Education and Interpretation on Public Lands: Lessons from Research and New Directions

Decades of research confirm that interpretation and environmental education on public lands can accomplish a wide variety of positive outcomes for participants, ranging from personal learning and growth to stewardship behaviors both onand off-site. This research note offers a brief summary of the state-of-the-field of interpretation and environmental education research as applied to public lands. It highlights the general state of knowledge and identifies opportunities for researchers to further enhance our understanding about education on public lands to maximize benefits for visitors and managers alike. In particular, we emphasize the value of large-scale comparative studies as well as collaborative approaches to adaptive management, in which researchers support active experimentation through iterative data collection and analysis within a learning network of multiple program providers. This latter approach promotes evidenced-based learning within a larger community practice in which participants can benefit from the diverse knowledge, experiences, and data that each brings into the network.

Damage to black locust leaves (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) by the black locust gall midge (Obolodiplosis robiniae) (Haldeman, 1847) in the Włoszczowa-Jędrzejów Protected Landscape Area - research on strengthening and developing knowledge and awareness in environmental education

The prepared article by the team of authors aims to show research in the field of strengthening and developing knowledge and awareness from environmental education in the community of nature conservation services and the academic community. This paper is the result of research conducted in 2014–2015, in the Włoszczowa-Jędrzejów Protected Landscape Area, in the Świętokrzyskie Province. The material for the study was acacia robinia (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) leaves collected on two research areas, differentiated due to the influence of anthropogenic factors. As a result of the study, 5,000 black locust leaves were collected, 65% of which were found to be damaged. Research stands under the influence of strong anthropopressure were characterised by a higher number of lesions on leaves.

Revitalisasi Bank Sampah Sekolah dalam Mendesain Model Pendidikan Lingkungan Berkelanjutan Berbasis Teknologi Tepat Guna

This Integrated Community Service Activity Real Work Lecture aims to revitalize school waste banks in designing sustainable environmental education models based on appropriate technology. Environmental education is expected to be obtained by junior high school students through the waste bank extracurricular program. Environmental education to be achieved is focused on managing and utilizing waste to produce environmental products into strategic activities that can be developed, in collaboration with successful waste banks. The method of implementation is in the form of observation and FGD conducted in SMP Negeri 9 and SMP Negeri 21 Bekasi City. Through this activity, various problems experienced by SMP Negeri 9 and SMP Negeri 21 Bekasi City were formulated in re-activating the school waste bank program. Based on the series of activities from FGD to simulation, it can be concluded that school leaders, environmental extracurricular coaches, and students of SMP Negeri 9 and SMP Negeri 21 Bekasi City really hope that waste management activities in their respective schools can be reactivated. Considering that the activities are still in a pandemic atmosphere, the reactivation of the school waste bank is carried out in conjunction with the restructuring of the extracurricular environmental management in their respective schools. Abstrak Kegiatan Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat Terintegrasi Kuliah Kerja Nyata ini bertujuan untuk melakukan revitalisasi bank sampah sekolah dalam mendesain model pendidikan lingkungan berkelanjutan berbasis teknologi tepat guna. Pendidikan lingkungan diharapkan dapat diperoleh oleh siswa SMP melalui program ekstrakulikuler bank sampah. Pendidikan lingkungan yang ingin dicapai difokuskan pada pengelolaan dan pemanfaatan sampah sampai menghasilkan produk lingkungan menjadi kegiatan strategis yang dapat dikembangkan, bekerjasama dengan bank sampah yang sudah sukses. Metode pelaksanaan berupa observasi dan FGD yang dilakukan di SMP Negeri 9 dan SMP Negeri 21 Kota Bekasi. Melalui kegiatan ini dirumuskan berbagai permasalahan yang dialami oleh SMP Negeri 9 dan SMP Negeri 21 Kota Bekasi dalam mengaktifkan kembali program bank samapah sekolah. Berdasarkan rangkaian kegiatan dari mulai FGD sampai simulasi dapat disimpulkan bahwa pimpinan sekolah, Pembina ekstrakulikuler lingkungan, dan siswa SMP Negeri 9 dan SMP Negeri 21 Kota Bekasi sangat berharap agar kegiatan pengelolaan sampah di sekolah masing-masing dapat diaktifkan kembali. Mengingat kegiatan masih dalam suasana pandemi maka pengaktifan kembali bank sampah sekolah dilakukan bersamaan dengan restukturisasi pengurus ektrakulikuler lingkungan di sekolah masing-masing.

Impact of Collaborative Learning on Student Teachers’ Comprehension and Attitudes Towards Environmental Education Concepts in Chemistry

The study explored the impact of of collaborative learning on student teachers’ comprehension and attitudes towards environmental education concepts in Chemistry. The study involved 64 student teachers studying environmental chemistry at Mufulira College of Education in Zambia. The action research adopted a pre-test post-test quasi-experimental design. The students were randomly assigned to the two intervention groups. In both groups students had opportunities to learn pollution, waste management and climate change. In the experimental group they used team based learning while in the comparison group students used think-pair-share learning. Overall, learners’ attitudes towards chemistry were improved from pre-test to post-test in both the experimental group. Results from the achievement test revealed a statistically significant difference (t (df, 62) = 2.030, p = .024 at α = .05) between the mean scores of the experimental group (Mean = 69.75; SD = 13.853) and the comparison group (Mean = 60.67; SD = 14.501) after the experimental Phase. Overall, both forms of collaborative learning incorporating environmental education concepts and issues in Chemistry had a positive impact on learners’ comprehension and attitudes towards chemistry.

The Trinomial Food-Heritage-Education for Climate Emergency as a Tool for Territorial Innovation in the Euroregion of Eixo Atlântico

This chapter is dedicated to the food-heritage-education for climate emergency trinomial (FoHECE). It disseminates a study in the Euroregion of Eixo Atlântico. This Euroregion (Galicia, Spain and Northern Portugal) has been a victim of climate change (CC) due to drought. The project consisted of a participatory-action-research (PAR) with a set of environmental education facilities (EEF) that promote the connection local heritage-global reality. The main objective of the study was to help re-signifying activities in education for climate emergency based on dietary styles. Thus, a pedagogical activity was created with each facility, according to the PAR methodology, to sub-themes of the diet-CC binomial (e.g,. types of food consumed, origin, type of production, presentation) and to food aspects of each EEF surrounding. In addition to the state-of-the-art review on FoHECE, results are discussed, and recommendations are suggested for future approaches and adaptations of this methodology to other contexts.

Building Community Resilience Through Environmental Education

The call for collaborative efforts to respond to climate change is heeded through bilateral and multilateral agreements. The UN Sustainable Development Goals bears testimony to the call. Environmental education is one of the vehicles to raise awareness, understanding, and assessment of sustainable development goals at a community level to build resilience for sustainability. Environmental education enhances the accomplishment of the key competencies for sustainability. Climate change is a complex environmental problem that is not only naturally induced, but made more stressful by anthropocentric capabilities in the quest for a better lifestyle. Although climate change causes and impacts are known, its mitigation strategies are compounded by human wants at the expense of their own sustainable survival. This chapter explores ways of building sustainable development in communities. Environmental education is a core development strategy in local communities against the adverse impact of climate change, especially in vulnerable areas.