DO INT RESUME ED 292 608 SE 048 890 AUTHOR Disinger, John F., Comp. TITLE Trends and Issues in Environmental Education: EE in School Curricula. Reports of a Symposium and a Survey. Environmental Education Information Reports. INSTITUTION ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education, Columbus, Ohio.; North American Association for Environmental Education, Troy, OH. SPONS AGENCY Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC. PUB DATE Dec 87 CONTRACT 400-86-0016 NOTE 149p, AVAILABLE FROMSMEAC Information Reference Center, The Ohio State University, 1200 Chambers Rd., 3rd Floor, Columbus, Ohio 43212 ($10.50). PUB TYPE Collected Works - Conference Proceedings (021) -- Information Analyses - ERIC Information Analysis Products (071) -- Tests/Evaluation Instruments (160) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC06 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Conferences; *Curriculum Development; *Curriculum Problems; *Curriculum Research; Educational Trends; Elementary Secondary Education; *Environmental Education; Instructional Effectiveness; *Interdisciplinary Approach; Models; Science and Society; Student Behavior ABSTRACT Charting the curricular institutionalization of environmental education, particularly as it seeks to establishan appropriate niche in the K-12 curriculum, was the focus ofa recent symposium held at the annual conference of the North American Association for Environmental Education in October, 1987. Contained in this document are the papers presented at the symposium anda survey of 40 states regarding practices related to environmental education. Papers include: "By Way of Beginning: 14 Scholars, 14 Views" (Paul F. Branciwein); "WholeEarth Learning: An Infused Approach to Education about the Environment" (Cheryl Charles); "The Educational Context: Environmental Education in the School Curriculum" (Paul Hart); "Environmental Education and Student Behaviors" (Harold R. Hunaerford); "Environmental Education in the School Curriculum: The Research Base" (Louis A. Iozzi); "Environmental Education in the Curriculum: It's Already There!" (David C. Engleson); "The Problem of Curriculum Infusion in Environmental Education" (Milton McClaren); "Environmental Education: The Right Product at the Right Time" (Rudolph J. H. Schafer); "An STS Perspective on Environmental Education in the School Curriculum" (Peter A. Rubba); "Alternative Curriculum Models for Environmental Education" (Chris Buethe); "(How) Can Interdisciplinarity Be Implemented?" (William F. Hammond); "Beyond Infusion and Single Subjects: The Issue of Fit of Environmental Education in the Curriculum" (Ian Robottom); "The Brain-Mind System and Infusion" (Bob Samples); "Environmental Education: Larger than a Single Curriculum" (Kay Monroe Smith); and "Environmental Education in the School Curriculum: Does It Fit?" (Jerry Hodge).John F. Disinger's "Survey Report: Current Practice: Environmental Education inU.S. School Curricula" concludes the document. The appendixesgive information on the symposium participants andsurvey respondants and a copy of the survey form. (Tw) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research andImprovement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproducedas eived from the person or organization originating it. O Minor changes have bee: made to Improve reproduction quail!), Points of VIeW or opinions stated in thiS docu ment do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. Reports of a Symposium and a Survey Compiled and Edited by John F. Disinger with an Introduction by Paul F. Brandwein Trends and Issues in Environmental Education: EE in School Curricula Published in Cooperation with North American Association for Environmental Education by ERICClearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education The Ohio State University College of Education and School of Natural Resources 1200 Chambers Road Columbus, OH 43212 December 1987 BEST COPY AVAILABLE 2 'ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION INFORMATION REPORTS Environmental Education Information Reports are issued to analyze and summarize information related to the teaching and learning of environmental education. It is hoped that these reports wall provide information for personnel involved in development, ideas for teachers, and indications of trends in environmental education. Your comments and suggestions for these publicationsare invited. John F. Disinger Associate Director Environmental Education This publication was prepared pursuant to a contract with the Office of Educational Research and Office ar Educational Improvement, U.S. Department of Education. Contractors undertaking such projects under government sponsorship Research and Improvementare encouraged to express freely their judgment in US.DepartmentofEchicationprofessional and technical matters. Points of view or opinions, however, do not necessarily represent the official views or opinions or the Office of Educational Research and Improvement. 