TRAINING OF FUTURE TEACHERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN THE USA

Abstract

Resolving the problem of the global environmental crisis determines not only the modification of production technologies, but also changes in people's lives, their consciousness and attitude towards nature. Compliance of the values of a new culture, a person of a post-industrial society with global environmental laws requires targeted environmental preparation. Consequently, the leading role in this process belongs to the educational system. Valuable experience in environmental education has been accumulated in the USA. Its study and implementation of best practices in the Ukrainian educational sphere makes it possible to increase the level of environmental culture of future teachers. The purpose of the article is to study the experience of training of future teachers in environmental education in higher education institutions in the USA. Research methods: analysis of scientific literature, systematization (to clarify the key concepts of the study), study of educational programs (to determine their environmental content), comparison, generalization (to form the author's conclusions). The features of environmental training of future teachers in some US universities have been studied. Using the example of teacher training at the University of Portland, it was established that environmental education is implemented through the study of various disciplines («Introduction to environmental education», «Factors of environmental education», «Methods of studying ecology»), as well as extracurricular work (participation in the environmental movement, work of the student ecological association). The activities of the Center for Natural Education and the interfaculty association «Environmental Science and Natural Resources Management», which operate at the university and provide environmental training to students, have been studied. The areas of environmentalization of the training of future teachers, which can be implemented in Ukrainian higher education institutions, have been identified: the formation of a system of continuous ecological training of teachers in higher education; creation of special structures (centres, associations) of environmental orientation in universities, the functions of which are the development of interdisciplinary educational programs of environmental content for future teachers of various specialties, preparation of educational and methodological materials for environmental courses, conducting environmental events.