Orientation

Reason for emphasis

1) Neo-classical or behaviourism

·     It begins with the teachers to sensitize and inform/teach students about the importance of conserving the environment.

·     Educators are experts so they must pass that knowledge on to community members.

2) Liberal-progressive orientation

·     It allows facilitators to identify their learner’s potential and embrace the experience of learners. The learners should bring their own understanding and engage in a dialogue with teachers.

·     Promotes self-directed learning because learners have the right to make their own decisions. They should apply theory to practice.

·     It promotes critical thinking and helps learners relate to the next person.

3) Socially critical orientation

·     It is good to involve the community in environmental education so that they are environmentally conscious so that they are able to give information that can be used to draw up a lesson plan.

·     It is within the community that the problems can be started and solved, like addressing the issue of floods and other natural disasters. Bringing community into environmental education will enable them to have a broader understanding of issues and finding collective solutions to environmental problems.

·     Students can acquire views from societies on how to care about the environment. If people solve environmental problems from an individual perspective it might be hard to reach the outcome.

4) All the above orientations

·     The use of an EE orientation should be dependent on the learner’s ability to comprehend the information and their previous experience and existing knowledge on the topic. It is necessary to exercise each EE orientation accordingly to cater for all learners.

·     Each educational orientation should be applied differently depending on the nature and the target audience. Issues to be addressed and lessons to be conducted. Issues should be specific.

·     All these educational orientations for EE have got their own critical function to play, therefore they should be emphasized equally according to context and setting.