Linking Environmental Education with Pre-Service Teachers

Linking Environmental Education with Pre-Service Teachers After reviewing my blog entries I am convinced that environmental education (EE) is imperative K through to grade 12. There is no question that we must take care of our planet and support and engage the next generation to do the same. A common theme in many of the articles is how to reach this goal. For this reason I decided to explore this question in more depth. Cutter-Mackenzie, Sturt & Smith believe that to make any significant changes in the prominence of environmental education there needs to be a system-wide response including governments, education departments, pre-service teacher education providers and teachers themselves. In my paper I will present several methods that are addressing the pre-service teacher’s education as outlined in Reaching the Teachers: Integrating Environmental Education into Teacher Education Programs at Colleges and Universities by Michele Archie. I begin with the participants in the Ecoliteracy Course. I am curious what has made the difference for them. Some had not considered introducing their students to nature (by their own admission) and are now slowly but surely including outdoor time and nature activities into their curriculum. I hypothesize that it is the time they have spent exploring the importance and value of EE. They have allowed themselves the gift of time to learn and integrate. Educators that have been in the system for many years have their interests established, curriculum developed, extra-curricular preferences and generally do not have or take the time to implement anything drastically different. Even those that have solid intentions seem to get distracted along the way. (Archie, n.d.) suggests that the most workable approach to implementing environmental education for tomorrow’s students is to infuse it into existing courses for pre-service teachers. (Cutter-Mackenzie & Smith, 2003) believe that teachers play a crucial role in creating the social changes needed to address our environmental challenges. Brenda Weiser from the University of Houston states that “if you want real leverage, try influencing what university students learn on their way to becoming teachers” (Archie, n.d. p.1). The strategy is to reach students during this key time in their professional development. This is the time aspiring educators are formulating their beliefs, values, ideals and ethics in regards to their teaching career. It appears to be the most fertile period in which to influence their choices. When they become classroom teachers they have the potential to educate and influence thousands of students in the course of their career. (Cutter-Mackenzie & Smith, 2003) posit that every successful environmental education program has a committed teacher behind it.
Linking EE with Subject Areas At the University of Houston the students learn about environmental education three times in three different subject areas. In the first year of courses the students are introduced to Project WILD a wildlife-focused conservation education program for K-12 and Project Learning Tree (PLT), an award-winning environmental education program for pre-school to grade 12. Later in their schooling they are trained as as WILD and PLT instructors and use activities from these programs to develop a teaching unit. Many of the students use these skills, tools and materials to draw on for their practicums.
Linking EE with Professors Not too far away at the University of Texas future teachers are taught by professors and assistant instructors who are all certified in PLT, WILD and another environmental education program called GLOBE (Global Learning Observations to Benefit the Environment). Training faculty was a four year process but they now have a group that can sustain the program and mentor new instructors as they join the university. Al Stenstrup, director of education programs for the American Forest Foundation states “once you get professors in the schools of education and natural resources involved and using good environmental education materials, the environmental education programs at that university becomes more sustainable.”
(Archie, n.d. p. 6)
Linking EE with Technology University of Wisconsin developed an online course that provides basic knowledge of environmental education and the skills to incorporate it into instruction. In the beginning universities were required to pay a $500 fee to offer the course. But this was not meeting the original purpose of increasing the number of educators implementing EE, therefore they reversed the fee structure and offered professors $500 to adapt the course and offer it to a minimum of a dozen students. Another key element was to provide assistance to first-time instructors.
Linking EE with Certification The states of Wisconsin and Kentucky require all new teachers to be knowledgeable in environmental education in order to receive their certification. Washington State offers distinct endorsements for environmental education. Initiatives such as these help to foster the demand for environmental education programs as well as contribute to their expansion. PLT’s Manager of Education and Network Partnerships estimates that 40 percent of the educators who use PLT get their training during their university course work. PLT is incorporated into the education program of approximately 360 universities ranging from science to early childhood to methods classes. (Archie, n.d.) I examined the University’s Education Department offerings but was unable to discern if environmental education is embedded into any of the teacher certification courses. If this is presently not the case, I view this as an effective approach to positively influence and move EE forward in our educational system. I recognize that this is a long term commitment that requires consensus and collaboration from many stakeholders. However as indicated in this paper, many universities have proven that it is achievable, but there is still more to do. Brenda
Weiser from University of Houston believes that “the really big bang for the buck will be when environmental education, like technology, is infused into every pre-service program and every special program area”(Archie, n.d. p.7 ).