PCEE

Pennsylvania Center for Environmental Education

PCEE's "Essentials of Environmental Education" Modules

The Pennsylvania Center for Environmental Education has developed three informative modules to help educators understand and teach about the environment. Appropriate for non-formal and formal K-12 educators, as well as for students in pre-service teacher preparation programs, the modules can be used separately or as a series. Ranging from early definitions of Environmental Education to best practices for teaching about environmental issues, this series of booklets provides a useful foundation for educators who are responsible for addressing PA's Environment & Ecology Academic Standards with their students.

Modules can be downloaded in their entirety or by selecting the portion that particulary interests you.

Module I: "The History & Philosophy of EE"

Definitions of EE - the roots of EE and how it is defined today
The essence of EE - the guiding principles of EE, environmental literacy and citizen action
Overview of state and national EE programs
Issues and challenges facing the field of EE
A timeline of events that shaped the development of EE in Pennsylvania
Suggested instructional methods activities to aid in teaching module content

Module II: "Finding and Choosing EE Materials"

Locating and using EE resources on the Internet
Selecting appropriate EE materials
Information on PA, community and national resources
Examples of EE Internet search terms
Suggested instructional methods activities to aid in teaching module content

Module III: "Teaching About Environmental"

A rationale for teaching about issues
Characteristics of environmental issues
Approaches to teaching about issues
Overcoming barriers to teaching about issues
Examples of Pennsylvania-specific environmental issues
Suggested instructional methods activities to aid in teaching module content