5. Discussion and recommendations

Environment is the aggregate of all the conditions that support living things. Here, living things include human beings. The environment consists of both natural and human-made systems. The state of the natural environment ultimately determines the quality and survival of life on the Earth. For this reason, environmental education is so important to protect the environment and so our future. Therefore, the aim of the environmental education programs should be teaching about the nature and built environment, providing a real-world context by linking the classroom to the students' community. The students should be engaged in handson, active learning that increases their knowledge and awareness of the environment. The students should be well educated to become critical thinkers, problem-solvers and effective decision makers. Individuals who are well aware of the environment can evaluate environmental issues and make sound decisions. Therefore, students should be well educated in the environment to improve themselves and become protectors of human health and natural resources.

among people, their culture, and their biophysical surroundings. It also involves practice in decision-making and self-formulation of a code of behavior related to environmental quality." The Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 3 to 14 June is an important date for environmental education. Environmental education and sustainability were brought to the forefront of global importance. This global conference, held on the 20th anniversary of the first International Conference on the Human Environment, "Stockholm 1972," brought together policy makers, diplomats, scientists, media personnel and nongovernmental organizations. A total of 172 governments participated in this conference where 108 were at the level of heads of state or government and representatives from 179 countries. The goal of the conference was to help governments rethink economic development and find ways to stop the destruction of irreplaceable natural resources and pollution of the planet. At the end of the conference, five basic documents were produced, namely Rio Declaration, Agenda 21, Forest Principles, Climate Change Convention and Biodiversity Convention. Agenda 21 explained nations' responsibilities in the twenty-first century for a sustainable development. Chapters in Agenda 21 had included suggestions for environmental education and sustainability, and Chapter 25 had suggestions on "Children and Youth in Sustainable Development" and Chapter 36 on "Pro-

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The European Union's environment policy has developed over the last two decades, and environmental education can be considered to be a part of its effective implementation. The resolution adopted by the Council of Ministers in 1988 explains the role of education in increasing awareness of the problems in the environment and suggests possible solutions and well awareness and active individual efforts to protect the environment and careful and

[7] stated that, besides environmental knowledge, values, ethics, attitudes and behaviors added to the programs provide the teachers with environmental education which may not be included in any other parts of the programs. In terms of policy recommendations, it is clear that there are points of convergence and divergence in relation to environmental education across the European Union—particularly in the way in which it is embedded across the curriculum and in terms of the

Nowadays, a new concept "Sustainable development" has started to be used widely in all over the world. The Brundtland Commission defined it as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future to meet its own needs [8]." Thereafter, education on sustainability and sustainable development is a part of the formal understanding

Here, the most important question is: "How should Environmental Education be implemented

To reach this goal, the curriculum should aim to equip students with knowledge and abilities that would foster the development of an environmental ethos. The best way to do so is to integrate environmental education into every subject taught in schools, from chemistry to social studies. This is one of the two ways and may be the best and the most difficult at the same time. The other way is to incorporate environmental education into the school system as a different discipline [10].

moting Education, Public Awareness and Training."

tendency for it to address values, ethics, attitudes and behavior.

of what environmental education is and what it is about [9].

reasonable use of natural resources.

and presented to students?"

#### A well-prepared environmental education program should aim to:


For the time being in the world, environmental problems are rapidly increasing and it is not sensible to continue like this. Human beings cannot continue to consume and produce at the rate they are doing now, as human population continues to grow. It is clear that the majority of the human populations on the Earth live below the poverty line and our environment is in a state of chaos, so much so, that some have called our manipulation of the environment as an irreversible human experiment [4]. As if there is only one world, the only way to escape from this chaos is to be more compatible with the natural environment, which we are a part of, and give a chance to improve the quality of life. Thereafter, one of the most important ways of doing this is through environmental education. If human beings want to survive on the Earth, every nation, government, school and teacher must make it a priority to create an environmental ethos within our educational institutions [5].

The birth of environmental education is due to the discovery of the negative effects of human beings on the environment. Mentioned below is the classical definition of environmental education by the reference [6] "Environmental education is recognizing values and clarifying concepts to develop skills and attitudes to help understand and appreciate the interaction among people, their culture, and their biophysical surroundings. It also involves practice in decision-making and self-formulation of a code of behavior related to environmental quality."

