The impact of the learning for sustainablity project on teachers and curriculum 2005, with reference to teachers in the Alrapark cluster

Abstract

M.Ed.

This study focuses on the impact of the pilot project called Learning for Sustainability (LfS) on teacher participation and Curriculum 2005. The aims of the study were firstly, to show that environmental education does not form part of the current interim syllabi at schools. Secondly, to show that if environmental education were introduced in schools, it would create an awareness of local environmental issues. Thirdly, to show that when projects are initiated at schools, both teachers and learners benefit. An extensive literature review was undertaken to examine core areas of environmental education and the current interim syllabus to establish where the emphasis of environmental education lay. The literature study also focused on outcomes based education and the implementation of Curriculum 2005. The theoretical framework constructed from the review concluded with the premise that the issue of environmental education is of major concern, and that the teachers had benefited immensely from the pilot project of Learning for Sustainability. The investigation included data collection from teachers who were participants in a cluster of the pilot project. The data was consolidated, reduced and clustered, culminating in empirical findings, which were confirmed by using different methods and sources. The main emergent patterns indicated that the pilot project had a significant impact on the knowledge acquisition of teachers, who experienced fewer problems as a result of implementing new methods in their classrooms; learners enjoyed being involved in environmental issues; and teachers realized that learners could do their own research. The study recommends changes for teacher education and the curriculum and concludes with recommendations for the implementation of Outcomes-based Education (OBE) and Curriculum 2005.