This week we focused on environmental education and place based learning in my EDU 100 class. Our assignment for this blog is to synthesize a topic we learned about, so i chose to talk about a lesson I found and have even done before. It is an environmental lesson so I also decided to take a step further and I researched whether environmental learning even works? The answer is YES!

First here is the pin I found. It teaches the effects oil has on the environment

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/341710690451519151/
http://www.education.com/activity/article/oil-spills-harm-wildlife/


Materials: oil, feathers, dish soap, water, tooth brush

                 \/                                   1.  Dip feathers in oil. Talk about how gross and heavy it feels and                                                          relate it back to the topic oil spills are bad for the environment,                                                                   See below \/ 
       1.  
2.  ]
Wash the feathers off with dish soap and a tooth brush and let dry.
Talk about how people help the animals by washing them off.

1. Environmental education
2. Environmental education is a process that allows individuals to explore environmental issues, engage in problem solving, and take action to improve the environment. As a result, individuals develop a deeper understanding of environmental issues and have the skills to make informed and responsible decisions.  -Google search "environmental education definition"

In my research it was hard to find any negative effects of environmental education. The was my firt clue that it works! There many helpful booklets online to evaluate if your environmental education is working or not, so there are ways of improving if you feel your system is not quite working. I also found an article that says  "Since 1992, PLT's community action program,GreenWorks! has helped fund nearly 1,000 community service projects across the country." -American Forest Foundation This article talks of the positive aspects of environmental education, like the one quoted above. This statistic that is quoted is also proof environmental education works. There have been differences made. Over 1000. They might not all be large, but a difference is a difference. Also in my research I found an online booklet that measures the success of Environmental Education called "Measuring the Success of Environmental Education."While reading I learned that there has been many changes to the definition of environmental education, but also that it is still important. I also learned there are principles the book lists that effective environmental education includes. 

Are credible, reputable, and based on solid facts,

traditional knowledge, or on science. Values, biases,

and assumptions are made explicit.

Create knowledge and understanding about ecological,

social, economic, and political concepts, and

demonstrate the interdependence between a healthy

environment, human well-being, and a sound

economy.

Involve a cycle of continual improvement that includes

the processes of design, delivery, evaluation, and

redesign.

Are grounded in a real-world context that is specific to

age, curriculum, and place, and encourage a personal

affinity with the earth through practical experiences

out-of-doors and through the practice of an ethic of

care. Like the environment itself, programs transcend

curricular boundaries, striving to integrate traditional

subject areas and disciplines.

Provide creative learning experiences that are hands-on

and learner-centred, where students teach each other

and educators are mentors and facilitators. These

experiences promote higher order thinking and provide

a cooperative context for learning and evaluation.

Now there is a lot to this list, and this list does not need to be 100% implemented but these are the characteristics that have proven to be successful in environmental education. This means that effective systems of environmental education have been studied that actually work and these are principles which they possess. This list come from proof that environmental education actually does its job.

So in conclusion with these principles being considered and used and differences being made it is clear that environmental education does work and if it doesn't there are many ways and a lot of help to improve it.



"We believe that environmental awareness and caring for the natural world should be crucial components of youth education". -The EcoCenter.Org