ERIC Number: EJ1318971
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021-Nov
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0814-0626
EISSN: N/A
Imagine a School: Children Draw and Explain the Ideal Environmental School
Gal, Adiv; Gan, Dafna
Australian Journal of Environmental Education, v37 n3 p208-223 Nov 2021
Using drawings and accompanying written and oral explanations by third- and sixth-grade students, this phenomenological study is an examination of the children's perception of the ideal environmental school. Analysis of the 128 features in the drawing yielded four categories: (1) physical -- with natural areas and outdoor learning, (2) cognitive -- core subjects and environmental ones, (3) emotional -- the students' feelings and the spaces for releasing stress and energy and (4) educational -- environmental education (EE) includes a variety of pedagogies, features of nature and environmental solutions. While the drawings and explanations presented the school as the children know it, without boundary-breaking imagination and creativity, they also showed a desire for a positive school atmosphere, defined as essential to holistic EE and to leading environmental change. The positive atmosphere, nature and the environmental spaces can be the foundation of developing EE that is not fear based, which often generates helplessness and prevents action. The recommendations emphasise the need to enhance positive thinking and not to focus only on fear tactics as a means to enhance holistic EE and protect the environment.
Descriptors: Imagination, Freehand Drawing, Educational Environment, Grade 3, Grade 6, Elementary School Students, Middle School Students, Physical Environment, Psychological Patterns, Cognitive Processes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Grade 3; Primary Education; Grade 6; Intermediate Grades; Middle Schools; Junior High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A