A posthumanist approach to environmental education in South Africa: implications for teachers, teacher development, and teacher training programs

Blyth, Carmen; Meiring, Rouxnette

doi:10.1080/13664530.2017.1327883

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 26 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…She further recommends that survey studies should be conducted on teacher's knowledge and perceptions about constructivism that underpins CAPS. Some studies provided important findings of the integration of EE/ESD in the school curriculum, teachers' discourse, practices, political, economic and social dimensions of EE, different EE approaches, environmental behavioural changes, pre-service teacher training and assessing environmental competency [22][23][24][25].…”

Section: Environmental Content Aspects In the Curriculummentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of the Changes of Curriculum on the Coverage of Environmental Content in Geography

Msezane¹

2023

Ecotheology - Sustainability and Religions of the World

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The South African education sector has experienced several shifts in the curriculum since 1994, thus affecting the coverage, teaching and examination of environmental impact topics in the South African Further Education and Training Phase (FET) phase. This chapter evaluates the effects of changes in curriculum on the coverage of education for sustainable development content in Geography. A qualitative research approach using an interpretative paradigm was employed in the documents used by Geography teachers in South Africa. The chapter used Margaret Archers, Realist Social Theory as a theoretical framework that guides data analysis and interpretation. Document analysis was the only method used where policy documents and examination papers were the instruments evaluated. The results show that environmental impact topics are covered in varying degrees in the South African CAPS curriculum. The level of coverage of environmental impact topics in the examination question papers fluctuates, sometimes to levels below those stipulated in the CAPS documents. The conclusion that can be reached is that the variable coverage of environmental impact topics in the examinations may have a negative effect on the way teachers address the topics of Geography. This resulted in an emergence of structural and cultural morphogenesis in the teaching of environmental content in Geography.

show abstract

Section: Environmental Content Aspects In the Curriculummentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of the Changes of Curriculum on the Coverage of Environmental Content in Geography

Msezane¹

2023

Ecotheology - Sustainability and Religions of the World

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Practical aspects of EE are also carried through in the subject of Life Skills at the primary level (Grade R-7). Teachers are meant to link environmental concepts to implementation in everyday life using the platform of Life Skills (Department of Basic Education, 2011;Blyth & Meiring, 2018). Previous studies have shown that integration of EE into the curriculum is challenging (Loubser, et al, 2014;Mudaly & Ismail, 2016;Reddy, 2017).…”

Section: Environmental Education In South Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This implies that Life Skills teachers need to identify and integrate relevant contextual concerns with meaningful learning activities related to EE so that learners develop an understanding of the interrelatedness of the environment, health and well-being (Blyth & Meiring, 2018). Teachers have been reported to struggle with this requirement, particularly in a resource-strained South African school context.…”

Section: Environmental Education In South Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Teachers’ Choices of Teaching Methods for Environmental Education: A case study of Life Skills teachers at a primary school in South Africa

Ruthanam

Reddy

Pillay

2022

SAJEE

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The success of environmental education has been attributed to several factors including teachers’ competencies and attitudes, teaching methodologies, availability of resources, and curriculum design. Many researchers in environmental education suggest that innovative and resourceful teaching approaches may translate into meaningful environmental education. This study provides an insight into the influence of this on environmental education in a South African classroom through a qualitative approach. Interviews were conducted to understand the teaching approaches used in the subject of Life Skills. The findings of the study suggest that the pedagogical content knowledge and identity of the teacher are determining factors for teachers’ pedagogical choices. This paper suggests that it is not the resources that are crucial to learning, rather the presence of a resourceful teacher. A resourceful teacher is able to introduce innovation regardless of the availability of teaching resources. This information could inform pre-service teacher training programmesin focusing on the development of a resourceful environmental education teacher. Keywords: environmental education, Life Skills, teaching approaches, Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), educational resources

show abstract

“…By framing the current ecological crisis as a crisis of humanism and other aspects of modernity, posthumanist environmental education promotes a new way of looking at the relationship between humans and nature [22]. Blyth and Meiring [26] argued that posthumanist environmental education requires new ways of reconciling ethical values with the well-being of the extended community, emphasising that ethical practices are interactive, because actions and thoughts are interwoven. In contrast to anthropocentric philosophy, holistic education does not elevate human beings above the ecosystem.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Rather, it links them directly to nature and the surrounding environment, reflecting the ideas of posthumanist environmental education. Blyth and Meiring [26] identified the following themes of posthumanist environmental education: (1) all actions have consequences; (2) there is respect for different points of view and constant dialogue with different members of the community; (3) environmental education requires "being in the world"; (4) ecoeducation requires the simultaneous development of aesthetic and moral skills; and (5) environmental education should be universal, interdisciplinary, integrated into all subjects and the basis for all education (pp. 112-113).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can Holistic Education Solve the World’s Problems: A Systematic Literature Review

2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

UNESCO argues that having a holistic approach to education is essential to address global development challenges. However, what empirical evidence do we have about holistic education practices? This study aims to review empirical research on holistic education. The methodological design is a systematic review study following the PRISMA guidelines based on a search of the Scopus and Semantic Scholar databases carried out in December 2021. The selected studies were analysed through a qualitative three-stage screening process based on 218 subjects, 9 of which were included in the final sample. The following inclusion criteria were used: empirical studies or research in English; free access via the internet; and categories limited to “holistic/education/curriculum/pedagogy”. The qualitative analysis of the articles based on the interpretative paradigm and the open coding method was implemented in MAXQDA. The study shows a lack of large-scale quantitative and comparative research showing the benefits of holistic education, its impact on personal and social transformation, and the preparation of teachers to become holistic educators. There is a lack of research analysing the effect of holistic education on environmental awareness compared with traditional education.

show abstract

A posthumanist approach to environmental education in South Africa: implications for teachers, teacher development, and teacher training programs

Cited by 7 publications

References 26 publications

Effects of the Changes of Curriculum on the Coverage of Environmental Content in Geography

Effects of the Changes of Curriculum on the Coverage of Environmental Content in Geography

Teachers’ Choices of Teaching Methods for Environmental Education: A case study of Life Skills teachers at a primary school in South Africa

Can Holistic Education Solve the World’s Problems: A Systematic Literature Review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About