Top Environment Education Schools - List of Environment Education Company

What is Environmental Education?

        Environmental education (EE) is the teaching of ecology, environmental protection, and environmental science to society, which can further change humanity's attitude toward global environmental problems and contribute to the development of environmental awareness and responsibility. 

        At present, environmental education is rapidly developing in all countries of the world. This is due to the modernization and popularization of the environmental movement to protect nature. People want to be aware of relevant environmental protection problems, and so they seek help from institutions that provide environmental education services. Such institutions use various options for combining traditional teaching methods with other forms: lecture-conversation, lecture-disputation, lecture “round table”, training course – environmental practice, environmental excursions, expeditions, etc. 

        The definition of environmental education is multifaceted and is presented differently in each academic field. However, there are similarities between all the different definitions of EE. It is the desire to educate the public and set it on the path in the fight against environmental pollution. For nature education to be of high quality, it is important to receive it in institutions that provide long-term courses or multi-year training courses.

Why do we need environmental education?

Like any other education, green education has its own place in the chain of development of society. Unfortunately, not all people think about the damage their actions do to the environment around us. Moreover, they do not think about the consequences of their activities. Therefore, environmental education is extremely important these days to prevent the development of ecological disasters and the destruction of the environment.

       In addition, one of the benefits of environmental education is to encourage society to change its way of life and take an active position on the side of the defenders of nature. The more people show environmental education initiatives and take part in various environmental education projects, the more chances our nature has to preserve its resources.

Components of environmental education

 The environmental education program is updated each year. This is due to dramatic changes in the climate, the state of ecosystems, and the rapid deterioration of the environmental situation. The importance of environmental education is recognized at the world level. Ecological education and upbringing should combine the following directions:

● mental upbringing, that helps to realize ecological convictions of people in reality;
● developing a sense of the beauty of nature and encouraging students' ecological activities;
● moral upbringing – developing a sense of responsibility towards nature and people. 

Thus, the components of EE include:

 1. Demonstration of interest in studying natural history and ecology.
 2. Initiative and activity in events to change environmental problems.
 3. Intolerance of the facts of irresponsible attitude to nature, readiness, and ability to act to protect the environment.
 4. Development of environmental awareness. Involvement in practical activities to protect nature and its resources.
 5. Development of a desire to protect nature and protect it from negative human influence.

What are the types of environmental education?

Since environmental problems tend to be globalized, environmental educators and teachers have more and more work to do every day. Their work is extremely important, and success depends not only on the qualifications of the teacher himself, but also on the methods he uses in his practice. In addition to personal growth and self-development, environmental educators place on their shoulders the important task of shaping an environmentally cultured and aware individual. Some environmental educators allocate such classification of types of ecological education:

1. Methods of consciousness-raising. They are based on the principles of convincing and making the student aware of environmental problems and the desire to solve them.
2. Methods of forming positive experience of behavior in the process of life activity: experience, self-reflection, consciousness.
3. Methods of encouragement and punishment: business games, training, etc. This type of EE is aimed at the implementation of environmental education initiatives.

In the modern world, the purpose of the upbringing of ecological consciousness in the educational process is actively used:

● ecological-psychological training,
● integral-search group and role-playing games,
● creative “therapy”,
● ”brainstorming”,
● simulation modeling, etc.

All these teaching methods are aimed at the actualization of personal commitment, emotional sphere, and formation of motives of ecological content which provides a systematization of outlook settings of students.

How to Choose the Right Environmental Education

  Environmentalism is in fashion now, and this applies not only to everyday life but also to education. Every year, more and more students decide to study environmental studies because it is not only an exciting and important, but also a highly sought-after profession. Many professions directly related to ecology are among the current professions of the future.

       Eco-psychologists say that attitudes toward the environment are formed in the process of interaction of the emotional, intellectual and volitional spheres of the human psyche. This means that the approach to environmental teaching must be comprehensive. It is necessary to give preference to such environmental education schools that will:

● encourage students to replenish their knowledge about the environment constantly;
● promote the development of creative thinking, the ability to foresee the consequences of nature-forming human activity;
● ensure the development of research skills and abilities, and teach students how to make environmentally sound decisions and acquire new knowledge;
● to involve students in practical activities to solve environmental problems of local and regional importance (identifying rare and endangered species, organizing environmental trails, protecting nature from destruction, identifying risk factors in areas of residence, and promoting environmental knowledge: lectures, talks, leaflets, drawings, posters).

In addition, the choice of the institution where the training will take place depends primarily on the goals of the training and a number of other criteria, as well as the location of the environmental education institution.