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Environmental
Education
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Materials:
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Guidelines
for Excellence
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Environmental Education Materials: Guidelines for
Excellence points out six key characteristics
of high quality environmental education materials. For each of these characteristics,
there are listed some guidelines for environmental education materials to follow.
Finally, each guideline is accompanied by several indicators
listed under the
heading, "What to Look For." These indicators suggest ways of gauging whether
the materials being evaluated or developed follow the guidelines. They are simply
clusters of attributes you might look for to help you figure out whether the
characteristic is embodied in the materials you are reviewing or developing.
There is a glossary at the end of the Guidelines. Words that
are defined in this glossary are underlined the first time they appear in the
text.
The Guidelines For Excellence can help the educator, administrator,
curriculum designer, or materials developer evaluate the quality of environmental
education materials. They provide direction while allowing flexibility to shape
content, technique, and other aspects of instruction.
These guidelines offer a way of judging the relative merit of different materials,
a standard to aim for in developing new materials, and a set of ideas about
what a well-rounded environmental education curriculum might be like. It is
not reasonable to expect that all environmental education materials will follow
all of the guidelines. For example, a set of materials might not present differing
viewpoints, as outlined in guideline 1.2. This shortcoming does not necessarily
mean that the materials should not be used. An instructor could work them into
a larger set of activities that explores different viewpoints and helps learners
discern opinion and bias in individual presentations of the issue. In cases
such as this one, the Guidelines for Excellence can point
out a weakness that instructors can compensate for in the way they use the
materials.
Of course, no set of guidelines could be complete, and
there are
bound to be important characteristics missing. Guidelines for
Excellence
provides a foundation on which to build evaluation systems that work for different
people in different situations. As a tool to inform judgment, these Guidelines
for Excellence can contribute to more effective environmental
education.
Environmental Education Materials: Guidelines for Excellence
Summary
#1 Fairness and accuracy: EE materials should be
fair and accurate in describing environmental problems, issues, and conditions,
and in reflecting the diversity of perspectives on them.
1.1 Factual accuracy
1.2 Balanced presentation of differing viewpoints
and theories.
1.3 Openness to inquiry
1.4 Reflection of diversity
#2 Depth: EE materials should foster awareness of
the natural and build environment, an understanding of environmental concepts,
conditions, and issues, and an awareness of the feelings, values, attitudes,
and perceptions at the heart of environmental issues, as appropriate for different
developmental levels.
2.1 Awareness
2.2 Focus on concepts
2.3 Concepts in context
2.4 Attention to different scales
#3 Emphasis on skills building: EE materials should
build lifelong skills that enable learners to address environmental issues.
3.1 Critical and creative thinking
3.2 Applying skills to issues
3.3 Action skills
#4 Action orientation: EE materials should promote
civic responsibility, encouraging learners to use their knowledge, personal
skills, and assessments of environmental issues as a basis for environmental
problem solving and action.
4.1 Sense of personal stake and responsibility
4.2 Self-efficacy
#5 Instructional soundness: EE materials should rely
on instructional techniques that create an effective learning environment.
5.1 Learner-centered instruction
5.2 Different ways of learning
5.3 Connection to learners' everyday lives
5.4 Expanded learning environment
5.5 Interdisciplinary
5.6 Goals and objectives
5.7 Appropriateness for specific learning settings
5.8 Assessment
#6 Usability: EE materials should be well designed
and easy to use.
6.1 Clarity and logic
6.2 Easy to use
6.3 Long-lived
6.4 Adaptable
6.5 Accompanied by instruction and support
6.6 Make substantiated claims
6.7 Fit with national, state, or local requirements
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