.
• Demonstrate an understanding of learning theories such as multiple intelligences and
learning styles. Organize environmental education instruction to accommodate different
approaches to learning.
• Apply theories of cognitive and moral/social development in creating an environmental
education instructional plan for a particular grade level, class, or group.
• Recognize and acknowledge the validity of varying cultural perspectives present in groups
of learners. Tailor instructional approaches to respond to these perspectives and use them
as an educational resource.
4.2 Knowledge of instructional methodologies
Educators are familiar with and can employ a range of instructional methods that are particularly
suited to environmental education.
• Select among relevant environmental topics and issues for study based on learners'
interests and their ability to construct knowledge to gain conceptual understanding.
• Use a variety of teaching methods and strategies appropriate for the environmental
education content and context (see box below).
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Essential Approaches to
Environmental Education Instruction
Environmental educators employ many instructional strategies—ranging from lecture and
discussion to action research, and from reading assignments to panel discussions and
debates. While many methods are useful in environmental education, there are some
instructional methods that are particularly well suited to environmental education content.
Educators should be familiar with these and be able to put them into action. They include:
• Hands-on observation and discovery in the
environment
• Inquiry
• Cooperative learning
• Community-based action research and problem
solving
• Investigating environmental issues
• Service learning
• Simulations and models
• Case studies
• Problem-based learning
• Project-based learning
References for these instructional methods are included at the end of this section.
Select instructional methodologies based on learning objectives, learner characteristics,
time requirements, involvement of community members, community dynamics and
policies, available resources, and the instructional setting.
4.3 Planning for instruction
Educators are able to plan age-appropriate environmental education instruction and programs that
meet specific instructional goals.
• Produce a plan for environmental education instruction and demonstrate how the overall
plan and specific elements (such as plans for units of instructional or daily activities)
enhance coordination or integration across disciplines or help meet specific goals of
environmental education.
• Develop a plan for a coherent, focused environmental education program that is consistent
with the content outlined in Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Eearning (Pre
K—12) or comparable expectations for adults.
-------
Demonstrate how plans for environmental education instruction will help learners meet
relevant national, state, and local educational standards for learning performance in
specific disciplines.
4.4 Knowledge of environmental education
materials and resources
Educators are aware of a range of materials and resources for their environmental education
efforts and understand how to access, evaluate and use these resources.
• Identify and evaluate materials and education resources using criteria such as those
suggested in Environmental Education Materials: Guidelines for Excellence.
• Demonstrate ways in which the community can be a resource for environmental education,
identifying local businesses, service organizations, government agencies, nonprofit
organizations, and others that may participate in and support instructional programs.
• Identify and use sources of information about instructional materials and other resources
including training offered by national, state, and local environmental education programs
and professional organizations.
• Use the Internet to identify and access sources of information about the environment,
particular issues, and educational resources. Critically evaluate the usefulness of resources
found on the Internet.
4.5 Technologies that assist learning
Educators are familiar with a range of technologies available to assist student learning.
• Use a variety of tools for environmental observation, measurement, and monitoring (e.g.,
magnifying glasses, chemical tests, hygrometers, survey and interview techniques, traffic
counts) and instruct learners in their safe and proper use.
• Demonstrate proficiency with technologies used to display, analyze, and communicate
environmental information.
• Identify sources of expertise about unfamiliar learning technologies and learn from them or
incorporate this outside expertise into instruction.
4.6 Settings for instruction
Educators understand the importance of a safe and conducive learning environment both indoors
and outside.
• Demonstrate a concern for learner safety in designing, planning, and implementing
instruction, especially experiences that are hands-on or that take place outside the
classroom. Attend to the physical layout and maintenance of the learning facility or center
so learners can use it safely and effectively.
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Identify, create, and use diverse settings for environmental education, appropriate to
different subject matter and available resources. These may include the school yard,
laboratory, field settings, community settings, museums, zoos, demonstration sites, and
other places.
Identify or develop and implement responses to real or perceived barriers to using
expanded settings (such as outdoor settings) in educational and safe ways.
Plan and implement instruction that first links content to learners' immediate surroundings
and experience then expands learners' horizons as appropriate to larger environmental
issues and contexts.
4.7 Curriculum planning
Educators are familiar with ways of including environmental education in the curriculum.
• Describe basic approaches to creating a developmentally appropriate scope and sequence
for environmental education curricula.
• Develop an environmental education program designed to meet the educational goals of an
agency or other institution using criteria such as those outlined in Nonformal Environmental
Education: Guidelines for Excellence.
• Develop a plan for integrating environmental education into the formal school curriculum,
either across the curriculum or as a separate course or emphasis within one or more areas
of study.
