What should Environmental Education as a Separate Subject be?

독립교과로서 환경교육의 정체성 모색

In Korea environmental education has been taught as a separate subject in school since 1995. Still it has not established its own individuality. The environment subject teaches many areas that are also taught by the other subjects. Its text focuses on the knowledge of ecology and pollution although it tries to help students acquire a desirable attitude for environmental conservation and participate in environmental activities. To achieve the goals of environmental education in school, the environment subject and the other subjects should take differentiated parts in environmental education. For example, the latter teach knowledge and skill related to ecology and pollution and the former encourages students to behave responsibly to environment. One of the ways for it to do so is to let students discuss current environmental issues based on knowledge and skill and make their own decisions. The teacher who is charged with the subject has to help students, with their own will, decide to do good to environment and sustainable society, but should not make them to decide according to their teacher's will. We need to deeply discuss, with open mind, what the environment subject will teach and how it will cooperate with the other subjects to effectively achieve the goals of environmental education in school. Without such partitioning it is difficult that the environment subject keeps its own individuality and justifies its existence.