5. Discussion and recommendations

190 Open and Equal Access for Learning in School Management

A well-prepared environmental education program should aim to:

tical, economic, social and cultural things [3].

mental ethos within our educational institutions [5].

resources.

a subject.

environment

Environment is the aggregate of all the conditions that support living things. Here, living things include human beings. The environment consists of both natural and human-made systems. The state of the natural environment ultimately determines the quality and survival of life on the Earth. For this reason, environmental education is so important to protect the environment and so our future. Therefore, the aim of the environmental education programs should be teaching about the nature and built environment, providing a real-world context by linking the classroom to the students' community. The students should be engaged in handson, active learning that increases their knowledge and awareness of the environment. The students should be well educated to become critical thinkers, problem-solvers and effective decision makers. Individuals who are well aware of the environment can evaluate environmental issues and make sound decisions. Therefore, students should be well educated in the environment to improve themselves and become protectors of human health and natural

1. Develop environmental education. It should be an interdisciplinary approach rather than

2. Urge individuals to use specific pedagogical theories and applications which develop respect for nature and human involvement in nature aiming at creating environmental ideas.

4. Educate individuals in related issues to the natural world and all social systems in the

5. For global and regional development, we should critical thinking on environmental, poli-

For the time being in the world, environmental problems are rapidly increasing and it is not sensible to continue like this. Human beings cannot continue to consume and produce at the rate they are doing now, as human population continues to grow. It is clear that the majority of the human populations on the Earth live below the poverty line and our environment is in a state of chaos, so much so, that some have called our manipulation of the environment as an irreversible human experiment [4]. As if there is only one world, the only way to escape from this chaos is to be more compatible with the natural environment, which we are a part of, and give a chance to improve the quality of life. Thereafter, one of the most important ways of doing this is through environmental education. If human beings want to survive on the Earth, every nation, government, school and teacher must make it a priority to create an environ-

The birth of environmental education is due to the discovery of the negative effects of human beings on the environment. Mentioned below is the classical definition of environmental education by the reference [6] "Environmental education is recognizing values and clarifying concepts to develop skills and attitudes to help understand and appreciate the interaction

3. Insistently make individuals feel actively responsible for the whole environment.

The Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 3 to 14 June is an important date for environmental education. Environmental education and sustainability were brought to the forefront of global importance. This global conference, held on the 20th anniversary of the first International Conference on the Human Environment, "Stockholm 1972," brought together policy makers, diplomats, scientists, media personnel and nongovernmental organizations. A total of 172 governments participated in this conference where 108 were at the level of heads of state or government and representatives from 179 countries. The goal of the conference was to help governments rethink economic development and find ways to stop the destruction of irreplaceable natural resources and pollution of the planet. At the end of the conference, five basic documents were produced, namely Rio Declaration, Agenda 21, Forest Principles, Climate Change Convention and Biodiversity Convention. Agenda 21 explained nations' responsibilities in the twenty-first century for a sustainable development. Chapters in Agenda 21 had included suggestions for environmental education and sustainability, and Chapter 25 had suggestions on "Children and Youth in Sustainable Development" and Chapter 36 on "Promoting Education, Public Awareness and Training."

The European Union's environment policy has developed over the last two decades, and environmental education can be considered to be a part of its effective implementation. The resolution adopted by the Council of Ministers in 1988 explains the role of education in increasing awareness of the problems in the environment and suggests possible solutions and well awareness and active individual efforts to protect the environment and careful and reasonable use of natural resources.

[7] stated that, besides environmental knowledge, values, ethics, attitudes and behaviors added to the programs provide the teachers with environmental education which may not be included in any other parts of the programs. In terms of policy recommendations, it is clear that there are points of convergence and divergence in relation to environmental education across the European Union—particularly in the way in which it is embedded across the curriculum and in terms of the tendency for it to address values, ethics, attitudes and behavior.

Nowadays, a new concept "Sustainable development" has started to be used widely in all over the world. The Brundtland Commission defined it as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future to meet its own needs [8]." Thereafter, education on sustainability and sustainable development is a part of the formal understanding of what environmental education is and what it is about [9].

Here, the most important question is: "How should Environmental Education be implemented and presented to students?"

