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WHAT IS
WOW?
EDUCATION
GLOBAL
ISSUES
WOW
ONLINE
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Education
This brief introduction serves to introduce teachers to some basic ideas and concepts of environmental education, to outline the outcomes and structure of the activity package, as well as to suggest practical ideas on the use of the package in an outcomes based curriculum framework. The Activities aim to support teachers to develop learning programmes for the Natural Sciences Learning Area, specifically for the Theme: Life and Living and Sub- themes: Biodiversity, change and continuity. Why is environment and environmental
education important in schools? The
WoW – SA Science and Sustainability materials aim to help teachers focus
on environmental issues in the development of learning programmes. This
approach to curriculum development is based on the premise that environmental
education processes are best approached not as “add-on” to existing curricula,
but as a sensitizing and strengthening focus within each learning area,
adding relevance and (re)orientation. It is widely acknowledged that “environment” embraces more than nature and natural phenomena (biophysical), and includes social, political, and economic dimensions (see fig. 1). All these dimensions are intimately interrelated, and problems can arise in any of these. These issues develop into risks, which impact not only on our own lives, but also on the capacity of natural systems to sustain life. It is clear that the environmental concerns and risks which education needs to address are fundamental and far-reaching. If one studies fig. 1 it becomes clear that “environment” is integral to each learning area. The importance of environment as a focus area in the National Curriculum is emphasised in the White Paper on Education and Training (1995, p. 18) which sees environmental education processes as creating “environmentally literate and active citizens” who will “enjoy a decent quality of life through the sustainable use of resources”. WoW (SA) is developed to help science teachers focus on issues related to the natural environment, and how human actions influence natural processes. The activities are designed to help teachers adopt and develop programmes in which learners are actively involved in processes of learning in, finding out about, and taking action for the natural environment. Active learning and the environment 1. Information
sharing -finding out ABOUT the environment. 2. Enquiry encounters - investigating IN the environment. 3. Action taking, and 4. Reporting ideas, thereby doing thigs FOR the environment . These steps or phases are represented in Figure 2. The broad arrow from prior knowledge through active learning to action is an open path that learners might follow as insights and competencies develop. A learning programme, developed for active learning, can be initiated and facilitated around some basic skills as shown in fig. 2. The Science and Sustainability activities have been developed to focus on these skills, and therefore to help develop certain competencies. These include accessing information, deciding on appropriate action, reporting on issues, and a variety of investigative skills. Accompanying each activity is a key, which indicates the skills, and competencies that are most likely to develop through involvement of learners with the respective activities. WoW and active learning across learning areas WoW (SA)acknowledges
that “environment” can not be adequately understood from the
perspective of any single learning area. This is a key principle of
environmental education, and also one of the corner stones of obe.
Although the WoW activities offer Natural Science teachers the opportunity
to develop learning programmes with a focus on environment and
environmental risks, it also offers Using WoW in the
development of learning programmes with a focus on the environment should
however not be regarded as Linking “environment” with the national
curriculumis certainly not a new idea. In OBE it is important to give attention in continuous assessment processes to developing competencies and skills as this plays out in active learning processes. The critical application of knowledge and skills is a key focus in assessment strategies. An active learning framework offers many opportunities for assessing these competencies. The following can serve as examples:
Please read the instructions on how to use this material before using it
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them
opportunities to work co-operatively with teachers from a variety of other
learning areas (e.g. reporting, interviewing, calculating and graphic
representation, presenting data, making posters, making surveys, etc).
This may help schools to become engaged in environmental issues The
opportunities for cross-curricular links are indicated by means of a
“filmstrip” graphic accompanying each activity. Teachers are
encouraged to make full use of these opportunities, thereby stimulating
enthusiasm in teachers and learners alike, and developing and reinforcing
skills, competencies and understanding from a variety of perspectives.