Warrington School/Envirethical/Envirethical Pedagogy

Envirethical Progressions

Suggested approach:

Working together envirethically

• 0-7 years
  • Exposure to local flora and fauna
  • Develop an appreciation for the natural world through small journeys to natural habitats
  • Explore concepts such as urban/rural, poor/wealthy rubbish/pollution
  • Meet and talk with people who work in helping agencies - Red Cross, park ranger etc

• 7-10 years
  • Engaged in positive action for local flora and fauna
  • Develop understandings for the natural world
  • Begin questioning the reasons for poverty and local global environmental issues
  • Interviews with helping agency workers

• 10-13
  • Making connections between global flora and fauna and human interactions
  • Caring for the natural world - raising seeds, providing bird feeders
  • Learning about world politics of fair trade, animal rights, Petrochemical companies and refugees
  • Assist people who work with helping agencies - Oil Free Otago etc

Experiential learning

• Characteristics include:
  • involving students in meaningful experiences, decision making, and taking action for an agreed purpose
  • helping students to think critically and reflect upon their experiences
  • engaging students in questioning and discussion
  • acknowledging and valuing their prior knowledge and experiences
  • assisting students to develop knowledge to inform their decision making

Inquiry learning

• Identifying and solving problems, thinking critically, and reflecting to gain understanding or make informed decisions

Co-operative learning

• Students work together and share knowledge, ideas, and opinions
• This involves both class and group work, and emphasises learning through social interaction

Reflective practice

• The teacher analyses the state of learning and makes strategic decisions for future implementation, either consciously or intuitively
• The students also need to consciously reflect on their learning, values, attitudes, and actions for the environment

Student-centred learning

• The learner is placed at the centre of the learning experience
• In environmental education this is seen in holistic (not merely cognitive) terms.

Affective-aware teaching

• As well as considering cognitive learning, the teacher needs to be aware of how individual learners or groups of learners feel about a situation
• This component also acknowledges the dimensions of values and attitudes in teaching and learning

These pedagogies and strategies are not mutually exclusive, 
and that some combination of them was likely to prove most effective
Envirethical Curriculum Exemplar Ideas