EDUCATION 595/495
Special Topics in Education: Issues in Environmental Education
Fall 2000
| Richard A. Huber |
Randall Library D.L. Room |
| King 106-C |
Wed. 5:15-8:05 |
| 910-962-3561 |
http://www2.uncwil.edu/people/huberr/ |
| huberr@uncwil.edu |
http://courses.ncsu.edu/classes/mds595001/ |
| I. This course will focus on current issues and trends in environmental education; the
development, implementation, and assessment of curricular materials; and, effective instructional strategies to teach about the environment. |
| II. The purpose of this course is to provide you with: |
| 1. a conceptual framework that . identifies characteristics of exemplary programs, . addresses the current goals of environmental education, and . examines curricular/instructional alternatives |
| 2. ideas for teaching environmental education to enhance your expertise in the following
domains . the selection, development and/or implementation of curricular materials and resources, . the selection of instructional strategies, and . the evaluation and assessment of students, teachers, and the curriculum |
III. After completing this course, you should be able to:
1. Develop an understanding and appreciation of the components of comprehensive
environmental
education programs.
2. Present and defend a philosophy for teaching environmental education.
3. Select appropriate tasks/activities for different developmental and intellectual levels.
4. Apply and evaluate safe procedures for outdoor environmental education.
5. Compare and evaluate the major curricular alternatives for teaching K-12
environmental
education.
6. Apply one's knowledge of instructional strategies in teaching an environmental education
lesson.
7. Integrate environmental education with other academic subjects.
8.Select safe and meaningful environmental education activities for the
different ability
groups.
9.Implement components of environmental education listed in the North Carolina Standard
Course
of Study.
10.Select appropriate technology for use in environmental education.
11.Assess your effectiveness as an environmental education teacher.
IV. Course Readings:
| 1. Selected chapters from The Age of Environmentalism
by J.E. de Steiger and The Case for Constructivist Classrooms by Brooks and Brooks. (books will be placed on reserve) |
| 2. Selected journal articles, laboratory guides, and curriculum/reference materials. |
V. Professional Development (beyond the scope of EDN 595/495)
|
1. It is recommended that you join the North Carolina Environmental Educators. I will
provide you |
2. You may also wish to attend the North Carolina
Science Teachers and Educators State |
VI. Attendance:
Your promptness and active participation is expected at every class. Each anticipated absence
must be discussed with the instructor in advance. Each unanticipated absence must be
discussed
with the instructor immediately upon return to class. Excessive absences may
result, at the
discretion of the instructor, in a reduced grade.
VII. Instructor Availability:
Scheduled office hours (and exceptions to them) are posted on my office door. I am also
usually
available to students whenever I am in the building. If you come by and I am not in
my office,
please leave a message. I will call you as soon as possible.
VIII. Course Projects:
All material submitted for grading must be neatly typed or handwritten in ink on standard
sized
paper with clean margins with careful attention given to grammatical conventions.
Please discuss
with me at least 2 days in advance any problems you will have meeting a due
date. If this is not
done, ten percent will be subtracted from the grade received for each day
the material is late.
1. Three journal reviews, one each from:
Science and Children or Scope
Due 8/26
5 pts.
School Science and Math
Due 9/2
5 pts.
The Journal of Environmental Ed.
Due 9/9
5 pts.
| Select three articles, one from Science and Children, one from School Science and
Math and one from the Journal of Environmental Education. Read the article and summarize its content in relation to your area of anticipated responsibility. Include in your review the positive and negative aspects of the article. |
2. Water Quality Training and
Teaching
25 pts.
| Check out one of the Lamonte test kits
and become proficient at conducting the six water quality tests in the kit. After passing a quantitative chemistry exam on the use of the kit, participate in one of four teaching sessions using the kit. |
Possible teaching sessions include:
Saturday or
Sunday at Riverfest
A Monday or Wednesday morning at the
Wilmington Center for Inquiry
3. State Curriculum class presentation Due 10/25 10 pts.
Your team will present to the
class an outline of the topics/objectives assigned to selected grade
levels.
4. Six hour
elective
Due
11/15
10 pts.
| You will be able to choose
from a wide range of experiences designed to enrich your experiences in a non-traditional science setting. Such activities may include participating in a Project Wild Workshop, attending a conference, assisting a park ranger, or assisting with an environmental science field trip etc. This assignment must be approved by submitting a description of what you are going to do and the estimated time involved. After completion of the six hour elective you must submit a one page description of what you did, including reflections on the impact of the project on you and the participating students. |
I. Exams
| A mid-term and final exam will be administered to assess the extent to which you have
mastered the concepts, principles and process skills outlined in the lab and lecture/discussion sessions. Both the midterm and the final will consist of science content questions (approximately 50%) and methodology questions (50 %). |
Mid-term = 100 points
Final = 100 points
X. Grading Procedure:
During this course, it will be possible to earn a total of 263 points. Your final letter grade will be determined as follows:
A = (92%) of total possible points
B = (86%) " "
C = (80%) " "
D = (76%)
" "
Final Exam: Wed. Dec.6, 5:00 - 8:00 pm
Project Wild Workshops:
Aquatic Wild Workshops: