Transformation of an ordinary school into a green school
Date of Award
8-1-2005
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Master of Education (M. Ed.)
Department
Institute for Educational Development, Karachi
Abstract
Environmental Education (EE) has become an important component of the world's engagements in the industrial era. Without environmental awareness, individuals and communities may not realize the negative impact of their activities on the environment; that may become a future environmental challenge. School is a place where individuals are trained to cope with the challenges in their future. The school in which environment related activities are practiced, is called Green School'. The term Green School' is very broad, and under this concept a school seeks to provide EE to all the stakeholders. An ordinary school can be changed into a Green School, giving the concept of EE and introducing different hands-on activities that are tailored to the potentials of different stakeholders such as students, teachers and parents in schools. In order to transform an ordinary school into a Green School, I launched a Green School project in a school run by an NGO in Karachi, Pakistan. Designing different activities for the teachers and students, I specifically worked with four teachers of grade 4, and 41 students from grades 6 to 10. The main activities included; a) developing unit plans, infusing EE in the teaching and learning process to enrich the curriculum, and b) further development of the existing Environmental Club of the school by motivating students towards sustainable development of the school environment. One of the prime objectives of the project was to bring about a change in the school community's attitude towards the environment. The outcomes of the project included enrichment of the National Curriculum through designing hands-on activities for students in the school environment. Development of Green Club in school was perceived to be an effective strategy preparing students to cope with environmental challenges in the future. A clear shift in students' attitude was observed which is attributed to the Green Club.
Recommended Citation
Abbas, G. (2005). Transformation of an ordinary school into a green school (Unpublished master's dissertation). Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.