ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Environmental Education is an elective course for the third year of the bachelor’s degree in Environmental Sciences.
Environmental Education (EE) explores the ways in which people are taught about their environment and their relation to it, and how this can be done in effective ways to promote sustainable living. In order to understand the broad nature and options available within EE, students will learn about fundamental elements such as biodiversity, linguistic diversity, and interculturality, as well as the history of the field of study. They will then learn about theories, settings, audiences, techniques, and assessment.
This course is founded in social sciences and humanities, and will not be about studying notional elements of the environment. Instead, we will be learning about critical thinking, interdisciplinary methodology, and application of theoretical knowledge. Students will also develop group work skills and presentation skills.

1. Knowledge and understanding
a) Knows the basic terminology used in environmental education.
b) Knows the historical factors that shaped environmental education.
c) Knows the diverse factors influencing current practices related to environmental education (ecological, social, political, economic, educational etc.).
2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
a) Have learned how to properly use the terminology in all the processes of application and communication of the acquired knowledge.
b) Can recognize different factors in the analysis of environmental education.
c) Can see the applications of learned strategies in everyday life and to suggest the best possible strategies for different stakeholders.
3. Judgment skills
a) Will learn to choose a subject for independent study.
b) Will learn to determine appropriate methods and tools for a variety of educational settings.
4. Communication skills
a) Know how to communicate the specificities of environmental education using appropriate terminology.
b) Knowing how to interact with peers and with the tutor, in a critical and respectful way.
5. Learning skills
a) Have improved presentation skills.
b) Have improved reviewer skills by reviewing fellow students works.
c) Have developed skills for critical reading of scientific publications.

There are no specific knowledge requirements for this course, yet the students are expected to have an open mind and readiness for class discussion.

The course will focus on 5 selected aspects of Environmental Education (EE):
Framing EE
This section will include considerations vital to understanding the broad area of EE, such as biodiversity, interculturality, and linguistic diversity. These themes are explored in the required reading text, and students will be encouraged to consider how and why these themes are so fundamental throughout the course, as we build both knowledge and critical thinking skills.
History of EE
We will consider the origins and emergence of EE as a discipline in its own right, stemming from the positivistic approaches of environmental sciences and exploring how time has transformed this approach and moved towards a more social science and humanistic area of study. We will also apply the framing themes from the previous section to see how these have independently or jointly developed in people’s understanding.
Theories and concepts in EE (knowledge, attitudes, behaviours)
To be successful in the field of EE, students will need to understand some core concepts and approaches to theory, including how we consider “knowledge”, “attitudes”, and “behaviours”, amongst others. Students will consider why these are important for EE. This part therefore also explores how EE aims to go beyond the classroom to have a lasting and wide-reaching impact on people and the environment.
Settings and audiences
Students will then look at how the previous foundational knowledge can be applied and relevant for a variety of settings and audiences for EE. We will consider some ethical issues regarding different settings and audiences. They will be encouraged to seek out and discuss case studies, using the elements previously discussed in class.
Techniques and assessment
Finally, students will be encouraged to consider technical approaches to EE, and understand the basics of planning and preparation. We will discuss assessment techniques to understand if the techniques used are suitable and effective, in which settings and with which audiences. Finally, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of assessing students in the field of EE.

Required reading:
De Vitis, V. (2012). L'educazione ambientale tra biodiversità e intercultura. Anicia.

Additional Reading:
Ricci, A., & Maggi, M. (2022). L'educazione emozionale: strategie e strumenti operativi per promuovere lo sviluppo delle competenze emotive a scuola e in famiglia. FrancoAngeli.
Granata, M. (2022). Bestiario invisibile. Il Saggiatore.
Selected articles shared on Moodle.

The grading:
Active participation in the seminars – 25 %
Independent or group study and presentation – 25%
Final written work and oral presentation – 50%

Explanation of final work:
1. The main limitation is your imagination. It can be any kind of education that teaches aspects about the environment.
2. The teaching plan must be complete, have a main purpose and have at least 4 different ‘lessons’ or blocks.
3. It must be described in as much detail as possible so that other people can do it too.
4. Do not forget the budget, if you need resources for it.
5. If you want to work in groups, you can for example create a study plan together, where each one covers a specific course, quite different from the others in terms of both content and teaching methods.
6. Minimum length of the draft could be at least five pages, as the planning is quite detailed. There are no maximum limits for length.

Evaluation criteria:
Completeness (a comprehensive and complex view of the teaching).
Diversity (use of different methodologies and approaches).
Attention to detail.
Should have
- A brief description of the activity
- Why is it considered as Environmental Education? (use the definitions you have of EA)
- What are the objectives of the planned teaching?
- Is the activity in line with the objectives and who runs it?
- How long does it last and what are the main activities? Describe the details.
- What do the students have to do?
- What are the results? Is there also some fun (if that is important)?
- What do they have to learn/absorb from the activity?
- What kind of evaluation will you eventually use (if any) and why?

written and oral

Grading will be as follows:
Scores in the 18-22 range will be awarded in the presence of:
- sufficient knowledge and applied understanding with reference to the syllabus;
- limited ability to collect and/or interpret data, making independent judgements;
- sufficient communication skills, especially in relation to the use of course-specific language;
Scores in 23-26 range will be awarded in the presence of:
- discrete knowledge and applied understanding with reference to the syllabus;
- discrete ability to collect and/or interpret data, making autonomous judgements;
- fair communication skills, especially in relation to the use of the specific language of the course;
Scores in the 27-30 range will be awarded in the presence of:
- good or very good knowledge and applied understanding with reference to the syllabus;
- good or very good ability to collect and/or interpret data, making independent judgements;
- fully appropriate communication skills, especially in relation to the use of language specific to the course.
Honours will be awarded if the student has made extra commitments during the course, helping others to understand, participating fully in all activities (unless justified absence) and in the presence of excellent knowledge and ability of applied understanding with reference to the syllabus and excellent judgement and communication skills.

The frontal meetings will be split between lecture, discussion and practical exercises. The discussion section will be grounded on the required texts or conducted exercises.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Human capital, health, education" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development