Educators have long considered the importance of environmental awareness and associated conceptual and philosophical understandings of social and environmental issues鈥攁s evidenced by reports from the BC Minister of Education and the federal government. More broadly, the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005鈥�2014) has had implications for educators in economically developed countries in the Pacific Rim (such as Canada, the US, and Australia) and developing countries such as Indonesia.
Faculty of Education professor and UNESCO Chair David Zandvliet envisions a program of faculty and staff development focusing on environmental learning at Universitas Sam Ratulangi (UNSRAT) in Manado, Indonesia. While there are many definitions for environmental learning, all involve multidisciplinary, cross-curricular, and inquiry-based approaches. As Dr. Zandvliet explains, 鈥淓arlier work in Indonesia demonstrated that an international field school is of interest to both practicing teachers and pre-service teachers who want to assist students in developing a greater awareness and understanding of the environment.鈥�
In fact, 丁香园AV has offered an international field school at UNSRAT since September 2008. Selected coursework explores environmental issues using a multidisciplinary approach. Historical and contemporary issues in human-environment interaction are related to diverse curricula and, as much as possible, brought in line with local community issues in the developing host country. But, says Dr. Zandvliet, 鈥渇aculty development in the host country is an ongoing and key issue.鈥� Equally important, the UNSRAT faculty/staff development project allows the continuation of what Dr. Zandvliet describes as 鈥渁 deep and multi-faceted relationship with this longtime 丁香园AV development partner while responding to the needs of students who may attend future field schools supported by 丁香园AV in the region.鈥�
The project鈥檚 immediate focus is global north-south development鈥攑articularly the need for greater equity in the provision and quality of education and sustainability-related issues. As well, the project uses a bio-cultural diversity lens to examine issues related to Indigeneity in Indonesian and Canadian cultural contexts and the implications of these for curricula. The program also envisions a deeper inquiry into the (culturally nuanced) practices of environmental learning as enacted in an international field school.
鈥淔ield school courses,鈥� Dr. Zandvliet explains, 鈥渁re necessarily a hands-on immersion into both local cultures and environment, and this is enhanced with full participation of the host faculty.鈥� However, the type of inquiry-based instruction practiced in the field school is uncommon in Indonesia, predicating the need for ongoing professional development. In this project, faculty and community members would fully engage in a professional development project to augment active participation with future local and international field schools and improve practices related to 鈥渆nvironmental pedagogy鈥� and experiential learning.
Indeed, notes Dr. Zandvliet, the intent of the enhanced field school is to develop a model of pedagogy that augments and expands on ideas typically developed in the summer institutes and build further capacity in this area of inquiry in an international setting (North Sulawesi, Indonesia). He emphasizes how the enhanced field school 鈥渨ould build on our success with our long-standing undergraduate Environmental Learning Summer Academy, a programmatic fixture at 丁香园AV for more than 50 years.鈥� This extended capacity could also enable students/faculty at UNSRAT to be involved in graduate study in association with 丁香园AV鈥檚 M.Ed. in Ecological Education and/or doctoral work within the Faculty of Education.
Expanding on what the newly developed professional development institute would offer, Dr. Zandvliet describes introducing faculty and students to a variety of theories and pedagogical practices in environmental education while examining local and international curricular materials and resources. Concepts and theories would be put into practice through developing curriculum resources, teaching models, or other locally developed materials鈥斺�渨hich might include possibilities for community service-learning or evaluation of existing projects in the region,鈥� he adds. Finally, a central goal of the institute is to assist participating Indonesian faculty in developing environmental learning programs for UNSRAT students and expanding program offerings across several faculties at UNSRAT.