To reach this goal, the curriculum should aim to equip students with knowledge and abilities that would foster the development of an environmental ethos. The best way to do so is to integrate environmental education into every subject taught in schools, from chemistry to social studies. This is one of the two ways and may be the best and the most difficult at the same time. The other way is to incorporate environmental education into the school system as a different discipline [10]. In this case, the first way is seen as the best, because it brings together environmental education with other disciplines in the classroom and integrates environmental education into the programs with all other subjects to create environmental ethic in the same line of how ethic and democracy were taught in a particular way [11]. However, for the situation in Turkish Cypriot community, there is not a discipline with the name of environmental education and by being realistic it is very difficult to integrate environmental education into the curricula of all other subjects. But, the same situation (having no environmental education discipline) can be accepted as a chance that the discipline would be newly prepared and well constructed. Therefore, first of all, it would be better to incorporate environmental education into the curricula as a different discipline (for Turkish Cypriot community) and then try to integrate it into every subject.

Author details

References

Issue (1)):225-232

ISBN: 92-803-1288-X

2005. p. 1-28

Serife Gündüz and Mirati Erdoğuş\*

\*Address all correspondence to: miratierdogus@hotmail.com

Educational Research. 2013;53(A):313-326

Economics and Political Science. 2001. p. 31

without CO2 emission. Science. 2003;299(5615):2052-2054

Atatürk Faculty of Education, Near East University, Nicosia, North Cyprus

[1] Cardet. Curriculum and Needs Review for the Greek Cypriot Community. 2006

of the Eastern Mediterranean. Jan 2011;1:697. ISBN-13: 9783906166865

[2] Viney DE. An illustrated flora of North Cyprus. An Essential Guide to the Wild Flowers

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[3] Gündüz Ş. Environmental Consciousness and Education Levels of Elementary Grade 4 and Grade 5. Students in Turkish Republics of Northern Cyprus. Eurasian Journal of

[4] Caldeira K, Jain AK, Hoffert MI. Climate sensitivity uncertainty and the need for energy

[5] Gündüz Ş, Bilir A. The study of attitude of students in northern Cyprus environmental education and water conservation. Hacettepe University Journal of Education. 2012;(Special

[6] IUCN. International Working Meeting on Environmental Education in the School Curric-

[7] Stokes E, Edge A, West A. Synthesis Report: Environmental Education in the Educational Systems of the European Union. Centre for Educational Research, London School of

[8] WCED. The Brundtland Report. Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development, forth-second session of UN, Agenda item 83 (e), 04-08-1987, p. 318

[9] IIEP. Guidance for Planning Education in Emergencies and Reconstruction, Chapter 23: Environmental Education, Stage 5: Curriculum and Learning. Published by the International Institute for Educational Planning, 7–9 rue Eugene Delacroix, 75116 Paris. 2006. p. 15.

[10] NSW Department of Education and Training. Environmental Education Policy for Schools, DET Sales, PO Box 218, Bankstown NSW 2200. 2001. p. 23. ISBN: 0 7313 7019 8

[11] Mappin M, Johnson E. Changing perspectives of ecology and education in environmental education. In: Johnson E, Mappin M, editors. Environmental Education and Advocacy: Changing perspectives of ecology and Education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press;

ulum, Final Report. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN; September 1970. p. 1970

For the question "how to present it to the students," the answer is difficult, because every teacher has his/her own unique way of teaching, but in terms of education way, the answer is easy presentation should aim to make the students love and protect their environment by teaching all the facts and relating children to nature as a source of wonder, joy and awe rather than books and words. For this reason, teachers should encourage students to discuss and make dialogs. Another important way is having the lessons outdoors. What is learnt inside the classroom about environmental education needs to be reinforced and supported by what happens outside the classroom. Sometimes even the classroom itself can be transferred to another location to enhance students' learning about environmental education. This manner of environmental education and integration can foster the development of a student's esthetic appreciation for the environment, which is an important step in the creation of environmental ethos. The teachers should create a relationship between the child and the environment. The discussion of the current environmental problems with young students may cause the children to be hopeless. In this case, if it is necessary to discuss environmental problems with the students, it would be very helpful to mention about the solution of the environmental problems and convince children that it is not very difficult to overcome such problems and "only believing and starting the action is a problem."

According to the "Environmental Education Policy for Schools" prepared by the NSW Department of Education and Training in 2001, the objectives of the curriculum should provide students with:

