4.4 OUTCOMES BASED EDUCATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
4.4.1 OUTCOMES BASED EDUCATION
• produce and enhance manpower capability in the region
• initiate mass rolling based action in managing the environment through information, education and communication (IEC) campaigns.
• A regional centre for EE that will:
o train EE teacher trainers of Asia-Pacific Region;
o produce EE support materials;
o conduct conferences and consultative meetings to discuss regional problems in the environment and find collective action plans to overcome problems
• serve as nerve centre of an EE information and communication network of Asian-Pacific Region. Improve linkages with UNEP, UNESCO and selected universities and colleges for technical assistance.
• There should only be one regional communication network instead of having too many Sub-regional communication networks on environmental education which only duplicate the exchange of information and experiences.
4.4 OUTCOMES BASED EDUCATION AND
In the past, owing to the inequities and injustices of apartheid education, the majority of the South African population (black Africans) was seriously disadvantaged.
Consequently the South African State, together with educationists, and other stakeholders, developed Curriculum 2005 to eradicate past injustices and to meet the economic and social needs of all learners. The new curriculum has been introduced into schools as from January 1998 and will be fully operational from grades 1 to 12 by the year 2005. This system of education (a paradigm shift) has been re-structured into the Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS). This educational system involves a new approach called Outcomes Based Education (OBE). This approach focuses on WHAT is learnt and HOW we learn it, rather than only on what is taught. This means that the PROCESS and OUTCOMES of learning are more important than the mere CONTENT
Learners will, in future, be exposed to 8 different LEARNING AREAS, Geography, together with a range of other disciplines (e.g. History, Environmental Studies, Home Economics), will be accommodated in the learning area described as HUMAN AND SOCIAL SCIENCES.
There is no learning area called Environmental Education. It is anticipated that EE will be integrated into the eight learning areas. The focus in this chapter is on the Human and Social Sciences learning area because Environmental Education features most prominently in this learning area. This section of Chapter Four focuses on the relationship between OBE and EE and is a must for every educator to glean through.
The following paragraphs approach the subject matter delicately as follows:
• An introduction to the history of OBE
• OBE and Environmental Education
• Critical (cross-field) and specific outcomes
• Teaching a lesson incorporating Environmental Education using the new OBE approach
• The new instructional development plan: planning for the EE lesson
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4.4.1.2 THE WAY IN WHICH OBE WILL IMPACT ON THE TEACHING OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
Environmental issues are found mainly in the Human and Social Sciences learning area.
It is important for educators to have a clear understanding of OBE and its principles before any attempt is made to integrate EE into lessons. The key specific outcomes in the Human and Social Science learning area focus mainly on environmental issues:
• make sound judgements about the development, utilisation and management of resources
• demonstrate an understanding of interrelationships between society and the natural environment
• address social and environmental issues in order to promote development and social justice
The HSS discipline demands a focus on key concepts such as "human" "society"
"environmental" and "interact"
The new approach will require educators to focus on the teaching - learning situation differently. The following must be borne in mind when applying the new approach.
THE LEARNER
• every learner is unique
• every learner can succeed
• learners learn best when they do things, discover, have fun, communicate, are not afraid of failing and feel good about themselves.
THE EDUCATOR
• Is a facilitator
• Assesses learners to help them to improve
• Nurtures and supports the learner.
• Guides learning, and does not merely transmit knowledge.
• Works in a team with both learners and colleagues.
ASSESSMENT
• Is integral to learning
• Is on going
• Tests knowledge, skills and attitudes
• Helps learners to succeed
• Is based on the attainment of competences THE END RESULT [OUTCOMES1
Development of learners who:
• can work in groups
• can communicate
• can solve problems
• are confident
• can work with others
• have life skills
4.4.1.3 CRITICAL AND SPECIFIC OUTCOMES CRITICAL OUTCOMES
There are 7 outcomes which will ensure that learners gain the skills, knowledge, attitudes and values which will allow them to contribute to their own success as well as to the success of their families, communities and their nation as a whole. These outcomes are common to all 8 learning areas in OBE.
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Learners will;
• identify and solve problems and make decisions using critical and creative learning
• work effectively with others as a members of a team, group, organization and community
• organize and manage one self and one's activities responsibility and effectively
• collect, analyse, organise and critically evaluate information
• communicate effectively, using visual, symbolic and / or language skills in various modes
• use science and technology effectively and critically showing responsibility towards the environments and health of others
• demonstrate understanding of the world as a set of related systems by recognising that problem solving contexts do not exist in isolation
SPECIFIC OUTCOMES
These outcomes apply only to a specific learning area. The following outcomes are relevant to the Human and Social Science learning area. This learning area was solely chosen because three of the nine specific outcomes found in the HSS learning area are applicable to the field of Environmental Education. The specific outcomes related to Environmental Education are highlighted on the next page.
Learners will
• demonstrate a critical understanding of how South African society has changed and developed
• demonstrate a critical understanding of patterns of social development
• participate actively in promoting a just, democratic and equitable society
• make sound judgements about the development, utilisation and management of resources
• critically understand the role of technology in social development
• demonstrate an understanding of interrelationships between society and the natural environment
• address social and environmental issues in order to promote development and social justice
• analyse forms and process of organizations
• use a range of skills and techniques in the Human and Social Science context
4.4.1.4 CONCLUSION
There is general agreement that our workforce and society in general lacks relevant skills at all levels. This is partly because the apartheid educational system encouraged people of all races to obtain information without questioning it and to repeat this information on demand. In the work place people were often promoted depending on the number of years of service or after obtaining paper qualifications that were not related to their job competence. The critical outcomes which underpin the new approach aim to ensure that all learners will be well-equipped to play a responsible and meaningful role in their workplace and in society as a whole. An example of an OBE- based lesson is done for the educator using an environmental problem: Pollution.