Environmental education review - formal education sector (schools)
Curriculum Corporation
for Environment Australia, 2003
Environmental education indicators
A set of Environmental Education indicators was developed to map references to Environmental Education in the curriculum documents examined.
A total of 147 indicators were identified through this process. For the mapping exercise, the indicators are grouped under five categories and ten sub-categories, illustrated in the Table below.
| Category | Sub-category | Indicator (Reference to these terms in the document is mapped as a reference to Environmental Education in the category shown) |
|---|---|---|
| Information about the environment | Ecosystems | Local |
| Regional | ||
| National | ||
| Global | ||
| Natural systems | ||
| Ecological principles | Adaptations | |
| Biodiversity | ||
| Carrying capacity | ||
| Cycles of matter | ||
| Ecological balance | ||
| Energy flow | ||
| Fauna | ||
| Photosynthesis/Flora | ||
| Food webs, interactions, biotic/abiotic, communities | ||
| Habitats | ||
| Interdependence | ||
| Population changes | ||
| Survival (factors) | ||
| Species diversity | ||
| Sustainable environment/life | ||
| Change over time | ||
| Energy and resources | Renewable resources | |
| Finite resources | ||
| Production and consumption | ||
| Resource use | ||
| Sustainable development | ||
| Use/Efficiency of energy | ||
| Nuclear energy | ||
| Energy conservation | ||
| Studies of humans and the environment | Humans and Environment | Agricultural sustainability |
| Built environment, building for survival, energy efficient housing | ||
| Health and health care, Urban health hazards | ||
| Indigenous lifestyle sustainability, farming | ||
| Lifestyles, how people function within an environment, quality of life | ||
| Mass transit technology | ||
| New technologies and efficiencies | ||
| Population (growth, distribution, dynamics) | ||
| Poverty | ||
| Recreation, tourism, eco-tourism | ||
| Sustainable human settlements, development | ||
| Urban sprawl, urbanisation | ||
| General human activities | ||
| Political and economic issues | Citizenship | |
| Eco-efficiency | ||
| Ecological footprint | ||
| Ecospace | ||
| Environmental assessment | ||
| Environmental law | ||
| Government env. policies | ||
| Interconnectedness (political, economic, environmental, social) | ||
| Intergenerational equity | ||
| Land-use planning | ||
| Life-cycle analysis | ||
| Lobby groups | ||
| Management | ||
| Media | ||
| Natural resource accounting | ||
| Precautionary principle | ||
| Sustainable consumption | ||
| Cost Benefit analysis | ||
| Pollution | Air pollution, air quality | |
| Hazardous wastes, Toxic chemicals | ||
| Noise pollution | ||
| Radioactive wastes, radiation | ||
| Solid wastes | ||
| Stormwater, sewage | ||
| Vehicle emissions | ||
| Water pollution, water quality | ||
| Issues | Acid rain | |
| Conservation | ||
| Deforestation, land clearing, habitat destruction | ||
| Desertification | ||
| Endangered species | ||
| Greenhouse, climate change | ||
| Introduced species | ||
| Land degradation | ||
| National parks/ remnant vegetation | ||
| Environmental disasters ie. nuclear accidents | ||
| Ozone | ||
| Revegetation | ||
| Salinity | ||
| Sustainable biotechnology, Bio-engineering | ||
| Water depletion - rivers, ground water | ||
| Wilderness | ||
| Recycling | ||
| Skills, problem solving and competencies | Experimental design | |
| Observing | ||
| Measuring | ||
| Questioning | ||
| Mapping | ||
| Interpreting | ||
| Investigating | ||
| Collecting, analysing and organising information (KC1) | ||
| Communicating ideas and information (KC2) | ||
| Planning and organising activities (KC3) | ||
| Working with others and in teams (KC4) | ||
| Decision making | ||
| Brainstorming | ||
| Creative thinking | ||
| Designing | ||
| Future tools/forecasting | ||
| Solving Problems (KC6) | ||
| Environmental leadership | ||
| Environmental auditing | ||
| Evaluating/assessing | ||
| Critical thinking | ||
| Comparing evidence of change/short- and long-term impacts | ||
| Writing | ||
| Listening | ||
| Reading | ||
| Attitudes, values and view points | Aesthetics | |
| Appreciation of the benefits of community | ||
| Appreciation of the dependence of human life on finite resources | ||
| Appreciation of the importance of individual action | ||
| Appreciation of the interdependence of all living forms | ||
| Care for the environment/stewardship | ||
| Ethics | ||
| Appreciation of the interrelationships between science, technology, society and environment | ||
| Personal acceptance of a sustainable lifestyle | ||
| Respect for other culture perspectives | ||
| Respect for other living things | ||
| Social justice/equality/respect for human rights | ||
| Spirituality | ||
| Value clarification | ||
| Changing perceptions towards environments | ||
| Action | Energy conservation school/home | |
| Environmental citizenship | ||
| Government initiatives - Landcare, Waterwatch | ||
| Litter reduction school/local area | ||
| Local community projects | ||
| Purchasing policies school/home/canteen | ||
| School environment improvements/projects | ||
| Waste minimisation school/home | ||
| Water conservation school/home | ||
| Reducing harmful chemicals home/school | ||
| Turning knowledge into action |