E-Book Chapter | Introduction: The Power of Case Studies

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World Map with Trees Defining the Continents

Welcome to Environmental Education in Action—a collection of case studies and educational approaches that demonstrates the powerful role environmental education, or EE, can play in creating a global citizenry that cares about people and the planet. Showcasing a variety of examples from around the world, this book highlights the complexity and challenges inherent in EE, and presents some of the innovative approaches educators are using to advance the goals of environmental literacy and civic engagement in their communities. You’ll discover a camp program in Canada in which indigenous students explore their perspectives on climate change, a first-of-its-kind traveling climate-education strategy in India, a program in Australia focused on protecting biodiversity, and much more.

Why case studies? We believe that exploring and discussing these real-life scenarios can benefit not only people already working in EE, but also future educators. They’re a natural fit for professional development workshops and online seminars. And they can add authenticity to university courses with engaging approaches to topics as wide-ranging as economics, public health, and environmental justice. Many of the case studies can also be adapted for use with high school students. Whatever your own focus, we hope this collection sparks new ideas for how you can bring the issues of our time to life in ways that resonate, engage, and motivate.

Chapter Author: Judy Braus, Executive Director, NAAEE

 

This chapter is part of the GEEP case study e-book, Environmental Education in Action: Learning from Case Studies Around the World, which introduces case studies as a valuable learning tool and dives into key topics in environmental education.

Explore the full E-Book