• Demonstrate links between environmental education curricula (or plans for integrating
environmental education into an existing curriculum) and national, state, or local standards
in disciplines such as science, mathematics, social studies, geography, and language arts.
• Correlate environmental education with state education standards in a particular discipline
or grade level.
Selected References:
Abrams, K. and J. Ballas. Teaching Naturally: Using Environment to Improve Teaching and Learning.
Tallahassee: Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida Department of Education, 1997.
Armstrong, T. Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development, 2000.
Athman, J. "'Park as Classrooms' Field Trips: Just Another Day in the Park?" Legacy, July/
August 1997.
Babcock, B. (ed.) Learning from Experience: A. Collection of Service-Learning Projects Linking
Academic Standards to Curriculum. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Department of Public
Instruction, 2000.
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Baloche, L. A. The Cooperative Classroom: Empowering Learning. Columbus, OH: Prentice Hall,
1997.
Bardwell, L. V, M. Monroe, and M. Tudor, eds. Environmental Problem Solving: Theory, Practice and
Possibilities in Environmental Education. Rock Spring, GA: North American Association for
Environmental Education, 1994.
Barell, J. Developing More Curious Minds. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development, 2003.
Brandt, R., ed. Collaborative Learning and the Cooperative School. Alexandria, VA: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1991.
Cairn, R. and T. L. Coble. Learning by Giving: K—8 Service-Learning Curriculum Guide. Roseville,
MN: National Youth Leadership Council, 1993.
Chard, S. The Project Approach: A Practical Guide for Teachers. Edmonton, Alberta: North
University of Alberta, 1996.
Clifton, L., T. Mauney, and R. Falkner. Take a Class Outdoors: A Guidebook for Environmental
Service Learning. Clemson, SC: National Dropout Prevention Center, 2001.
Cothron, J., R. N. Giese and R. J. Rezba. Students and Research. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt
Publishing, 1996.
Delisle, R. How to Use Problem-Based Learning in the Classroom. Alexandria, VA: Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1997.
Engleson, D. C. and D. Yockers. A Guide to Curriculum Planning in Environmental Education.
Milwaukee: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 1994.
Environmental Education Materials: Guidelines for Excellence. Washington, DC: North American
Association for Environmental Education, 2nd edition 2004.
Excellence in Environmental Education- Guidelines for Learning (Pre K—12). Washington, DC: North
American Association for Environmental Education, 2nd edition 2004.
Erlauer, L. The Brain-Compatible Classroom: Using What We Know About Learning to Improve
Teaching. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2003.
Glasgow, N. A. New Curriculum for New Times: A Guide to Student-Centered, Problem-Based Learning.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 1997.
Grant, T. and G. Little) ohn (eds). Greening S chool Grounds: Creating Habitats for Learning. Gabriola
Island, BC: New Society Publishers, 2001.
Hagenruber, D. and H. R. Hungerford. Threatened and Endangered Animals. Champaign, IL:
Stipes Publishing Company, 1993.
Hammond, W F. "Educating for Action: A Framework for Thinking about the Place of Action
in Environmental Education." Green Teacher, no. 50 (1997): 6—14.
Hammond, W E, J. T. Christens en, J. Butler, and M. Stuart. The Monday Groups: Engaging
in Community Based Action. Fort Myers, FL: Lee County Schools, 1971.
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Heimlich, J. Environmental Education: A Resource Handbook. Bloomington, IN: Phi Delta Kappa
Educational Foundation, 2002.
Huneerford, H. R., et al. Investigating and Evaluating Environmental Issues and Actions: Skills
o ' ' o o o
Development Program. Champaign, IL: Stipes Publishing Company, 2003.
Jarrett, D. Inquiry Strategies for Science and Mathematics Learning. It's Just Good Teaching. Portland,
OR: Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, 1997.
Jensen, E. Teaching with the Brain in Mind. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development, 1998.
Johnson, D, R. T. Johnson and E. J. Holubec. The Nen> Circles of Learning: Cooperation in the
Classroom and School. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development, 1994.
Johnson, D. W, R. T. Johnson, and E. J. Holubec. Cooperative Learning in the Classroom.
Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1995.
Jones, B. E, C. M. Rasmussen and M. C. Moffitt. Real-Life Problem Solving: A Collaborative
Approach to Interdisciplinary Learning. Washington, DC: American Psychological
Association, 1997.
Kaye, C. The Complete Guide to Service Learning. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publications,
2003.
Kinsley, C. W and K. McPherson, eds. Enriching the Curriculum through Service Learning.
Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Design, 1995.
Knapp, C. Just Beyond the Classroom. Charleston, WV: ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education
and Small Schools, 1996.
