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The impact of an Education for Sustainability unit on the knowledge and attitudes of pre-service primary teachers at an Australian university
Citation
Taylor, N and Kennelly, J and Jenkins, K and Callingham, RA, The impact of an Education for Sustainability unit on the knowledge and attitudes of pre-service primary teachers at an Australian university, Geographical Education, 19 pp. 46-59. ISSN 0085-0969 (2006) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2006 Australian Geography Teachers' Association Inc.
Official URL: http://www.agta.asn.au/Geographical_Education/inde...
Abstract
Environmental education in schools is seen as an important strategy in environmental improvement. The 'traditional' approach to environmental education has been to increase knowledge or raise awareness about the environment on the assumption that people would then be motivated to act towards the environment in a more responsible way (Hungerford & Volk, 1990; Kollmuss & Agyeman, 2002). Kelsey (2003) argues that this assumption is maintained today in programs delivered through the mass media as public education about environmental matters. However, the assumption that knowledge about the environment will lead to behavioural change has been criticised by a number researchers e.g. Fien (1993), Connell, Fien, Sykes and Yencken (1998), Elliott (1999) and Jensen (2002).
Criticism of traditional forms of environmental education have been accompanied by a call for a socially critical approach to this issue, one that seeks to provide students with the capacity to question and change environment-related practices. Huckle (1991) included the following characteristics in a description of socially critical environmental education:
• learning is active and experiential;
• students are encouraged to think critically;
• values education addresses the sources of social beliefs and values, how they are transmitted and the interests they support; and
• students engage in collaborative and democratic change processes.
This more socially critical approach to environmental education has been linked to the concept of sustainable development and has resulted in the emergence of education for sustainability or sustainable development. In fact Tilbury, Coleman and Garlick (2005) argue that socially critical theory underpins education for sustainability (EfS) as it should involve students in reflective thinking, democratic decision making, futures thinking and collaborative planning.Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | environmental education, sustainable development, socially critical theory, education for sustainability, EfS |
Research Division: | Education |
Research Group: | Curriculum and pedagogy |
Research Field: | Humanities and social sciences curriculum and pedagogy (excl. economics, business and management) |
Objective Division: | Education and Training |
Objective Group: | Teaching and curriculum |
Objective Field: | Pedagogy |
UTAS Author: | Callingham, RA (Associate Professor Rosemary Callingham) |
ID Code: | 76189 |
Year Published: | 2006 |
Deposited By: | Education |
Deposited On: | 2012-03-01 |
Last Modified: | 2015-06-22 |
Downloads: | 4 View Download Statistics |
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