NORTH AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
(NAAEE)
STANDARDS FOR THE INITIAL PREPARATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATORS
North American Association for Environmental Education
2000 P Street, NW Suite 540
Washington, D.C. 200036
www.naaee.org
For more information:
Bora Simmons
National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education
Institute for a Sustainable Environment
University of Oregon
Eugene, OR 97405
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
November 2007
Copy of the standards and associated materials are available at www.naaee.org
Table of Contents
Section 1. Title Page …………………………………………………………………………… 1
Wrtiting Team ………………………………………………………………………………….. 3
Section 2. Brief Introduction to the Program Standards ………………………………………… 4
A Brief History and Overview of Environmental Education Instruction …………………..... 4
Overview of the Standards …………………………………………………………………… 7
Section 3. Comparisons with Other NCATE Standards & Existing EE Standards……...... 8
Section 4. NAAEE Training and Assistance for Institutions and States…………………...... 8
Section 5. Analysis of Differences from Current Standards …………………………...... 9
Section 6. NAAEE’s Process for Developing the Standards ……………………………...... 9
A.1 Invite and respond to comments
A.2 Draw on standards development from the specialty field
A.3 Knowledge Base of Research and Practice
A.4 Processes to Develop Consensus for NAAEE Standards
Section 7. Standards for the Initial Preparation of Environmental Educators ……...... 17
B.2 Curriculum, Faculty or Other Programmatic Standards
B.3 Standards Specify Positive Effects on P-12 Student Learning
B.4 Clear Distinctions on Types of Education Professional
B.5 Standards in Rubrics
B.6 Standards and Elements that Specifically Address Diversity and Technology
Section 8. NAAEE responsibilities under NCATE State Partnerships ………………...... 39
Section 9. Information on SPA procedures for selection, training, and evaluation of reviewers 41
Selected References …………………………………………………………………………… 41
Appendix A Comparison of Preparation Guidelines and INTASC Model Standards ……… 46
Appendix B Review Draft Invitation to Participate ………………………………………… 50
Appendix C Example Comments from Review of the 2005 Draft Document ……………… 52
Appendix D Evidence for Meeting Standards from the Program Report …………………… 61
Appendix E Reviewer Application ……………………………………………………...... 63
Writing Team Members
Bora Simmons (Chair) National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
Louise Fleming Department of Educational Foundations, Ashland University, Ashland, OH
Paulette Johnson Department of Parks and Recreation, Slippery Rock University, Slippery Rock, PA
Martha Kuntz Department of Chemistry, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA
Tom Marcinkowski Department of Science and Math Education, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, FL
Kathy McGlauflin American Forests Foundation, Washington, D.C.
Dan Sivek College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin – Steven Point, Stevens Point, WI
Al Stenstrup Project Learning Tree, Washington, D.C.
Brenda Weiser Environmental Institute of Houston, University of Houston – Clear Lake, Houston, TX
Terry Wilson Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY
Section 2. Brief Introduction to the Program Standards
The North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) is submitting its Standards for the Initial Preparation of Environmental Educators to the Specialty Areas Studies Board of NCATE for approval. These are new, research-based standards that have been developed through a rigorous, multi-year process of critique and consensus. These standards apply to the initial level of teacher preparation only.A Brief History and Overview of Environmental Education Instruction
Although environmental education is a relatively new field, first formally defined in the late 1960s (Stapp et. al., 1969), leaders "frequently acknowledge that the primary antecedents of environmental education were nature study, conservation education, and outdoor education" (Disinger, 2005). These educational movements first started to appear in schools in the late 1800s, and continue to exist in today's schools both separately and in conjunction with environmental education.
Wilbur Jackman's Nature Study in the Common Schools, published in 1891, is frequently cited as the start of nature study education. Nature study focused on increasing students' awareness and appreciation for nature, emphasized the use of discovery learning, and learning through direct observation and experiences in and outside of the classroom (Swan, 1975 in Braus & Disinger, 1998).
