APPENDIX 28
Memorandum from the National Association
for Environmental Education (UK) (NAEE)
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 The UK National Association for Environmental
Education is the association for teachers and lecturers, head
teachers, advisors, inspectors, education officers and trainees
and all who are professionally concerned with any aspect of
education and the environment. NAEE's aim is to promote and support
environmental education throughout formal education and in the
work of NGOs.
1.2 NAEE is a national voice for everyone
in education whose work concerns the environment. NAEE believes
that an understanding of relationships between humans, the natural
world and the built environment is a prerequisite for sustainable
development. NAEE continues, therefore to promote and further
develop the best practice in environmental education out of which
sustainable development has grown. NAEE provides practical support
for teachers across all phases and subjects of formal education
and participates in government educational initiatives actively
seeking to enhance environmental education. It provides information
about environmental education and links to other environmental
groups through its website, and it promotes new ideas and discussion
about environmental education through its conferences, INSET/CPD
provision, and its termly journal (Environmental Education).
1.3 NAEE believes that environmental education
has an important role in relation to sustainable development.
Environmental education is crucial in helping young people to
become responsible and caring citizens through developing the
skills of being able to think responsibly for oneself (and with
others). It can provide the motivation to care about the major
ecological and sustainability issues that affect the future of
the planet. This means that environmental education, sustainable
development and learning are inextricably linked because education
in its many forms is needed to help people learn what the environment
embraces and what sustainable development can mean.
2. ESD ACROSS
THE CURRICULUM.
2.1 There is currently a need for integrated
and integrative leadership, within and across sectors, which synthesises
existing knowledge and best practice, and makes them available
to ongoing initiatives. Such leadership would include:
— Commissioning research into the mainstreaming
of sustainable development issues into learning;
— Commissioning research into the links
between sustainable development and life-long learning;
— Making better use of existing research,
long term cross sector strategic planning and the development
of transferable skills and flexibility;
— Cross sector monitoring and evaluation
of progress in education relating to sustainable development;
— Identification, support and coordination
of champions throughout different sectors;
— Networking of practitioners in order
to examine effective practice;
— Promotion of and leadership contributions
to UK, European, Commonwealth and international developments.
2.2 NAEE believes that all key stages, including
the Foundation stage, and all curriculum subjects, provide the
opportunity to learn about the environment and sustainable development.
For some subjects, particularly geography and science, the requirement
to do so is already embedded across the key stages, but many opportunities
exist for other subject areas to play a part in fostering environmental
concern in learners. Non-subject based areas of study such as
PSHE and Citizenship offer important opportunities for the exploration
of environmental and sustainability issues in cross-curricular
contexts. We welcome existing curriculum developments that promote
sustainable development, but we believe that, for the school curriculum
to set out to secure learners' personal commitment to sustainable
development as envisaged by QCA, schools and teachers have to
encourage people to think about sustainable development itself.
Only in this way can the curriculum bring a critical focus to
bear on the "relationship between social development and
economic opportunity on the one hand, and the requirements of
the environment on the other" (UNESCO 1997). We would argue
therefore that environmental and sustainable development education
need to be perceived as an integral part of learning, not bolt-on
extras. They should be subject to inspection; a required focus
in all initial teacher education courses, and accredited through
professional development. A coherent, integrated and well-resourced
strategy at a national level is required to coordinate the work
of schools, colleges and local authorities in developing education
for sustainable development.
3. THE ROLE
OF NAEE IN
RELATION TO
ESD
3.1 The incorporation of EE and SDE into
all phases and subjects of formal education is a challenge. It
requires the development of new pedagogies, discussion of new
teaching and learning strategies and assessment techniques, and
a sharing of existing good practice.
3.2 NAEE seeks to:
— Identify good practice;
— Support the collaborative working
of educators to raise the level of concern and action for the
environment and sustainable development;
— Participate in government education
initiatives;
— Promote the incorporation of ESD
in academic and vocational courses.
February 2003
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