Lazear, D. Eight Ways of Knowing. 3rd ed. Arlington Heights, IL: SkyLight Training and
Publishing Inc., 1999.
Lieberman G. and L. Hoody. Closing the Achievement Gap: Using the Environment as an Integrating
Context for Learning. Poway, CA: Science Wizards, 1998.
Lounsbury, J., ed. Connecting the Curriculum through Interdisciplinary Instruction. Columbus, OH:
National Middle School Association, 1992.
Mamchur, C. A Teacher's Guide to Cognitive Type Theory and Learning. Alexandria, VA: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1996.
Marcinkowski, T., T. Volk, and H. Hungerford. An Environmental Education Approach to the
Training of Middle Level Teachers: A Prototype Programme. Paris: UNESCO/UNEP, 1990.
Marzano, R. What Works in Schools: Translating Research into Action. Alexandria, VA: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2003.
Monroe, M. and D. Cappaert. Integrating Environmental Education into the School Curriculum. EE
Toolbox—Workshop Resource Manual. Ann Arbor, MI: National Consortium for
Environmental Education and Training, 1994.
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Moore, R. and H. Wong. Natural Learning: Creating Environments for Rediscovering Nature's Way of
Teaching. Berkeley, CA: MIG Communications, 1997.
National Environmental Education and Training Foundation. Environmental Education and
Educational Achievement: Promising Programs and Resources. Washington, DC: National
Environmental Education and Training Foundation, 2002.
Nonformal Environmental Education Programs: Guidelines for Excellence. Washington DC: North
American Association for Environmental Education, 2004.
Ramsey, J. "Comparing Four Environmental Problem Solving Models." In Essential Readings
in Environmental Education, edited by H. Hungerford, W Bluhm, T. Volk, and J. Ramsey.
Champaign, IL: Stipes Publication Company, 1998.
Rogers, L. The California Freshwater Shrimp Project: An Example of Environmental Project-Based
Eearning. Berkeley, CA: Heyday Books, 1996.
Rohwedder, W J. Computer-Aided Environmental Education. Rock Spring, GA: North
American Association for Environmental Education, 1990.
S ervice-Eearning: Education Beyond the Classroom. Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, 2002.
Share, E. and L. Rogers. "Get Real! Project-Based Learning." Learning, January-February
1996, 61-65.
Silver, H. R. Strong, M. Perini. So Each May Eearn: Integrating Eearning Styles and Multiple
Intelligences. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development,
2000.
Slavin, R. E. Student Team Eearning: A Practical Guide to Cooperative Eearning. 3rd ed.
Washington, DC: National Education Association, 1991.
Sobel, D Place-Based Education: Connecting Classrooms and Communities. Great Barrington, MA:
Orion Society, 2004.
Stapp, W B. "Environmental Education: Approaches to Curriculum Development
(K—12)." In Processes for a Quality Environment, edited by R. S. Cook and G. T. O'Hearn,
77-78. Green Bay: University of Wisconsin Press, 1971.
Stapp, W B., A. E. J. Wals, and S. L. Stankorb. Environmental Education for Empowerment:
Action Research and Community Problem Solving. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing,
1996.
Tomlinson, C. and C. Cunningham. Differentiation in Practice: A Resource Guide for Differentiating
Curriculum, Grades 5—9. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development, 2003.
Tomlinson, C. and C. Cunningham. Differentiation in Practice: A Resource Guide for Differentiating
Curriculum, Grades K-5. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development, 2003.
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Torp, L. and S. Sage. Problems as Possibilities: Problem-BasedEearningforK—12 Education.
Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2002.
Wade, R. C, ed. Community Service-Learning. A Guide to Including Service in the "Public School
Curriculum. State University of New York: SUNY Press, 1997.
Wilke, R., R. B. Peyton, and H. Hungerford. Strategies for the ^Training of Teachers in
Environmental Education. Paris: UNESCO/UNEP, 1987.
Wilson, R. A., ed. Environmental Education at the Early Childhood Eevel. Rock Spring, GA:
North American Association for Environmental Education, 1994.
Woodhouse, J. and Knapp, C. "Place-Based Curriculum and Instruction: Outdoor and
Environmental Education Approaches." ERIC Digest. Report EDO-RC-00-6; 4 p. Dec.
2000.
Theme #5—Fostering Learning
Environmental educators must enable learners to engage in open inquiry and investigation,
especially when considering environmental issues that are controversial and require learners to
seriously reflect on their own and others' perspectives. Educators' training should prepare them to
foster an environment, including participant interactions, that is conducive to learning.
5.1 A climate for learning about
and exploring the environment
Educators understand how to create a climate in which learners are intellectually stimulated and
motivated to learn about the environment.
