A Study On American Service Learning In The Perspective Of Elementary Environmental Education

In this day and age, with the threat brought about by the widespread deterioration of ecosystem, the environment and development problem is becoming an worldwide focus which has aroused intense concern. In the meantime, Environmental Education, a newly-rising subject that aims to enhance people's environmental awareness and protect the environment more effectively, is drawning increasingly widespread attention. The Environmental Eucation in Chinese primary schools began in 1970's and has gained some achievement to certain degree after approximately 40-years' development. Nevertheless, the progress is deemed unsatifactory and still leaves much to be desired. The causes are manifold including the unscientific methodology, out-of-date teaching content and comparatively lower actual effect, etc. The fundamental reason that holds back the development of Enviromental Education lies in the methodology problem which shoud be given the priority in the Environmental Education reform in this situation.Service Learning is a teaching methodology that integrates academic learning, community service and critical reflection, with the primary purpose to enhance students' academic achievements, promote their personality development and to cultivate their sense of civic awareness and social obiligation. Service Learning has a narural connection to the Envrionmental Education. It can greatly enhance students' performance in studying enthusiasm, academic achievement and also promotes their sense of environmental obligation, environmental protection awareness and ability. In addition, it has been proved that Service Learning contributes to cultivate a better school atmosphere and relationship between teachers and students. As a consequence, it is conducive to the sustainable development of the community and the whole society as well. Doubtlessly, the experiences of American Service Learning have a significant reference value for improving our Environmental teaching method, enhancing the teaching quality, broadening teachers' horizon and to make an innovation. Since its rise in the early 20^th century, Service Learning has been developing for more than one hundred years. The Experiencial Education is the fundamental theoretical basis of Service Learning, meanwhile, multifarious Educational, Psychological and Sociological theories also contribute to the construction of its theoritical foundations. As one of the most major educational innovations which produce profound influence, Service Learning has been widely adopted and applied in American elementary Education and has gained outstanding achievements. A wealth of valuable experience has been accumulated and a feasible operating system has been developed in the practice of Service Learning in the United States.Therefore, the study chooses American Service Learning as the research object and analyzes it in the perspective of primary Environmental Education. Based on the introduction to the historical and theoritical background, the study explores the feasibility and necessity for practicing Environmental Service Learning in Chinese primary school, and then elaborates on the its principals, procedures and evaluation through the case study of California Water Quality Service Learning Program, with the view of constructing an preliminary Service Learning implementation framework for Chinese teachers. At the end, in allusion to the weaknesses of Chinese Environmental Education, the study sums up the experiences learned from the practice of American Service Learning, in terms of the country, community, school, teacher-student relationship and methodology, which are worth borrowing and popularizing in our primary Environmental Education.