| Research Abstract |
The major opinions on the system of environmental education in Japanese schools were reviewed. On the basis of the results, the 3 dimensions model for environmental education was presented. The 3 dimensions are (1) areas of teaching-learning contents: natural, social or societal, and cultural environments, (2) types of teaching-learning : in, about, and for the environment, and (3) elementary, lower secondary, and upper secondary school.
The questionnaires were sent to the teachers, from elementary to upper secondary schools. The main results were as follows. (1) Environmental education was not practiced adequately in schools. The reasons for the inadequate practice were the lack of time, expertise, and teaching-learning materials or tools for environmental education. (2) In elementary schools familiar natural environments, for examples observations of nature animal keeping, and global environment problems were attached more improtance to.
The programs or materials for the environmental education in the USA were searched, collected, and analyzed. Concretely speaking the environmental education plan designed by the California Department of Education, Project Learning Tree, and Project WET were analyzed.
As a plan with strong possibility and great value for "the period for integrated study" in the new school curriculum, the thematic teaching-learning in which environmental education and STS education rank as trunk lines, and which some elements of career education are incorporated into.
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