• Relate the idea of lifelong learning to instructional practices that engage learners in taking
responsibility for their own learning and expectations for achievement. Demonstrate
proficiency with these practices in instructional settings.
• Imbue instruction with a sense of the importance and excitement of the content.
• Provide opportunities for experiences that increase learners' awareness of—and enthusiasm
for—the natural and human-designed environment.
• Incorporate opportunities for learners to have firsthand experiences exploring the world
around them.
• Discuss why fostering clear and independent thinking is important in light of
environmental education's goal of developing environmentally literate citizens.
• Identify and use instructional techniques that encourage learners to ask questions and
explore a variety of answers.
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5.2 An inclusive and collaborative
learning environment
Educators know how to maximize learning by fostering openness and collaboration among
learners.
Identify and use ways to encourage flexibility, creativity, and openness, considering the
assumptions and interpretations that influence the conclusions that learners and others
draw about the environment and environmental issues.
Relate learners' capacity for collaborative work to their ability to function as responsible
and effective citizens. Describe and implement management techniques that foster
independent and productive group work.
Include diverse cultures, races, genders, social groups, ages, and perspectives with respect,
equity, and an acknowledgment of the value of such diversity. Use diverse backgrounds
and perspectives as instructional resources.
5.3 Flexible and responsive instruction
Educators know how to augment proper planning with the flexibility that allows them to take
advantage of new instructional opportunities.
• Modify instructional plans and approaches, when appropriate, to take advantage of
unexpected opportunities (e.g. new developments in community issues, recent events or
phenomena that are in the news, or breakthroughs in scientific understanding) and learner
questions and interests.
• Blend a variety of instructional methods and activities to meet instructional objectives.
Make smooth transitions from one to another.
• Work collaboratively with other instructors and discipline areas, adapting instructional
approaches as needed to blend or complement instructional styles and to meet shared
environmental education goals.
Selected References:
Marouli, C. "Multicultural Environmental Education: Theory and Practice." Canadian Journal
of Environmental Education, V 7 no. 1, p 26^-2, Spring 2002.
Reissman, R. The Evolving Multicultural Classroom. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development, 1994.
Salter-Stith, C. J. Washburn, and D A. Barton. Circle of Sharing: Making Your Environmental
Education Programs Multicultural. Proceedings of the 1993 National Interpreters Workshop.
Washington, DC: National Park Service, 1994.
Sobel, D. Beyond Ecophobia; Reclaiming the Heart in Nature Education. Great Barrington, MA:
Orion, 1996.
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Weilbacher, M. "Education that Cannot Wait." E Magazine, March/April 1991, 29-35.
Theme #6—Assessment
and Evaluation
Environmental educators possess the knowledge, abilities, and commitment to make assessment
and evaluation integral to instruction and programs. Professional preparation should provide
educators with tools for assessing learner progress and evaluating the effectiveness of their own
programs.
6.1 Learner outcomes
Educators understand the importance of tying assessment to learning.
• State expected learner outcomes that are tied to the goals and objectives of environmental
education.
• Identify national, state, and local standards that apply to stated learner outcomes and link
assessment of environmental education learnings to these.
• Develop and use a variety of strategies for assessing learning outcomes that reflect both
subject area standards and environmental education goals and objectives.
• Describe and use means for engaging learners in setting their own expectations for
achievement. Discuss the importance of these abilities in light of environmental
education's emphasis on learner-centered education and lifelong learning.
6.2 Assessment that is part of instruction
Educators are familiar with ways of incorporating assessment into environmental education.
• Make objectives and other expectations clear to learners at the outset of an environmental
education activity or instruction.
• Provide examples of and implement specific performance-based assessments such as
portfolios, open-ended questions, oral reports, group or independent research, or other
projects appropriate to environmental education instruction.
• Identify and use techniques that assess learners' baseline understandings and skills at the
beginning of environmental education programs, lessons, units, and other segments of
instruction such as school terms.
• Develop formative and summative assessment tools appropriate to specific environmental
education instructional segments or projects.
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Discuss the importance of and identify techniques for encouraging learners to assess their
own and others' work. Use these assessments to improve their learning experiences.
6.3 Improving instruction
Educators know how to use their instructional experiences and assessments to improve future
instruction.
• Organize, interpret, and use the results of differing kinds of assessment to help modify and
improve future instruction.
• Demonstrate a willingness and ability to collect additional information from and about
learners to help modify and improve future instruction.
• Seek out opportunities to reflect, individually and with colleagues, on their own
instructional practices and the broader practice of environmental education within the
field.
6.4 Evaluating Programs
Educators understand the importance of evaluating environmental education programs and are
familiar with basic evaluation approaches.
