Blog Post 9: Education Reform: What can we do to raise environmental awareness?

The topic of sustainability is a long and convoluted one, as this blog has previously highlighted. Sustainability encompasses a variety of topics, ranging from the most obvious one of environmental sustainability to other less obvious topics such as sustainability in terms of food allocation. However, what most notions of sustainability have in common is the fact that they are all highly influenced by one thing: education. Education can be described as the founding pillars of most societies, hence having an influence in most problems of the day. When discussing sustainability as a concept of environmental issues, the idea of educational reform is often discussed. Maybe education is at the root of all environmental solutions? How can education be reformed in order to positively influence environmental reform? These are all questions that are often asked. Today’s blog will look specifically at how education can indeed be reformed, what is the common discourse surrounding education reform and whether this is accurate or not. 

As education reform has been long talked about, an inevitable discourse has been shaped surrounding what is the most effective way to reform education. Burns and Kovacs (2014), discussing how education should be reformed, do a magnificent job in portraying their views, coinciding with the common discourse, yet overlook a few important ideas that could largely impact education as well. Burns and Kovacs (2014)argue that the most important facet of education reform is to raise awareness. They portray the fact that education has been pushing students to recycle and reuse, yet they argue that this is not enough. Education has to do so much more than to push students to recycle if we want to make a difference (Burns and Kovacs, 2014). So, what can be done to raise environmental awareness? I would argue that there are a variety of different ways to do this, but Burns and Kovacs (2014)stress that the most effective strategy to raise environmental awareness, in their opinion, is to improve science education. They argue that by improving the likes of physics, biology and chemistry teachings, along with intertwining them with environmental sciences, students will reach a higher level of environmental awareness (Burns and Kovacs, 2014:5). Furthermore, Burns and Kovacs (2014)claim that this is not enough, that to truly increase environmental awareness, education reform has to include the implementation of vocational programs, both at the secondary level and at university level. By doing so, Burns and Kovacs (2014:6) assert that the green industry would flourish, increasing the number of workers qualified to install photovoltaic solar panels, for example.   

Raising environmental awareness is a necessary characteristic towards an environmentally friendly society. Burns and Kovacs (2014) make a few interesting points regarding necessary educational reform, yet I am inclined to disagree with their ideas. Burns and Kovacs (2014) rest too much importance on building upon the already existing method of teaching, such as improving the quality of physics, biology and chemistry education. Using such logical concepts to raise environmental awareness, which is driven partly by emotion as well, is an inappropriate way to reform education. In fact, we are currently seeing that this does not work. Blincoe (2009)rightly asserts that the education system has become rigid, with the wheel turning only in one direction. Blicnoe (2009) presents a range of necessary characteristics in educational reform, which I once again do not agree with them all. However, Blincoe (2009) makes an interesting point regarding the necessity of using the arts to raise environmental awareness. In fact, there have been cases in England where the arts have been used to raise environmental awareness in children from ages 3-11 that seem to be effective (Cleland-Harris, 2018). Using music and painting has demonstrated that it captures the children’s attention, making the issue of the environment a more personal one.

The problems regarding the environment express the need for educational reform. Current argumentations that there is a need to improve teaching of the sciences only serves to reinforce the existing education system rather than to reform it. Furthermore, attempting to raise awareness in students in secondary school or above does not seem to be the most effective strategy. On the other hand, using the arts as a method of raising environmental awareness, and focusing specifically on primary school students could be the necessary education reform that we are waiting for.

 Bibliography

Blincoe, K. (2009) Re-Educating the Person.  In: The Hnadbook of Sustainability Literacy.

Burns, T. & Kovacs, R. (2014) Think Green: education and environmental awareness. Think Green,.

Cleland-Harris, D. (2018) “It captures their imagination”: teaching sustainability through the arts. The Guardian,.