Understanding How an Environmental Educator Identifies and Thinks about Environmental Issues in Their Education Programming

Abstract

Environmental educators work directly with students and their teachers to implement environmental education programs in both in-school and out-of-school settings. However, the literature is limited in focusing on these environmental educators' thinking and teaching perspectives on environmental issues. This narrative inquiry focuses on an educator (Greta – pseudonym) from a local environmental education center to understand the ways in which she thinks about and identifies the relevance of environmental issues, utilizing in-school and out-of-school settings. Our findings indicate that Greta thinks about environmental issues using her past and current experiences. Greta uses a more local and personalized approach with students, utilizing social and cultural aspects to identify the relevance of environmental issues. This study contributes to research exploring environmental educators’ thinking about environmental issues and their different teaching perspectives when interacting with students and when teaching environmental education content in out-of-school and in-school contexts. This study has implications for both practice and future research in environmental issues.