• Discuss how program evaluation, including needs assessment, formative evaluation, and
summative evaluation, contributes to program design and implementation.
• Differentiate among program outputs, outcomes, and impacts and explain how they relate
to program goals and objectives.
• Describe reasons for evaluating environmental education programs.
• List a variety of data collection methods used in environmental education program
evaluation.
• Develop a plan for integrating evaluation into the overall program design process using
criteria such as those suggested in Nonformal Environmental Education Programs: Guidelines for
Excellence.
Selected References:
Bennett, D "The Evaluation of Environmental Education Learning." In Trends in Environmental
Education. Pans: UNESCO/UNEP, 1977.
Bennett, D. Evaluating Environmental Education in Schools. Paris: UNESCO/UNEP, 1984.
Diamond, J. Practical Evaluation guide: Tools for Museums and Other Informal Educational Settings.
Walnut Creek, CA: Alta Mira Press, 1999.
Doran, R. F. Chan, and P. Tamir. Science Educator's Guide to Assessment. Arlington, VA: National
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Science Teachers Association, 1998.
Fitz-Gibbon, D., L. Morris. How to Design a program Evaluation. Newbury Park: Sage
Publications, 1987.
Frechtilling, J. et. al. The 2002 User Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation. Washington, DC:
National Science Foundation, 2002.
Hibbard, K. M., et al. A Teacher's Guide to Performance-Based Learning and Assessment. Alexandria,
VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1996.
Hollweg, K. Are We Making a Difference? Rock Spring, GA: North American Association for
Environmental Education, 1997.
Marcinkowski, T. "Assessment in Environmental Education." In Essential ^Leadings in
Environmental Education, edited by H. Hungerford et al. Champaign, IL: Stipes Publishing
Company, 2001.
Patton, M. Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage publications,
2001.
Sanders, J. The Program Evaluation Standards. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1994.
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Appendix
Executive Summary:
Excellence in Environmental Education—
Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12)
The Executive Summary can be used as an easy reference to Excellence in Environmental Education—
Guidelines for Learning (Pre K—12) published by the North American Association for Environmental
Education. As in the full document, the Executive Summary is organized into four strands, each
of which is further delineated by a set of guidelines that describe a level of skill or knowledge
appropriate for each of three grade levels: fourth, eighth, and twelfth. In the Executive Summary,
guidelines for a particular strand are arranged on two page layouts, so the user can quickly
understand the flow of guidelines at a grade level or compare how guidelines progress across the
grade levels. It should be remembered that the Executive Summary is designed to provide only an
overview. For a more in-depth view of the strands and their guidelines, it will be necessary to refer
to Excellence in Environmental Education—Guidelines for Eearning (Pre K—12).
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OVERVIEW
FOURTH GRADE
Learners should be able to meet the guidelines
included in this section by the end of fourth
grade.
The pre kindergarten through fourth grade
years are a time of tremendous cognitive
development. By third and fourth grades,
learners have developed some basic skills that
help them construct knowledge. Instructors in
earlier grade levels should use these fourth
grade guidelines as a target, extrapolating from
this end goal appropriate activities and lessons
for younger learners.
In these early years of formal education,
learners tend to be concrete thinkers with a
natural curiosity about the world around them.
Environmental education can build on these
characteristics by focusing on observation and
exploration of the environment—beginning
close to home.
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
Learners should be able to meet the guidelines
included in this section by the end of eighth
grade.
In the fifth through eighth grades, learners
begin to develop skills in abstract thinking and
continue to develop creative thinking skills—
and along with these, the ability to understand
the interplay of environmental and human
social systems in greater depth. Environmental
education can foster this development by
focusing on investigation of local
environmental systems, problems, and issues.
As learners become actively engaged in
deciding for themselves what is right and
wrong, educators can use environmental
problems to help learners explore their own
responsibilities and ethics.
Learners should be able to meet the guidelines
included in this section by the time they
graduate from high school.
By the end of twelfth grade, learners are well
on their way to environmental literacy. They
should possess the basic skills and dispositions
they need to understand and act on
environmental problems and issues as
responsible citizens—and to continue the
learning process throughout their lives. In the
ninth through twelfth grades, environmental
education can promote active and responsible
citizenship by challenging learners to hone and
apply problem-solving, analysis, persuasive
communication, and other higher level skills—
often in real-world contexts.
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STRAND 1—
Questioning, Analysis and
Interpretation Skills
FOURTH GRADE
A) Questioning—Learners are able to
develop questions that help them learn about
the environment and do simple
investigations.
B) Designing investigations—Learners are
able to design simple investigations.
C) Collecting information—Learners are
able to locate and collect information about
the environment and environmental topics.