The second antecedent to environmental education that evolved was conservation education. Conservation education began as a direct response to the soil erosion and flooding disasters in the United States of the 1930s and continues to reflect concerns about natural resources. In addition to the increase in soil erosion and flooding, grasslands were being overgrazed, species of wildlife were being reduced, and forests were being cleared for farming and lumber. Thus, the movement focused on soil, water, and the management of the natural resources. State and federal natural resource agencies continue to view this approach to teaching as important and have adopted conservation education as a way to convey the significance of natural resource management. Not only have national laws been formulated in support of conservation education, but many states have also passed laws requiring conservation education to be taught in the schools (Braus & Disinger, 1998).
The final educational movement, outdoor education, experienced growth in the United States during the 1950s. Outdoor education responded to the concern that urban youth were not experiencing direct contact with nature or the environment. Outdoor education is not, however, a specific content area of study like nature education or conservation education. Instead, it is an approach to teaching (Adkins & Simmons, 2002). By teaching outside, students have the opportunity to get "in touch" with the natural environment. This educational movement "provided important groundwork for the development of environmental education by emphasizing the use of the outdoor world in education," state Braus and Disinger (1998).
By the late 1960s, increased public awareness regarding environmental problems began surfacing and a new term, environmental education, was introduced (Disinger, 2005). There was an expressed need to go beyond education that focused on the conservation of natural resources and teaching in the outdoors. There was recognition that informed decision-making and participation in democratic action were important. Much of the work in environmental education has been guided by the Belgrade Charter (UNESCO-UNEP, 1976) and the Tbilisi Declaration (UNESCO, 1978). These two documents furnish an internationally accepted blueprint for environmental education. The Belgrade Charter was adopted by a United Nations conference and provides a widely accepted goal statement for environmental education:
The goal of environmental education is to develop a world population that is aware of, and concerned about, the environment and its associated problems, and which has the knowledge, skills, attitudes, motivations, and commitment to work individually and collectively toward solutions of current problems and the prevention of new ones.
Two years later, at the world’s first intergovernmental conference on environmental education, the
Tbilisi Declaration was adopted. This declaration built on the Belgrade Charter and established three broad goals for environmental education. These goals provide the foundation for much of what has been done in the field since 1978:
• To foster clear awareness of, and concern about, economic, social, political and ecological interdependence in urban and rural areas;
• To provide every person with opportunities to acquire the knowledge, values, attitudes, commitment and skills needed to protect and improve the environment;
• To create new patterns of behavior of individuals, groups and society as a whole towards the environment.
As the field has evolved, these principles have been researched, critiqued, revisited, and expanded. They still stand as a strong foundation for an internationally shared view of the core concepts and skills that environmentally literate citizens need. Since 1978, bodies such as the Brundtland Commission (Brundtland, 1987), the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio (UNCED, 1992), the International Conference on Environment and Society in Thessaloniki (UNESCO, 1997), and the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg (United Nations, 2002) have influenced the work of many environmental educators. By highlighting the importance of viewing the environment within the context of human influences, this perspective has expanded the emphasis of environmental education by focusing more attention on social equity, economics, culture, and political structure.
Much of the scholarly work in environmental education has focused on describing the precursors of responsible environmental citizenship and environmental literacy—the types of knowledge, skills and dispositions that describe the environmentally literate citizen. In 1993, NAAEE initiated the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education (www.naaee.org/npeee) in an effort, in part, to grapple with describing environmental literacy as well as the need to address the education reform agenda. Simmons (1995), as an initial step in the development of the National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education, conducted a review of relevant environmental education literature concerning existing environmental education frameworks and/or models. Seven major components of environmental literacy were identified: affect, ecological knowledge, socio-political knowledge, knowledge of environmental issues, skills, environmentally responsible behaviors, and determinants of environmentally responsible behaviors. These research-based components were used as a starting point in the development of Excellence in Environmental Education – Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12) (NAAEE, 2004a), the field’s environmental education student standards.
