DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVE

Teacher Training and Skills Development is the single most important priority for empowering teachers to use the environment and to contribute to the overall social construction and development programme by means of an environmentally aware and literate civil society.

It introduces teachers to innovative and creative techniques (a hands-on and holistic approach) which are the basis of co-operative learning. Teachers are trained to apply knowledge and skills to seek solutions to the environmental problems they are likely to face in their own daily lives.

IMMEDIATE OBJECTIVES

1. Schools:
Environmental education (E.E.) becomes a central theme for all education and training programmes. School pupils are encouraged to implement sustainable environmental projects that could create environmental awareness and responsibility for a better and healthier environment.

2. Communities
Empowerment of teachers is directly linked to empowering a nation. Teachers, as agents of change in the communities, are encouraged to work with their immediate communities to improve their environment. Environmental days are used to bring teachers, pupils and parents together for a specific environmental project.

3. Curriculum Development
Delta has been offering teacher training programmes for almost six years and this serves as an encouragement and practical evidence for the development of national and provincial curricula on environmental education and the urgent need for teacher training.

BRIEF PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Delta is an independent NGO, completely autonomous and has been offering teacher training and skills development on E.E. for about six years. A variety of hands-on programmes on teacher training are presented in an innovative and holistic manner to teacher and student-teachers. Delta aims, through these programmes, to create awareness through action-based E.E., thus equipping teachers with the knowledge and skills necessary to promote teaching and learning in schools.

As part of the evaluation and assessment of our teacher training programmes, Delta, through its Extension Service, visits schools to find out what improvements teachers have achieved and implemented in relation to specific objectives and themes of particular workshops ie. regular follow-up and feedback for evaluating teacher training and skills development programmes.

JUSTIFICATION

While the National Ministry of Education in South Africa has committed itself to phasing in 10 years' free and compulsory schooling, the quality of that schooling demands teacher training and improvement. The majority of teachers in South Africa, especially in disadvantaged communities, are under-qualified and environmental education as a new field of study will bring challenges and problems for them in teaching children.

Delta sees teacher training and skills development as the single most important priority for the immediate future. An important consideration in all Delta's initiatives and support for teacher upliftment and upgrading is that programmes and/or projects focus on improvement of subject knowledge and training basic life skills, rather than the production of mere paper qualifications. A hands-on/participatory approach is used to encourage teachers to use the environment and outdoor learning as an educational resource to support teaching and learning.

OBJECTIVES OF TEACHER TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

• to empower teachers to use the environment and make a meaningful contribution to society and to contribute to the overall social construction and development by means of a better educated populace.
  
• to introduce teachers to innovative and creative teaching techniques (hands-on and holistic approach) which are the basis of co-operative learning.
  
• to help teachers share good ideas and effective classroom practices and experiences for effective teaching and learning. Workshops and programmes are based on a practical and investigative strategy. Teachers are usually given some "research" work to do, eg. to identify environmental problems in their schools and the community they serve.
  
• to train teachers in their task of applying their knowledge, understanding and skills to seeking solutions to the environmental problems they are likely to face in their own daily lives.

The methods used by Delta's Education Officers in presenting workshops help teachers and student-teachers to develop a set of skills that can be broadly applied and that can help them better understand both current and future socio-environmental and economic development in our country.

When we educate and empower teachers, we improve the chances for children in schools to be better educated. Without skilled teachers, it is difficult to lay a solid educational foundation for all young South Africans. The RDP can become an on-going successful socio-economic programme if Teacher Training and Skills Development programmes are considered important in the teaching fraternity.

MAIN OUTPUTS

• 150 trainers trained through workshops and the Extension Service (over 3 years: 1997 - 1999).
  
• Educational resource materials developed and distributed to teachers and schools and existing publications eg. ENVIROTEACH, incorporated into the training.
  
• Evaluation and assessment of a number of trained teachers.
  
• A number of the trained teachers to do Further Diploma in E.E. with tertiary institutions.

NATIONAL STRATEGY

The Department of Education (DoE) has identified an awareness of the environment as a central theme for all education and training programmes, and therefore environmental education is going to be given high priority.

In addition, one of the strategies of the government's Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) to improve the environment is:

"..environmental education programmes to rekindle our people's love for the land, to increase environmental consciousness amongst our youth, to co-ordinate environmental education with education policy at all levels, and to empower communities to act on environmental issues and to promote an environmental ethic…" (clause 2.10.6.3 p.40)

Based on preparatory activities, the Department of Education has prepared the "Environmental Education Research Project", which was approved by the Heads of Education Committee (HEDCOM) in July 1995. The research project will explore representative approaches currently being employed within environmental education through a number of project schools. The establishment of curriculum committees at national and provincial levels are also included in the project.

The result of the research project will eventually provide the basis for the Environmental Education Curriculum Committee to draw up national curricula.