This paper analyses a part of the results regarding environmental education (EE) and education for sustainable development (ESD) in Romania, obtained by administering a survey in 2017, willingly and anonymously filled out by 335 teachers (preschool teachers, primary school teachers, Geography teachers). It examines: respondents' interest, importance, knowledge and involvement in EE and sustainable development (SD); activity impact on teacher knowledge, attitude and behaviour towards SD and environment in Romania; importance of aims and levels in EE and ESD; EE and SD activities involving preschoolers and pupils as well as their frequency; the efficiency of some activities in preschoolers ' and pupils' EE and ESD; problems that may occur due to a subpar EE. In its conclusions, the paper highlights several measures for an increase in EE and ESD levels.
For the professional training of university students in the field of Geography, at the Faculty of Geography, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, the curricula in all years of study, at the Bachelor's level, include two field trips organised by the faculty, where professors coordinate the activities. The aim of our paper is to realise proposals for improving these activities. Therefore, we chose to find out the opinions of a sample which was represented by university students in their 3 rd year of study, at all specialisations within the field of Geography (Geography, Geography of Tourism, Cartography, Hydrology-Meteorology, and Territorial Planning). We collected the data (students' answers) using an online questionnaire. They informed us about the reasons they had for taking part at the respective field trips, about the efficiency of diverse activities, about students' diverse roles during fieldwork and the usefulness for their learning and training, about what they recommended and preferred. They also realised a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis of the field trips they participated at. Taking into account the findings, we concluded that students considered field trips relevant for their professional training and we were able to provide a series of recommendations for improving them, based on students' opinions and suggestions.
Engaging university students into meaningful learning activities enables critical thinking and understanding (i.e. active learning), instead of memorising knowledge (i.e. passive learning). In this context, we researched the way students at the M.Sc. level learn, at the specialisation of Regional Planning and Development, in the Faculty of Geography, at Babeş-Bolyai University, in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The aim of the activity was to discover the best means for students to analyse urban cultural landscapes. We offered them plenty of images (i.e. aerial photos) of a series of historical urban centres in Romania (ClujNapoca, Brașov, Sibiu, Oradea, Timişoara, Bistriţa) and, while working individually, we asked them to analyse the elements of the city centre and of the urban landscape: the features of the square, its arrangement, the features and the functions of the buildings. Students were also asked to use other sources of images (e.g. Google Earth, Google Maps, etc.) to complete the task, and then they used ArcGIS (a specialised software). In the end, we provided them with an observation protocol that they had to complete with the identified urban elements. We concluded that their in-depth analysis, enabled by an observation protocol, determined students' in-depth learning of the evolution characteristic of historical urban centres.
There are different opinions about the meaning of feedforward: some consider it a response to feedback, while others think it consists of suggestions given to a person in order to help them before learning or starting a task. This study analyzed the professor' s and university students' actions during a seminar activity with a group of 60 students from Babeş-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania and represented them in a flowchart. It also analyzed the efficiency of several didactic techniques and tools that were used with the role of feedforward (e.g., task, checklists). Students' results in the form of sketch maps were compared with the ones from a control group of another 60 students from the same university; the methods and tools that were used as feedforward were noticed to determine an increase in efficiency and better product quality.The feedforward categories were systemized and described, thus filling a gap in the literature of the field.To increase students' learning efficiency and the quality of their results, professors should use feedforward more than feedback, because this creates and ensures the necessary conditions for students to correctly solve tasks and to prevent them from making mistakes.
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