EETAP has completed four new articles on key initiatives in environmental education (EE). Each highlights work by EETAP, its partners, and others in related areas within EE. The articles are written in a popular style to inform EE practitioners and other educators about trends in EE and their significance for the field. EETAP will post the articles in PDF format on its web site for educators to read and download. See below for a short description of each article and links for accessing. http://eetap.org/pages/ee_articles.php Leading the Way to Environmental Literacy and Quality: National Guidelines for Environmental Education Ed McCrea, former executive director of North American Association for Environmental Education, calls the development of the environmental education guidelines the single most important event that has occurred in the field of environmental education in the last decade. For the first time in its history, environmental education has a set of tools that promotes unity, a common language, and the professionalization of the field. The Guidelines grew from NAAEE's desire to ensure that environmental education was a part of the national standards movement. But most of all, the guidelines offer a way to ensure that environmental education materials, programs, and practitioners are of the highest possible quality. Are you or is your state using the Guidelines? Are you a part of this quiet revolution? Click below for a more detailed look at the g! uidelines project and to find out how to obtain free copies of guidelines publications. http://eetap.org/media/pdf/Guidelines.Final.20060319.pdf EE Certification: Making Best Practice Standard Practice Pursuing environmental education certification is difficult, so why do it? What does it mean to be certified? Who benefits? How? These are just a few of the compelling questions addressed in "EE Certification: Making Best Practice Standard Practice," a new article exploring advancements and challenges in state and national EE certification. A growing trend in almost every profession, certification offers a way to assure that professionals in the field meet certain minimum standards and experience. It provides legitimacy for the individual and for the field. Several states, supported by the North American Association for Environmental Education, have thus far established certification programs based on NAAEE's Guidelines for the Preparation and Professional Development of Environmental Educators. The approaches within the four states vary widely, with different methods fo! r demonstrating competency in required areas: environmental literacy, history, professional requirements, planning and implementation, and assessment and evaluation. Even seasoned professionals are seeking certification and finding the process valuable. Says Cheryl Stanco, Project Learning Tree Co-Coordinator at the Texas Forestry Association, "I've been [in the field] for 19 years. When you get to the level I've reached, it's easy to get stagnant. * [Certification] has boosted me out of my complacency." Read the complete article to learn more about certification programs in the United States and how such programs are likely to impact the professional practice of environmental educators. http://eetap.org/media/pdf/Certification.Final.20060227.pdf Distance Education: A User Friendly Learning Option If curling up comfortably in your favorite chair while engaging in a rich exchange of ideas and information with a diverse group of people sounds appealing, then distance learning might be for you. Environmental education is just beginning to tap the potential of the virtual classroom, with courses offered by University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Project Learning Tree, and others. The courses fill gaps in the learning opportunities available to formal and nonformal educators, and have drawn students, educators, resource management specialists, and others from across the country and around the world. Convenience is the hallmark of distance learning, but there are many compelling reasons to consider online education. Read the complete article to explore those reasons and learn about current online offerings in environmental education. http://eetap.org/media/p!df/Online.Final.20060302.pdf The Roots of Environmental Education: How the Past Supports the Future Even a young field like environmental education has deep roots. Some trace the origins of the field back to 18th century philosophers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who felt that education should maintain a focus on the environment. The nature study movement of the early 1900s certainly influenced modern-day environmental education, as did the conservation education programs of the 1930s Dust Bowl era. For some, the passage of the Tbilisi Declaration in 1977 is the seminal event that laid the foundation of the field of environmental education. For others, Tbilisi is remote history and the 1990 Environmental Education Act, which gave rise to the Environmental Education and Training Partnership (EETAP), has more significance. Whatever your place along the timeline, it is fascinating to review the many and varied events that have shaped environmental education and given the fi! eld its diverse, resilient, and inclusive nature. Click below to read a history of the field and a detailed environmental education timeline. http://eetap.org/media/pdf/History.Final.20060315.pdf
