Because it is becoming increasingly more difficult to train teachers once they enter the classroom, Environmental Concern is working with institutes of higher education to make sure that teachers have the knowledge and skills to effectively teach science and the environment before stepping into the classroom.
Environmental Concern has developed some innovative courses
in partnership with the College of Notre Dame, including:
If you are interested in working with us to develop something similar, please contact Sarah Toman at dir.educate@wetland.org |
The Survey Research Center, in its 2000 nationwide survey of teachers, found that, prior to becoming teachers, only about 10% had taken courses in environmental teaching methods and less than a third had prior coursework in environmental science, ecology, or environmental studies. There is little wonder why the U.S. currently lags behind the rest of the world in science education.
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Based on the results of a Roper Survey that examined environmental attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors, the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation discovered a “persistent and troubling lack of environmental knowledge among Americans today” (NEETF 2000). In the results, the NEETF noted that only 32% of the 1505 Americans surveyed could correctly answer 9 of 12 multiple-choice questions on recent environmental topics
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