Education Commons^™

Defining Effective Teaching In Environmental Education: A Georgia 4-H Case Study, Lillian G. Meighan, Nicholas E. Fuhrman

Journal of Research in Technical Careers

Many studies have examined the positive learning outcomes of environmental education (EE), yet few have questioned the means for achieving such outcomes through non-formal teaching methods. Six interviews and four observations were conducted with 4-H environmental educators in Georgia. Study participants defined effective instruction in Georgia 4-H EE as novel and student-centered, where the educator utilizes their own distinct teaching styles, management of the learning environment, and extra resources while capitalizing on teachable moments. Educators worked to create both personal and environmental connections to inspire students to pursue science and environmental careers. EE trainings should prepare educators with either natural …

Assessing The Effect Of Simulation Models On Systems Learning In An Introductory Environmental Science Course, Heather J. Skaza

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

While there is plenty of anecdotal evidence within the systems dynamics community supporting the use of systems simulations in the classroom to improve student understanding, there is little published, controlled, experimental research. This paper describes the results of a paired experiment testing the effect of using system dynamics simulations to increase systems understanding in an introductory environmental science course. We believed that the students using the systems simulations would demonstrate a greater systemic understanding of environmental issues than those who did not.

We conducted an experiment during the fall semester of 2009, with 304 students enrolled in four sections of …