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Facilitation in Education for the Environment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2015

Glyn Thomas
Glyn Thomas*
Affiliation:
La Trobe University
*
†Undergraduate Courses Co-ordinator, School of Outdoor Education and Environment, La Trobe University, PO Box 199, Bendigo, Victoria 3552, Australia. Email: g.thomas@latrobe.edu.au
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Abstract

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The concept of education for the environment is well documented in the literature but is apparently less common in practice. Some of the reasons provided for this rhetoric-reality gap include: the controversial and political nature of the subject, the difficulty of empowering students into meaningful action, the challenge of using innovative methods, the difficulties associated with values education, and deficiencies in teacher preparation. Advocates of education for the environment encourage teachers to use student centred, experiential approaches yet provide little guidance to teachers on how to effectively utilise these approaches in their programs. There is a growing body of literature in the field of facilitation that is directly applicable to student-centred, experiential, environmental education. This paper will seek to demonstrate the relevance of facilitation skills, knowledge and experience to the effective implementation of education for the environment.

Type
Research Article
Information
Australian Journal of Environmental Education , Volume 21 , 2005 , pp. 107 - 116
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2005

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