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Plan implementation
Guidelines for
Best Practices in EE
Best Practices for Environmental Education: Guidelines
for Success is a guide written for the providers of
environmental education (EE) – the people in the
classrooms, nature centers, parks, zoos, museums, agencies,
businesses, and organizations – who actually do
EE. It is designed to help EE providers develop and
implement the highest quality EE programs for all possible
audiences.
Best Practices for Environmental Education was developed
as part of the implementation of Ohio EE 2000: A Strategic
Plan for Environmental Education of Ohio , which calls
for development of "guidelines for best practices
in environmental education in Ohio that support lifelong
learning." A working group put together by the
Ohio EE 2000 Steering Committee reviewed, adapted, and
incorporated relevant information from a wide variety
of high quality resources developed and endorsed at
state and national levels. A list of references used
appears at the end of each chapter, and readers are
encouraged to refer to the original resource documents
for more depth on a particular topic.
Best Practices for Environmental Education presents
a description of the broad field of environmental education
and the many audiences it reaches, and best practice
recommendations for important elements of EE:
• content,
• program development and implementation,
• assessment and evaluation, and
• professional development.
Click here
to download.
EE in Preservice Teacher Education
Study
Preparing new classroom teachers in environmental education
(EE) is an important step in the process of ensuring
that EE in Ohio is of high quality for learners of all
ages. Early in 2001, EEOhio conducted a study to determine
how much environmental education is included in the
teacher training programs in Ohio. The survey was mailed
to all 51 colleges and universities who offer teacher
preparation programs in the state. Over 70% of the institutions
who received the survey responded. As part of the study,
an informal email survey was also conducted to learn
more about EE activity in academic departments other
than teacher education departments across the state.
Results from the study indicate that, while there are
several institutions whose teacher preparation programs
include substantial environmental content, the majority
of the institutions preparing teachers in Ohio do not
prioritize environmental education in their teacher
preparation programs. Results also highlight some of
the barriers to the inclusion to environmental education
in preservice teacher education.
Click here
to download.
Ohio EE Research Consortium
On March 9, 2001, EEOhio, the Environmental Education
Council of Ohio (EECO), and the Ohio State University
Extension sponsored Environment in Ohio Education: Support
Through Research: Exploring Research Needs for Environmental
Education in Ohio . This first ever environmental education
(EE) research symposium for Ohio was a daylong event
held at the Creative Catering center in Hebron, Ohio.
The symposium was a first step in the formation of a
research consortium for EE in Ohio as called for in
Ohio EE 2000: A Strategic Plan for Environmental Education
in Ohio .
A capacity crowd of over 70 enthusiastic EE researchers,
administrators, and practitioners from both the formal
and nonformal education communities attended the symposium.
Participants heard stimulating keynote addresses, viewed
an EE Research Poster session, and worked in small groups
to discuss EE research needs and strategies for establishing
an Ohio EE Research Consortium. Click here to download
the Proceedings from the symposium.
Establishing an Ohio EE research consortium is, and
will continue to be, the product of the work and vision
of many dedicated people around the state. As a "next
step" to the Ohio EE research symposium, a planning
team is working to guide the formation of the Ohio EE
Research Consortium. The team began their work by conducting
an online needs assessment survey to inform the process
of forming the Consortium.
Click here
to download.
Underserved Audiences in EE
In 1996, the United States Environmental Protection
Agency (USEPA) published Report Assessing Environmental
Education in the United States and the Implementation
of the National Environmental Education Act of 1990
. One issue emphasized in the report is that some audiences
are not being reached in environmental education (EE).
Adults, people of color, low-income populations, and
senior citizens are examples of what is now termed the
"underserved" in environmental education.
A commitment to teaching underserved audiences for environmental
education in Ohio is evidenced in Ohio
EE 2000: A Strategic Plan for Environmental Education
in Ohio , which calls for the development of a statewide
initiative to help educators better understand and meet
the needs of these audiences.
As part of the Ohio EE 2000 initiative, Dr. Michele
Morrone, coordinator of Ohio University's Environmental
Health Program, spearheaded a project to address the
issue of underserved audiences in EE in Ohio. The project
utilized research to identify and describe audiences
who are underserved in environmental education, and
to produce a statewide directory of formal, nonformal
and adult education programs targeted to underserved
audiences in Ohio. Click here to download the directory.
Click here
to download.
Mentoring for Environmental Careers
Recent research data indicate an increased demand for
environmental professionals in both the public and private
sectors at the same time that fewer young people are
being drawn into these professions. To address this
problem, Ohio
EE 2000: A Strategic Plan for Environmental Education
in Ohio specifies the development of "a mentoring
program that is accessible and affordable to allow all
youth to experience a variety of environmental careers."
Still in the planning stages, the Ohio EE 2000 Mentoring
Initiative will develop a "toolkit" to enable
environmental professionals to become "career ambassadors"
for Ohio youth. The initiative will make a variety of
career exploration opportunities available to youth,
such as:
• Classroom presentations by environmental professionals,
• Email mentoring with environmental professionals,
• Shadowing opportunities to observe firsthand
what environmental professionals do,
• Internships,
• Scholarships to professional meetings or educational
institutions.
Click here
to download.
Community EE Programs
As recommended in Ohio
EE 2000: A Strategic Plan for Environmental Education
in Ohio , EE Ohio is working to promote Environmental
Education (EE) programs for the
general public in local communities. EE for the general
public happens in many places,
including parks, zoos, museums, nature and environmental
education centers, soil and
water conservation districts, government agencies, business
and industry, environmental organizations, and community-based
groups. Programming provided by these organizations
may range from general natural history to education
focused on specific environmental issues.
EE Ohio is seeking funding for a project to produce
a statewide inventory and
comprehensive mapping system of EE programs for the
general public. The inventory
and mapping system will be used as a tool for decision
making and planning to improve
and expand EE programs for the general public around
the state.
Funding for EE in Ohio
Action item 7.1 of Ohio
EE 2000: A Strategic Plan for Environmental Education
in Ohio calls for an examination of “the current
scope, distribution and support of environmental education
programs” in Ohio. As a first step in accomplishing
this action item, EEOhio conducted a simple interview
study to gather opinions on EE funding from a sample
of environmental education organizations around the
state.
We are interested in your input on this subject! Please
read the report and let us know what you think. Click
here
to send us your comments. Please include your name,
job title, and organization in your response.
Click here
to download.
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