Abstract
The following paper is a curricular critique of an environmental education policy framework called Acting Today, Shaping Tomorrow (2009). It is founded upon: (a) an examination of the conventional argument for integrated curriculum models and its relevance to K-12 environmental education; and (b) utilization of a typology of integrated curriculum models to analyze an environmental education policy framework within the jurisdiction of Ontario, Canada. In conclusion, Ontario’s environmental education policy framework tends toward an integrated curriculum model referred to as ‘selective infusion.’ The implications for integrated curricular practice are identified, with recommendations for improving the policy framework from an integrated curricular perspective. Key Words: environmental education, integrated curriculum, curriculum critique, education policy.
Highlights
In the province of Ontario, the protection of its environment and the conservation of its natural resources strengthened during the post-war era between 1945 and 1995
Employing an integrated curricula typology (Lenoir, Larose, & Geoffroy, 2000) we classify five recognized integrated curriculum models (ICMs) according to Law & McConnell’s (2000) framework and analyze the ICM advocated in the ATST environmental education policy document
With the release of ATST policy document, Environmental Education (EE) returned to the K-12 landscape in Ontario
Summary
In the province of Ontario, the protection of its environment and the conservation of its natural resources strengthened during the post-war era between 1945 and 1995. According to Winfield & Jenish (1999) at the time: These changes to the elementary and secondary school curricula may represent one of the most important changes in environmental policy undertaken by the province, as in the long term it will result in a population that is less aware of the environmental challenges facing Ontario society The following decade bore witness to this prophetic conclusion as Environmental Education (EE) virtually disappeared from the elementary and secondary education landscapes This changed in 2009 with the Ontario Ministry of Education’s release of its environmental education policy framework, Acting Today, Shaping Tomorrow (ATST) (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2009). Employing an integrated curricula typology (Lenoir, Larose, & Geoffroy, 2000) we classify five recognized ICMs according to Law & McConnell’s (2000) framework and analyze the ICM advocated in the ATST environmental education policy document. We summarize our critique, explore its implications and limitations, and provide several recommendations for advancing EE in light of policy initiatives
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