The Landcare for Teachers Program: Learning and Teaching for the Environment

Abstract

The development of an innovative environmental education program for teachers was the direct outcome of a doctoral study of land degradation in Australia (Stadler 1989). The Landcare for Teachers Program arose from my research into the issue of land degradation within an historical and policy context and found a need for knowledge and understanding among the wider population. The thesis argued for the role of education as a positive long-term strategy to change the attitudes and behaviour of the Australian community towards the environment.Landcare for Teachers was developed at the University of Tasmania by the author in 1990 with National Landcare Program (NLP) funding. It has operated there successfully since and has been extended to other states from 1993. Teachers are a key target group due to their ability to transfer their knowledge and skills to the next generation of land managers and decision makers and to their multiplier effect. Yet while their work has become more demanding and complex, morale among teachers is low and the profession has poor community support (Schools Council 1990, p. 3). The educational program described in this paper was designed to provide teachers with little or no background in science with a basic understanding of the need to care for the environment and the skills and confidence to pass that understanding on to their own students.