Answer to Question #228821 in English for Bongi

Question

Discuss how you can apply Tbilisi principles of environmental education in teaching an environmental education

Answer 1

A basic aim of environmental education is to succeed in making individuals and communities understand the complex nature of the natural and the built environments resulting from the interaction of their biological, physical, social, economic, and cultural aspects, and acquire the knowledge, values, attitudes, and practical skills to participate in a responsible and effective way in anticipating and solving environmental problems, and in the management of the quality of the environment. The Tbilisi Declaration was adopted by acclamation at the close of the intergovernmental conference. The declaration noted the unanimous accord in the important role of environmental education in the preservation and improvement of the world's environment, as well as in the sound and balanced development of the world's communities.

The Tbilisi Principles include;

1. To consider environment in its totality. The learners should be taught all the aspects of environment, that is, its natural, artificial, technological, ecological, moral, aesthetic aspects.
2. To consider a continuous life process. Environmental Education should begin at the preschool level and continuing through all formal and non- formal stages.
3. To examine major environmental issues from local, national, regional, and international points of view so that students receive insights into environmental conditions in other geographical areas.
4. To help learners discover the symptoms and real causes of environmental problems. This can be done through testing how dirty our environment is by making a pollution catcher, for example, paper plate and Vaseline to demonstrate how much dirt is caught on the paper plate. 
5. To emphasize the complexity of environmental problems and thus the need to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. This principle can be applied through brainstorming on how to stop pollution. Learners can make posters on how to stop pollution and what can the community do to help stop pollution for example, use a bicycle instead of a car whenever possible, switch unnecessary lights, plugs geysers off.
6. To emphasize active participation in the prevention and control of pollution. This can be achieved when the teacher becomes the role model for the learners. The learners will be motivated that the teacher is environmentally aware too. The teacher for example, can collect litters that she comes around while in school.