169
invite pupils to participate in planning and reconstructing the school green area
(Christidou et al. 2013). This activity may become part of school formal curricula,
and it is manageable even with younger pupils. According to Skinner and Chi
(2012), perceived autonomy is crucial for pupils’ motivation for garden work. In the
process of decision-making, they can also develop important competences for active
citizenship, such as strategic planning, cooperation with peers or anticipated results
of their decisions.
In the Czech Republic, the involvement of pupils in the planning of their school
garden is part of the EcoSchool programme. Such a strategy has been applied even
in kindergartens. Although some teachers originally questioned the 6-year-old
pupils’ ability to propose realistic ideas, pupils, being introduced to the ageappropriate method of facilitation, provided suggestions beneficial for both the local
environment and their free choice activity in the garden. In addition, the participative approach had a positive impact on their environmental attitudes and feeling of
empowerment (Cincera et al. 2015, 2018).
As we could see from this example, formal Education for Environmental
Citizenship can be rather student – than teacher-directed. In the above-cited studies,
the teacher-directed approach had a lower or even negative effect on students’ attitudes and feeling of empowerment.
11.4.2 Skills and Attitudes in Dealing with Environmental
Problems
Certain authors maintain that exposing young children to the big, emotionally
loaded global environmental problems may lead to ‘learned apathy’ or ‘ecophobia’
(Nagel 2005; Sobel 1996). In our opinion, from the age of ten onwards, children are
able to individually reflect on sustainability problems in their local environment and
in some cases even the global environment. Furthermore, the development of pupils’
empathy towards the victims of environmental injustice and providing an opportunity for symbolic help may open a space for follow-up community-based projects in
the future.
Such an example is the Global Storylines method that allows pupils to experience various sustainability issues in a safe, play-based environment (McNaughton
2012). However, experience with the Global Storylines also documents the limits of
this method. The Global Storylines is based on a method of educational drama play,
where, by playing a role, students are confronted with a sustainability issue. For
example, students play the role of citizens who must decide if they allow a group of
ecological refugees to settle in their village. They are confronted with a risk of water
scarcity as a result of increased population and consumption and need to find the
best solution for both social and environmental issues.
The method has been implemented and evaluated in a set of Czech primary
schools. According to the evaluation, the method proved to have a positive impact
11 Environmental Citizenship in Primary Formal Education
invite pupils to participate in planning and reconstructing the school green area
(Christidou et al. 2013). This activity may become part of school formal curricula,
and it is manageable even with younger pupils. According to Skinner and Chi
(2012), perceived autonomy is crucial for pupils’ motivation for garden work. In the
process of decision-making, they can also develop important competences for active
citizenship, such as strategic planning, cooperation with peers or anticipated results
of their decisions.
In the Czech Republic, the involvement of pupils in the planning of their school
garden is part of the EcoSchool programme. Such a strategy has been applied even
in kindergartens. Although some teachers originally questioned the 6-year-old
pupils’ ability to propose realistic ideas, pupils, being introduced to the ageappropriate method of facilitation, provided suggestions beneficial for both the local
environment and their free choice activity in the garden. In addition, the participative approach had a positive impact on their environmental attitudes and feeling of
empowerment (Cincera et al. 2015, 2018).
As we could see from this example, formal Education for Environmental
Citizenship can be rather student – than teacher-directed. In the above-cited studies,
the teacher-directed approach had a lower or even negative effect on students’ attitudes and feeling of empowerment.
11.4.2 Skills and Attitudes in Dealing with Environmental
Problems
Certain authors maintain that exposing young children to the big, emotionally
loaded global environmental problems may lead to ‘learned apathy’ or ‘ecophobia’
(Nagel 2005; Sobel 1996). In our opinion, from the age of ten onwards, children are
able to individually reflect on sustainability problems in their local environment and
in some cases even the global environment. Furthermore, the development of pupils’
empathy towards the victims of environmental injustice and providing an opportunity for symbolic help may open a space for follow-up community-based projects in
the future.
Such an example is the Global Storylines method that allows pupils to experience various sustainability issues in a safe, play-based environment (McNaughton
2012). However, experience with the Global Storylines also documents the limits of
this method. The Global Storylines is based on a method of educational drama play,
where, by playing a role, students are confronted with a sustainability issue. For
example, students play the role of citizens who must decide if they allow a group of
ecological refugees to settle in their village. They are confronted with a risk of water
scarcity as a result of increased population and consumption and need to find the
best solution for both social and environmental issues.
The method has been implemented and evaluated in a set of Czech primary
schools. According to the evaluation, the method proved to have a positive impact
11 Environmental Citizenship in Primary Formal Education