Research On Practice Of Environmental Education In American Elementary And Secondary Schools

Environmental education is an important part in the fields of education. United States is the earliest nation carrying out the Environmental Education all over the world. It set up the earliest Act of environmental education. After tens of years' development, practically or theoretically, there are so many successful experience of American environmental education in elementary and secondary schools. Over more two decades, environmental education in our country has made some achievement. However, there are some problems for improvement. Therefore, from the point, using and studying the experience, in order to promote the developing of environmental education and the bettering of environmental conditions of the elementary and secondary schools in our country, this paper targets it and tries to gain some inspirations through probing into its historical development and experimental present.The thesis contains five parts as follows.The foreword explains why to do the research, introduces the researching situation of this issue in our country and overseas and defines the conception of the word "Environment" and "Environmental Education".The first part focuses on the history of the international environmental education and the development process of environmental education in the US. The history of international environmental education does through four stages:the gestation of international environmental education from 1950's to 1970's; in the 1970s, international environmental education comes into being and has established; It is the rapid development period of international environmental education between 1970's to 1992 year; From 1992s to present, it is the mature time of the international environmental education.1970 years, with "Environmental Education Act" of United States enacted, norms and normative systemic system of American environmental education has begun. After 30 years of development, American environmental education always leads the world.The second part discusses the practicing situation of environmental education in secondary school and elementary school in USA. It includes aims, principals, contents and approaches of American environmental education in elementary and secondary schools. The third part summarizes its characteristics and shortcomings by analyzing the whole environmental education in secondary and elementary school in USA. It contents some as follows. Law-based Environmental Education; Multifactor Environmental Education contents; Diversified approach of environmental education; Standardization of environmental teacher training. After several years of development Environmental, education in American schools always lead in the world, and got very good effect. In the process of development, there are also some not perfect factors which needs to further improvement. Such as:Environmental education in the American schools is lack of time; Sometimes environmental education neglect theoretical knowledge and only emphasis on practical knowledge。The fourth part of the thesis, Combined with the case, the Wisconsin K-12 Forestry Education Program, to display specific implementation of American environmental education of primary and secondary。The last part comes to a conclusion on the ground of the above parts and the shortcomings of environmental education in our country. On the ground of the above parts and the 3 shortcomings of environmental education in our country, give some advices to improve and to develop environmental education about primary and secondary schools in our country in future. Some advices as follows:To change ideology, and enhancing personal awareness; To reinforce laws and regulations construction of environmental education in primary and secondary schools; Promoting the environmental education teacher building actively; The cooperation of the school, community and families to establish a three-dimensional model of environmental education; we should adopt flexible teaching approaches and methods; and strengthen the research about the theoretical System of environmental education.