The National Project for Excellence in Environmental Education also tackled the development of a set of Guidelines for the Preparation and Professional Development of Environmental Educators (NAAEE, 2004b). The guidelines for teacher education and professional development in environmental education are integrally related to the Guidelines for Learning (Pre K-12). Describing what students should know and be able to do as environmentally literate citizens determines, to some degree, what educators need to know and be able to do. But being an effective environmental educator requires more than competency with a specific set of environmental literacy-related knowledge and skills. It also requires that an educator has the ability and the commitment to keep the whole picture in mind while guiding students toward environmental literacy.
These research-based guidelines outline the abilities and understandings—or competencies—an educator needs to implement environmental education successfully. Environmental education is, at its heart, an integrative undertaking. Instructors teach across disciplines, drawing upon many of the methods and content of natural and social sciences, arts, mathematics, and humanities to help learners fully understand and address complex environmental issues. The learner is an active participant in environmental education. If learning is to become a natural, valued part of life beyond school, instruction should engage the learner in the process of building knowledge and skills and be guided in part by the student’s interests. Environmental education is a comprehensive and cohesive whole that draws on broader educational goals and instructional methods while also utilizing outdoor education methods as well as those that help students develop citizenship skills (Engleson, D. & Yockers, D. 1994).
For many, environmental education is rooted in the belief that humans can live compatibly with nature and act equitably toward each other. Another fundamental belief is that people can make informed decisions that consider future generations. Environmental education aims for an effective, environmentally literate citizenry able to participate with creativity and responsibility in a democratic society. Environmental education often begins close to home, encouraging learners to understand and forge connections with their immediate surroundings. The environmental awareness, knowledge, and skills needed for this localized learning provide a basis for moving out into larger systems, broader issues, and a more sophisticated comprehension of causes, connections, and consequences (NAAEE 2004a).
The ultimate goal of environmental education is the development of an environmentally literate citizenry. Environmentally literate individuals understand environmental issues and how environmental quality is impacted by human decisions. In addition, they use this knowledge to make informed, well-reasoned choices that also take social and political considerations into account (Volk, T. & McBeth, W. 2005).
Overview of the Standards
Successful teachers of environmental education possess the competencies necessary to help all P-12 students become environmentally literate citizens. The NAAEE Standards for the Initial Preparation of Environmental Educators articulate seven, performance-based standards by describing essential knowledge, skills and dispositions for the following areas:
Standard 1 – Nature of Environmental Education and Environmental Literacy emphasizes content knowledge of the historical, theoretical, and research-based foundations of environmental education.
Standard 2 – Environmental Literacy of Candidates focuses on the knowledge, skills and dispositions of environmental literacy, the content knowledge necessary to successfully teach environmental education.
Standard 3 – Learning Theories and Knowledge of Learners stresses knowledge of theories of human development and learning, learning processes, and individual differences.
Standard 4 – Curriculum: Standards and Integration and Standard 5 – Instructional Planning and Practice emphasize the knowledge, skills and dispositions of pedagogy and instructional planning needed to design and deliver instruction that creates stimulating and motivating climates for learning and promotes environmental literacy.
Standard 6 – Assessment centers on the knowledge, skills and commitment necessary to make assessment integral to curriculum and instruction in environmental education, thereby fostering continuous intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development of each student.
Standard 7 – Professional Growth in Environmental Education emphasizes professional and ethical practice, the importance and benefits of belonging to a professional community, and professional development as a life-long endeavor and an indispensable asset to becoming a contributing member of the environmental education profession.
Institutions throughout the United States offer undergraduate and graduate level initial certification and endorsement programs in environmental education teacher preparation (e.g., Pennsylvania, Kentucky). In addition, institutions throughout the United States offer environmental education that is integrated into and integral to a variety of other specialty areas (e.g., elementary education, science education, social studies education). Anecdotal evidence collected from NAAEE members suggests that the number of initial preparation programs is growing. However, because these standards are new, NAAEE has initiated a process of collecting data on how environmental education is currently integrated into universities and teacher education programs.
Section 3. Comparisons with Other NCATE Approved Standards and Existing Environmental Education Standards.