ABSTRACT
In the minds of some primary educationists, the words ‘environmental education’ no doubt conjure up ideas of a crucial cross-curricular theme; an essential aspect of the curriculum entitlement of every young child growing up to be a mature citizen of tomorrow’s world, an exciting and motivating area of study with direct relevance for the quality of life in the twenty-first century. For others, the words will no doubt have mental associations with such phrases as ‘not a statutory requirement’, ‘peripheral to the defined core’, ‘not enough time’, and ‘hardly a priority in an overburdened curriculum’. Both views represent reality. My every sympathy extends to busy primary classroom teachers and students of education who recognize the importance of teaching and learning relating to the environment, yet do constant battle with the serious time constraints of classrooms and curriculum plans. There are no easy answers to such tensions; no magical formula for incorporating a crucial cross-curricular theme into primary schooling without spending time and paying careful attention to its content and delivery. It is the purpose of this chapter to assist with that incorporation; to provide succinct guidelines and advice on planning for the successful inclusion of environmental education in the primary school curriculum, and to demonstrate how the statutory curriculum actually goes a long way towards providing a ready framework for the coverage of many essential aspects of the theme. In addition to such practical help, the chapter aims to provide an up-to-date view of what school-based environmental education actually entails, and to highlight its ever-increasing global importance. In short, the following pages bring together a combination of some of the theoretical and practical aspects of teaching and learning in this curriculum area, and support a justification for the recognition of its fundamental importance in the formal education of all young people. Environmental education should not be left to chance.