D) Evaluating accuracy and reliability—
Learners understand the need to use reliable
information to answer their questions. They
are familiar with some basic factors to
consider in judging the merits of information.
E) Organizing information—Learners are
able to describe data and organize
information to search for relationships and
patterns concerning the environment and
environmental topics.
F) Working with models and
simulations—Learners understand that
relationships, patterns, and processes can be
represented by models.
G) Drawing conclusions and developing
explanations—Learners can develop simple
explanations that address their questions
about the environment.
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
A) Questioning—Learners are able to
develop, focus, and explain questions that help
them learn about the environment and do
environmental investigations.
B) Designing investigations—Learners are
able to design environmental investigations to
answer particular questions—often their own
questions.
C) Collecting information—Learners are able
to locate and collect reliable information about
the environment or environmental topics using
a variety of methods and sources.
D) Evaluating accuracy and reliability—
Learners are able to judge the weaknesses and
strengths of the information they are using.
E) Organizing information—Learners are
able to classify and order data, and to organize
and display information in ways that help
analysis and interpretation.
F) Working with models and simulations—
Learners understand many of the uses and
limitations of models.
G) Drawing conclusions and developing
explanations—Learners are able to synthesize
their observations and findings into coherent
explanations.
A) Questioning—Learners are able to develop,
modify, clarify, and explain questions that guide
environmental investigations of various types.
They understand factors that influence the
questions they pose.
B) Designing investigations—Learners know
how to design investigations to answer
particular questions about the environment.
They are able to develop approaches for
investigating unfamiliar types of problems and
phenomena.
C) Collecting information—Learners are able
to locate and collect reliable information for
environmental investigations of many types.
They know how to use sophisticated
technology to collect information, including
computer programs that access, gather, store,
and display data.
D) Evaluating accuracy and reliability—
Learners can apply basic logic and reasoning
skills to evaluate completeness and reliability in
a variety of information sources.
E) Organizing information—Learners are
able to organize and display information in
ways appropriate to different types of
environmental investigations and purposes.
F) Working with models and simulations—
Learners are able to create, use, and evaluate
models to understand environmental
phenomena.
G) Drawing conclusions and developing
explanations—Learners are able to use
evidence and logic in developing proposed
explanations that address their initial questions
and hypotheses.
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STRAND 2—
Knowledge of Environmental
Processes and Systems
FOURTH GRADE
STRAND 2.1—
The Earth as
a Physical System
STRAND 2.2—
The Living Environment
A) Processes that shape the Earth—
Learners are able to identify changes and
differences in the physical environment.
B) Changes in matter—Learners are able to
identify basic characteristics of and changes in
matter.
C) Energy—While they may have little
understanding of formal concepts associated
with energy, learners are familiar with the basic
behavior of some different forms of energy.
A) Organisms, populations, and
communities—Learners understand basic
similarities and differences among a wide
variety of living organisms. They understand
the concept of habitat.
B) Heredity and evolution—Learners
understand that plants and animals have
different characteristics and that many of the
characteristics are inherited.
C) Systems and connections—Learners
understand basic ways in which organisms are
related to their environments and to other
organisms.
D) Flow of matter and energy—Learners
know that living things need some source of
energy to live and grow.
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
A) Processes that shape the Earth—
Learners have a basic understanding of most
of the physical processes that shape the Earth.
They are able to explore the origin of
differences in physical patterns.
B) Changes in matter—Learners understand
the properties of the substances that make up
objects or materials found in the environment.
C) Energy—Learners begin to grasp formal
concepts related to energy by focusing on
energy transfer and transformations. They are
able to make connections among phenomena
such as light, heat, magnetism, electricity, and
the motion of objects.
A) Organisms, populations, and
communities—Learners understand that
biotic communities are made up of plants
and animals that are adapted to live in
particular environments.
B) Heredity and evolution—Learners have
a basic understanding of the importance of
genetic heritage.
C) Systems and connections—Learners
understand major kinds of interactions
among organisms or populations of
organisms.
D) Flow of matter and energy—Learners
understand how energy and matter flow
among the abiotic and biotic components of
the environment.
A) Processes that shape the Earth—
Learners understand the major physical
processes that shape the Earth. They can
relate these processes, especially those that
are large-scale and long-term, to characteristics
of the Earth.
B) Changes in matter—Learners apply their
understanding of chemical reactions to round
out their explanations of environmental
characteristics and everyday phenomena.
C) Energy—Learners apply their knowledge
of energy and matter to understand
phenomena in the world around them.
A) Organisms, populations, and
communities—Learners understand basic
population dynamics and the importance of
diversity in living systems.
B) Heredity and evolution—Learners
understand the basic ideas and genetic
mechanisms behind biological evolution.