3 PREFACE Since 1971, the ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education (ERIC/SMEAC) has been involved in monitoring the progress of environmental education efforts in the United States, and to some extent around the world, by identifying, collecting, indexing, abstracting, and disseminating documents of particular interest to those involved or concerned. Many mechanisms have been employed in carrying out this mission; among the most fruitful have been through cooperative efforts with the environmental education specialists of the state education agencies, and through involvement in professional associations such as the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAEE). A number of studies have been completed and publications developed from ventures involving the state education agencies. For several years, ERIC/SMEAC published NAEE's annual Current Issues series and also has participated in the development and publication of several of its monographs. Charting the curricular institutionalization of environmental education, particularly as it seeks to establishan appropriate niche in the K-12 schools, has been a part of ERIC/SMEAC's ongoing activity. This year, the issue of institutionalizationwas selected as a focus for two ERIC/SMEAC activities--a survey of the state education agencies, and a symposium developed and presented at the annual NAEE conference in Quebec City. This volume includes the symposium papers and the summary report of the survey. We are appreciative of the efforts of NAEE's 1987 conference team, including President William G. Berberet, Conference Chairman Edward J. McCrea, Program Chairman Lori D. Mann, and Executive Vice President Joan C. Heidelberg, in helping to make the symposium a viable event, as a feature of its 1987 conference, October 16-21. The all-day symposium took place at Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City on October 20th. Special thanks are due to the 14 symposiasts, whosepapers are printed in their entirety in this volume. These papers present multiple perspectives on how environmental education fits,may fit, or should fit, into school curricula; these will intrigue and enlighten all of us, as will Paul F. Brandwein's insightful introduction. No survey can exist without input, or be of value without reasoned responses; thus, we also gratefully acknowledge the thoughtful feedback of environmental education contactpersons representing 40 of the 50 state education agencies, in providing the data for a "national snapshot" of how environmental education fits into K-12 curricula. John F. Disinger Associate Director for Environmental Education ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education December 1987 iii 4 V Contents Preface iii Introduction By Way of Beginning: 14 Scholars, 14 Views. Paul F. Brandwein 1 The Symposium WholeEarth Learning: An Infused Approach to Education about the Environment. Cheryl Charles 11 The Educational Context: Environmental Education in the School Curriculum. °aul Hart 17 Environmental Education and Student Behaviors. Harold R. Hungerford..., 25 Environmental Education in the School Curriculum: The Research Base. Louis ft. Iozzi 39 Environmental Education in the Curriculum: It's Already There! David C. Engleson 45 The Problem of Curriculum Infusion in Environmental Education. Milton McClaren 51 Environmental Education: The Right Product at the Right Time. Rudolph J. H. Schafer 59 An STS Perspective on Environmental Education in the School Curriculum. Peter A. Rubba 63 Alternative Curriculum Models for Environmental Education. Chris Buethe 73 (How) Can Interdisciplinarity Be Implemented? William F. Hammond 77 Beyond Infusion and Single Subjects: The Issue of Fit of Environmental Education in the Curriculum. Ian Robottom 85 The Brain-Mind System and Infusion. Bob Samples 93 v 5 Environmental Education: Larger than a Single Curriculum. Kay Monroe Smith 97 Environmental Education in the School Curriculum: Does It Fit?Jerry Hodge 107 The Survey Current Practice: Environmental Education in U.S. School Curricula. John F. Disinger 115 Appendix A: Participants in the Symposium 137 Appendix B: Respondents to the Survey 143 Appendix C: Survey Questionnaire 149 vi INTRODUCTION BY WAY OF BEGINNING: 14 SCHOLARS, 14 VIEWS Paul F. Brandwein Consider that in a symposium of scholars in almostany field, we are obliged to consider the accommodating environment which brings them together. We who have acknowledgedour responsibility of attending to sanative environments are obliged to remindeveryone that all schooling and