Contextualising learning in Advanced Certificate in Education Environmental Education courses: Compa

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Contextualising learning in Advanced Certificate
in Education (Environmental Education) courses
Comparing contexts and experiences

• Ingrid Timmermans, Heila Sisitka Rob
  ODonoghue- Rhodes University Environmental
  Education and Sustainability Unit
• Cheryl le Roux Callie Loubser - University of
  South Africa
• Tony Shallcross Manchester Metropolitan
  University

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CONTEXT OF THE STUDY

• New democracy,
• New constitution,
• New policy

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INTRODUCTION

• Macro, meso and micro profiling
• - Environmental and education policy
• Challenges faced by DoE staff
• Classroom and community realities
• Environmental issues and risks

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KEY PROPOSITIONS

• Context to inform course design
• Context within courses

• Flyvberg
• It is unrealistic to predetermine appropriate
  responses to contextual concerns given the
  dynamic interplay between context, actions and
  interpretations

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PROFILING PROCESSES
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3 CONTEXTUAL ISSUES

• Complexity of environmental issues
• Whole school development policies
• Rapid curriculum change

How can lecturers respond in terms of course
design?
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1. Complexity of environmental issues

• National policy strong on human rights, positive
  env. ethic, and education for env. literate and
  active citizens
• Crisis at the biophysical and socio-economic level

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Response 1 applied competence

• Requirement of the SA Norms and Standards doc.
• Appropriate content introduced through case
  studies, fact sheets
• Avoid superficial engagement with too many issues

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Response 2 situated learning

• Situate learning within places, cultures and
  history
• Situate learning within a community of practice
• Assignments deal with authentic env. issues in
  local contexts
• Tools such as auditing, SoE reporting, ecological
  footprinting applied in local context

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2. Whole school development policies

• IQMS legislation
• 93 of schools have a management policy, 28 of
  schools have an environmental policy
• Supportive school/community relationships
  reported
• Challenges e.g. parent illiteracy

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Response integrating SEP into WSD

• UNISA students design an env. Policy and propose
  implementation strategies
• RU students review an existing environmental
  policy of their own school or that of another
  student.
• Evidence of activities and performance

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3. Rapid curriculum change

• Env. Integral to all Learning Areas
• Shortage of support staff trained in the new
  curriculum and education processes
• Problems with time, logistics, senior management
  support
• History of poor basic training of teachers

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Response training in education EE integration

• E.g. educational changes, OBE, lesson planning,
  etc
• Environment not an add-on, but integral and
  essential

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Synopsis

• Profiling enables fitting the system
• Highlights logistic and training challenges
• Highlights pertinent contemporary issues
• Challenges
• Complexity of issues
• Need to develop responsiveness amongst teachers
• Through workplace-based assignments which develop
  applied competence to respond to local and
  relevant issues and risks /
• propositional ideas integrated with context in
  which they are expected to resonate