Environmental education in primary schools : a cross curricular approach

Abstract

The dissertation is an attempt at implementing environmental education into the existing Maltese Primary School Curriculum through the production of a resource pack intended for all levels in the primary school. This was accomplished after making a study of the literature on environmental education and its implications in the primary sector. The present state of environmental education in the primary schools was evaluated through: • teacher questionnaires investigating the requirements of an environmental education programme for Malta; • interviews with primary school teachers and children investigating the current environmental education approaches adopted by teachers in the classroom; • a primary school curriculum audit identifying environmental education themes which could be infused in it; • a study and critical evaluation of the local environmental education initiatives intended for primary schools. The resource pack included in the dissertation provides teachers with clear guidelines, activities and resources. It aims at integrating environmental education with other curricular subjects through a main environmental theme - Pollution. The evaluation of the pack by a number of primary school teachers revealed that a cross curricular approach to environmental education can be implemented in the Maltese primary schools.