This digest identifies characteristics of successful higher education programs in environmental studies and trends in environmental studies programs and courses. Characteristics of programs that have continued for the past two decades are listed. Some of the variables associated with programs that have not continued are identified. Recent trends…

This digest discusses the inclusion of "sustainability" concept in environmental education. Topics included are: (1) definiton of sustainability; (2) inclusion of the concept in the curriculum using interdisciplinary approaches; and (3) a list of instructional materials containing the concept at the elementary, secondary, and college…

The ability to think critically is essential if individuals are to live, work, and function effectively in a current and changing society. As adults, students will be living in a complex world and in a democracy where both individual and collective actions will require effective selection, processing, and use of information. National, state…

Environmentalism has become a part of the culture, and environmentalists now constitute a major social movement. The solutions to many current environmental problems require a local or national response, but solutions to other problems will require a global response. Major United Nations reports have recognized that solving global environmental…

Charting the curricular institutionalization of environmental education, particularly as it seeks to establish an appropriate niche in the K-12 curriculum, was the focus of a 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…

During 1987 the ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education (ERIC/SMEAC) conducted a survey of the state education agencies, asking respondents to summarize their perceptions as to how schools include environmental topics in their curricula by responding to a questionnaire. Also requested was information concerning…

This publication reviews the literature pertaining to teacher education in, about, and for environmental education. The first section includes the definition, goals, and objective of environmental education. The second section summarizes the recent and current status of environmental education in elementary and secondary schools in the United…

Cognitive learning related to the environment has typically been subsumed as a part of instruction in the more traditional areas of the secondary school curriculum, in particular in science and/or social studies classes. This digest contains a review of a number of studies dealing with cognitive learning in the environment, investigating the…

A project of the ERIC Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education (ERIC/SMEAC) has focused on the synthesis of information dealing with its specific areas of concern. Recent developments in the science and social studies educational communities have led to an increasing emphasis on the educational implications of the…

An emerging focus on pre-college education in the 1980s is the interaction of science and technology in terms of their combined interrelationships with society. The characterizations of the science/technology/society (S/T/S) theme, as advanced by science educators, social studies educators, and environmental educators, exhibit similarities. It is…

Developed to highlight the interrelationships between and among science, technology, society, and the environment, this guide offers educators ideas and activities, and identifies resources for instruction at the elementary and secondary school level. Introductory comments explain and support the role and importance of environmental education in…

Five simulations for addressing science-related social issues in either the secondary science or social studies classroom are presented. Following a foreword, introduction, and description of the conceptual basis for the activities, each of the activities is presented in its entirety. Complete teacher and student materials for conducting each of…