C) Systems and connections—Learners
understand the living environment to be
comprised of interrelated, dynamic systems.
D) Flow of matter and energy—Learners are
able to account for environmental
characteristics based on their knowledge of
how matter and energy interact in living
systems.
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STRAND 2—
Knowledge of Environmental
Processes and Systems
FOURTH GRADE
STRAND 2.3—
Humans and Their Societies
A) Individuals and groups—Learners
understand that people act as individuals and
as group members and that groups can
influence individual actions.
B) Culture—Learners understand that
experiences and places may be interpreted
differently by people with different cultural
backgrounds, at different times, or with other
frames of reference.
C) Political and economic systems—
Learners understand that government and
economic systems exist because people living
together in groups need ways to do things such
as provide for needs and wants, maintain order,
and manage conflict.
D) Global connections—Learners understand
how people are connected at many levels—
including the global level—by actions and
common responsibilities that concern the
environment.
E) Change and conflict—Learners recognize
that change is a normal part of individual and
societal life. They understand that conflict is
rooted in different points of view.
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
A) Individuals and groups—Learners
understand that how individuals perceive the
environment is influenced in part by individual
traits and group membership or affiliation.
B) Culture—As they become familiar with a
wider range of cultures and subcultures,
learners gain an understanding of cultural
perspectives on the environment and how the
environment may, in turn, influence culture.
C) Political and economic systems—
Learners become more familiar with political
and economic systems and how these systems
take the environment into consideration.
D) Global connections—Learners become
familiar with ways in which the world's
environmental, social, economic, cultural, and
political systems are linked.
E) Change and conflict—Learners
understand that human social systems change
over time and that conflicts sometimes arise
over differing and changing viewpoints about
the environment.
A) Individuals and groups—Learners
understand the influence of individual and
group actions on the environment, and how
groups can work to promote and balance
interests.
B) Culture—Learners understand cultural
perspectives and dynamics and apply their
understanding in context.
C) Political and economic systems—
Learners understand how different political
and economic systems account for, manage,
and affect natural resources and environmental
quality.
D) Global connections—Learners are able
to analyze global, social, cultural, political,
economic, and environmental linkages.
E) Change and conflict—Learners
understand the functioning of public processes
for promoting and managing change and
conflict, and can analyze their effects on the
environment.
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STRAND 2—
Knowledge of Environmental
Processes and Systems
FOURTH GRADE
STRAND 2.4—
Environment and Society
A) Human/environment interactions—
Learners understand that people depend on,
change, and are affected by the environment.
B) Places—Learners understand that places
differ in their physical and human
characteristics.
C) Resources—Learners understand the basic
concepts of resource and resource distribution.
D) Technology—Learners understand that
technology is an integral part of human
existence and culture.
E) Environmental issues—Learners are
familiar with some local environmental issues
and understand that people in other places
experience environmental issues as well.
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
A) Human/environment interactions—
Learners understand that human-caused
changes have consequences for the
immediate environment as well as for other
places and future times.
B) Places—Learners begin to explore the
meaning of places both close to home and
around the world.
C) Resources—Learners understand that
uneven distribution of resources influences
their use and perceived value.
D) Technology—Learners understand
the human ability to shape and control the
environment as a function of the
capacities for creating knowledge and
developing new technologies.
E) Environmental issues—Learners are
familiar with a range of environmental
issues at scales that range from local to
national to global. They understand that
people in other places around the world
experience environmental issues similar to
the ones they are concerned about locally.
A) Human/environment interactions—
Learners understand that humans are able to
alter the physical environment to meet their
needs and that there are limits to the ability of
the environment to absorb impacts or meet
human needs.
B) Places—Learners understand "place" as
humans endowing a particular part of the
Earth with meaning through their interactions
with that environment.
C) Resources—Learners understand that the
importance and use of resources change over
time and vary under different economic and
technological systems.
D) Technology—Learners are able to
examine the social and environmental impacts
of various technologies and technological
systems.
E) Environmental issues—Learners are
familiar with a range of environmental issues
at scales that range from local to national to
global. They understand that these scales and
issues are often linked.
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STRAND
Skills for Understanding and
Addressing Environmental Issues
FOURTH GRADE
STRAND 3.1—
Skills for Analyzing and
Investigating Environmental
Issues
A) Identifying and investigating issues—
Learners are able to identify and investigate
issues in their local environments and
communities.
B) Sorting out the consequences of
issues—As learners come to understand that
environmental and social phenomena are
linked, they are able to explore the
consequences of issues.
C) Identifying and evaluating alternative
solutions and courses of action—Learners
understand there are many approaches to
resolving issues.
