education research resources

Another couple of resources, but this time focused on research of environmental education.

Action research - improving learning through the environment is a "compilation of ideas for carrying out action research in order to improve learning through educational work in the environment".

Produced by the National Association of Field Studies Officers (NAFSO), it includes chapters on different methods of evaluation, such as letters and concept maps, evaluating fieldwork, residential courses and community-based environmental education.

It is available through the NAFSO website

ISBN: 1 901 642 10 00

Edited by: Adrian Clark, Helen Parry, Clare Shorter

Proceedings of the VIIIth Conference on Environmental Education in Europe 'Learning for a sustainable future: the role of communication, ethics and social learning in environmental education'

Editor: Mark Alderweireldt

CEEE Ghent, 2002

Although 5 years old now, this set of proceedings includes useful papers on EfS, focusing in Europe, with case studies and research. For more information about the CEEE conferences and the organising group, the European Foundation for Education and Sustainable Development, have a look at their website.

Taking teachers to the amazon

The other week, we had a delightful guest visit BGCI. Phil Williams, a TV producer-turned environmentalist and educator extrordinaire, popped in to say hello. He runs an organisation called Plan-it Eco, presenting talks and runing school conferences about the inspirational world of the rainforest.

But he doesnt stop there - why talk about it when you can show people, after all? So, he also takes groups of teachers and occasionally school pupils to Ecuador to explore and experience the awe and wonder of the rainforest for themselves.

So far he has taken five school groups to the Amazon; students have an amazing trip, spending time in Quito, visiting the markets and museums, then off to the rainforest, with a canoe trip to a boarding school for indigenous children. These children spend 26 days at school and 26 days at home, as they have a long way to travel. Their school allows them to gain an introduction to and understanding of the outside world and uses its own currciulum designed to maximise the welfare of the idigenous people. The UK students work alongside the pupils on their school vegetable plots and other activities. This is followed by a three day trip to volcanoes, complete with a stay on a llama farm. Phil is taking ten primary school children to the Amazon in 2009, with a possiblity of being part of a televsion programme and is working with a few schools to develop this idea.

Phils has also taken eight groups of teachers out to Ecuador to inspire and encourage them to teach about education for sustainable development and conservation. "The trips can have amazing outcomes -one participant raised £16,000 to help the villiage and school we visited to gain an electricty supply" Phil said. To ensure that the impact of the trip is maintained, teachers produce a diary throughout their travels - with one teacher writing it per day. This is published on the return home, so that everyone receives a copy and a disc is made of all the photographs taken. This creates the perfect teaching aid for bringing the Amazon to life back in the classroom.

Phil does not just whisk peoepl around the world though, he works closely with schools on a range of activities, such as environmental assessments of schools - identifying points for increased efficiency. He reckons that these changes can save a school anywhere between £5,000 - £15,000. Phil gives talks to students on many curriculum areas and trains teachers in using education for sustainable development. Local authorities have been booking him to run student conferences investigating the global impacts of local desicisons, to encourage students to see how their choices have a far-reaching effect.

For more information, contact Phil on p_eco@tiscali.co.uk.

education for sustainable development - its not just a catchy title

So, we're off to China, to learn, discuss, inspire and gossip....at the 3rd Global Botanic Gardens Congress.

Of course the congress is going to be more than gossiping with friends - the education dept have been set to work! We're running a day long session on education for sustainable development. Hopefully it will be interesting, as its such a varied subject, that some people find very hard to get their head around.

We've had the participants list through though, firstly, its a pretty big workshop, about 28 people, secondly, they are all amazing educators themselves who run some of the best botanic garden education programmes in the world. In fact, lets face it, a decent proportion of them, we were going to use their programmes as case studies for good ESD....

Nevertheless, we shall not be intimidated, we have a few tricks up our collective sleeves. What I find interesting about ESD is just how varied it is - taking in aspects of development education, environmental education, feminism, peace education, ecology , systems thinking, economics and design. It is so much more than learning to appreciate nature - although that is certainly a major part of it. It is recognising oneself within nature, as a portion of the ecosystem, as a biotic part of Gaia, interconnected with all others. Once we can see that our actions, our daily lives have an effect on everything else - we are the butterfly that flaps its wings in Brazil causing a monsoon in India, we can live in a way that reflects this.

So much of ESD is also about critical thinking - is this the best way to live my life, considering I am within this huge system?, is my government making the policy choices that I want them to?, does my botanic garden really contribute to sustainability or is it just lip service?; followed by empowerment - as a citizen of the world I am an individual but I can also make decisions that are important and will make a difference. These skills are also key to the democratic process as a whole, being able to question and also take action, and so are vital for everyone, any age, to have and use.

Our workshop will be looking at the different aspects of ESD, personal meanings, values and beliefs, but also the practical ways that garden education programmes can communicate with their audiences about some of the more abstract concepts. As with any part of CEPA (communication, education and public awareness) programmes, it is all about making it provocative, relevant and revealing new meaning to the audience.

Once we've run it, we will put the workshop on the BGCI website - I want to develop a larger area on the education website focused on ESD, so if you have any ideas or thoughts on the subject, please let me know!

Oh, and if you are interested, the BGCI publication on Education for Sustainable Development: Guidelines for action in Botanic Gardens, is available to download.