Improving Environmental Education in K-12 Schools
Project Details
Our project aimed to identify and share success factors for the inclusion of environmental education in all K-12 classrooms. We first presented and participated in a workshop with experts in sustainability education in Lund, Sweden., then focused on understanding the challenges teachers face in incorporating environmental education. Our ongoing effort involves engaging Ontario teachers in environmental education programs like wetland rehabilitation and classroom hatcheries.
Project Description
Since 2007, it has been mandated by the Ontario Ministry of Education that environmental education be brought into every class, subject, and grade – so students learn about the importance of the environment and how it underlies every subject and discipline – from Grade 6 social science to Grade 10 history.
In this project, we performed a systematic analysis of ongoing and past environmental education programs within Ontario, Canada, as to understand common system archetypes in the education system. Right now, we are working towards the publication of this synthesis. Equipped with an understanding of the environmental education system – including barriers, success factors, and involved partners – we sought to collaborate with teachers to aid in their delivery of environmental education programs to K-12 schools. Through OceanBridge, Johanna and I have continued to engage with numerous teachers at Ontario schools, in addition to global academics working in environmental education, joining this large effort to improve environmental literacy among students and teachers at K-12 schools. It is on an informed and educated voting public, with deep care for the environment, that we may must return to a similarly-educated voting public of the 1970s, that saw bipartisan environmental action.