D) Working with flexibility, creativity, and
openness—Learners understand the
importance of sharing ideas and hearing other
points of view.
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
A) Identifying and investigating issues—
Learners are able to use primary and secondary
sources of information, and apply growing
research and analytical skills, to investigate
environmental issues, beginning
in their own community.
B) Sorting out the consequences of
issues—Learners are able to apply their
knowledge of ecological and human processes
and systems to identify the consequences of
specific environmental issues.
C) Identifying and evaluating alternative
solutions and courses of action—Learners
are able to identify and develop action
strategies for addressing particular issues.
D) Working with flexibility, creativity, and
openness—Learners are able to consider the
assumptions and interpretations that influence
the conclusions they and others draw about
environmental issues.
A) Identifying and investigating issues—
Learners apply their research and analytical
skills to investigate environmental issues
ranging from local issues to those that are
regional or global in scope.
B) Sorting out the consequences of
issues—Learners are able to evaluate the
consequences of specific environmental
changes, conditions, and issues for human and
ecological systems.
C) Identifying and evaluating alternative
solutions and courses of action—Learners
are able to identify and propose action
strategies that are likely to be effective in
particular situations and for particular
purposes.
D) Working with flexibility, creativity, and
openness—While environmental issues
investigations can bring to the surface deeply
held views, learners are able to engage each
other in peer review conducted in the spirit of
open inquiry.
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STRAND
Skills for Understanding and
Addressing Environmental Issues
FOURTH GRADE
STRAND 3.2—
Decision-Making and
Citizenship Skills
A) Forming and evaluating personal
views—Learners are able to identify, justify,
and clarify their views on environmental issues
and alternative ways to address them.
B) Evaluating the need for citizen action—
Learners are able to think critically about
whether they believe action is needed in
particular situations and whether they believe
they should be involved.
C) Planning and taking action—By
participating in issues of their choosing—
mostly close to home—they learn the basics of
individual and collective action.
D) Evaluating the results of actions—
Learners understand that civic actions have
consequences.
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
A) Forming and evaluating personal
views—Learners are able to identify, justify,
and clarify their views on environmental issues
and alternative ways to address them.
B) Evaluating the need for citizen action—
Learners are able to evaluate whether they
believe action is needed in particular
situations, and decide whether they should be
involved.
C) Planning and taking action—As learners
begin to see themselves as citizens taking
active roles in their communities, they are able
to plan for and engage in citizen action at
levels appropriate to their maturity and
preparation.
D) Evaluating the results of actions—
Learners are able to analyze the effects of their
own actions and actions taken by other
individuals and groups.
A) Forming and evaluating personal
views—Learners are able to communicate,
evaluate, and justify their own views on
environmental issues and alternative ways
to address them.
B) Evaluating the need for citizen action-
Learners are able to decide whether action is
needed in particular situations and whether
they should be involved.
C) Planning and taking action—Learners
know how to plan for action based on their
research and analysis of an environmental
issue. If appropriate, they take actions that are
within the scope of their rights and consistent
with their abilities and responsibilities as
citizens.
D) Evaluating the results of actions—
Learners are able to evaluate the effects of
their own actions and actions taken by other
individuals and groups
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STRAND
Personal and Civic
Responsibility
FOURTH GRADE
A) Understanding societal values and
principles—Learners can identify fundamental
principles of U.S. society and explain their
importance in the context of environmental
issues.
B) Recognizing citizens' rights and
responsibilities—Learners understand the
basic rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
C) Recognizing efficacy—Learners possess a
realistic self-confidence in their effectiveness
as citizens.
D) Accepting personal responsibility—
Learners understand that they have
responsibility for the effects of their actions.
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EIGHTH GRADE
TWELFTH GRADE
A) Understanding societal values and
principles—Learners understand that societal
values can be both a unifying and a divisive
force.
B) Recognizing citizens' rights and
responsibilities—Learners understand the
rights and responsibilities of citizenship and
their importance in promoting the resolution of
environmental issues.
C) Recognizing efficacy—Learners possess a
realistic self-confidence in their effectiveness
as citizens.
D) Accepting personal responsibility—
Learners understand that their actions can have
broad consequences and that they are
responsible for those consequences.
A) Understanding societal values and
principles—Learners know how to analyze the
influence of shared and conflicting
societal values.
B) Recognizing citizens' rights and
responsibilities—Learners understand the
importance of exercising the rights and
responsibilities of citizenship.
C) Recognizing efficacy—Learners possess a
realistic self-confidence in their effectiveness
as citizens.
D) Accepting personal responsibility—
Learners understand that their actions can have
broad consequences and accept
responsibility for recognizing those effects
and changing their actions when necessary.
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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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