Ecological Education As a Discipline of Study Popescu Ionela Monalisa Master Introduction Human society has known along the

time an accelerated progress concerning education. This concept has been and is still considered one of the most important in order to help people develop their personality in accordance to the positive aspects of the social existence. In the field of education a relatively new discipline has been introduced, namely that of ecological education. The word ecology had its origins in the Greek words oikos (household) and logos (study). This discipline has been defined as the study of interconnections and interdependence of plants, animals and their origins (Kiran, 2004: 18- 46). Gerald G. Marten (2001: 1-7) states that ecology is the science of relationships between living organisms and their environment. In other words, ecology has been thought of as a specific study of living organisms with each other and with their environment (Anil Kumar, Arnab Kumar, 2004: 9-15). However, the idea of living in harmony with nature is not new. It has its roots in the Ancient World, when people were very much aware of the importance of plants and animals although they did not have any specific knowledge of the ecology (Kundu, 2006). This thing led ancient people to admire and respect nature and moreover to unconsciously protect it. The object of study of ecological education is the environment, the impact of human activities upon it and modalities to preserve it. People became aware of the negative consequences their actions have upon nature and felt the need to educate the young generations in such a way that they should preserve it clean and healthy. Anil Kumar and Arnab Kumar (2004: 1-9) claim that environment means all that environs (surrounds) us. To this extent, we could consider this statement as being true, because nature represents everything around us, including plants, animals, waters, even air. Contemporary society faces the need to motivate people about environmental awareness and to improve the quality of life. From this need a tendency to reach the equilibrium between a comfortable social life and a healthy environment has been born, as people became aware of the fact that their existence on this planet strictly depends on the natural environment. It is this tendency that generated the apparition of ecological education. Few studies have been made in the domain of ecological education, with an emphasis upon the importance of this new discipline. Ecological education has been introduced in the Curriculum in many countries rather recently. However, it is nowadays considered a discipline of great importance for education as a whole. It has been seen as the process of helping people of all ages live more harmoniously and joyfully with the natural world (Palmer, 1998: 29). Ecological education is indeed a discipline which promises to have great impact on the next generations, educating young people in such a way as they should be capable of highly appreciate everything that lives around them. Moreover, Palmer claims that education in environmental matters for the younger generations, as well as adults, is essential. On the other hand, considering the methods that this new discipline should use

so that better results are achieved, Gregory A. Smith and Dilafruz R. William (1999) state that all children, including adolescents, have a natural and compelling activity for the outdoors. Thus, they define practical activities as having an important role in educating not only children from primary school, who learn new information while they play, but also adolescents, who can be positively influenced by such methods. Teachers should facilitate learning in the domain of education and they should focus on attempting to create awareness, transmit information, teach knowledge, develop habits and skills, and promote values. Positive attitudes towards nature and personal commitment to environmental protection are the main goals of ecological education. Therefore, learners should develop responsible environmental behaviours (Alec, M. Bodzin, Beth Shiner, Starlin Weaver, 2010: 19-30) and they should be taught how to feel the smells of the forest, the sounds of the birds calling and the leaves moving in the wind, all these being able to engage our most primitive senses (Alec, M. Bodzin, Beth Shiner, Starlin Weaver, 2010: 31-47). Although several studies have been made on the environmental problem, few of them emphasize the importance of integrating ecological education within the educational system. Therefore, we intend to clarify in our study this issue, which has been very little discussed about. This article aims at identifying those factors which would lead us comprehend the importance of having an ecological education and that of implicating pupils in practical activities, so that they could better understand the reasons for which they should appreciate the environment. Thus, we present here several environmental issues with the purpose of persuading the reader manifest interest in the area of ecological education. The questions that arise are: Why is it important for humanity that the following generations should be able to appreciate and value the environment? Could this be achieved by introducing the new discipline of ecological education? And, finally, will teachers manage to inoculate to their students the perspective of a more responsible way of living? We consider that a research of this kind could be useful for the theoretical perspective of the issue studied and it could also have practical implications concerning the development of ecological education as a discipline of study. Method This study has been made starting from the impact that human activities have on the environment. We were lead by the idea that our planet faces certain environmental problems that will not solve themselves. The contemporary society has a moral duty to educate the new generations so that they should understand these problems and come with potential solutions. The principles of ecology were applied on a number of 15 pupils from primary school, 4th grade. The pupils were selected according to their age and intellectual abilities and they were grouped in groups of 5. The first group consisted of those pupils who achieved the best results in the theoretical field of learning. The second group was formed by pupils of middle intellectual level, while the third included the pupils with the worst results in theoretical activities. The goal of this experiment was to demonstrate that the theoretical knowledge is not entirely relevant when teaching young learners appreciate nature and that practical activities are more useful when we intend to inoculate to our pupils a feeling of respect and appreciation toward nature.

The experiment was deployed in several locations. The first of these locations was the classroom, the second was a zoo, while the thirdthe schoolyard. Therefore, we deal with a complex experiment. We shall divide it into 3 major sections, so that it could be easier to follow and understand. I. In the classroom several activities were developed with all groups of pupils, each of them working individually. They were presented theoretical information about what ecology means. The term ecology was defined din such a way that all the students should be able to comprehend what this concept refers to. They were taught that the surrounding nature is very important for our daily existence and that our duty is to preserve it and to protect it from the danger of pollution. The goal of this activity was to prepare students to comprehend and take action regarding current and future environmental issues. Each group of pupils wrote down the data presented so that they could study it and meditate about it when the activity ends. The three groups were submitted to a theoretical test with the purpose of evaluating the theoretical knowledge acquired during the indoors activity. This test consisted of several items which the pupils were required to solve individually, so that the teacher could appreciate more objectively the level reached by each of the pupils. The following items were included in the test: - define the concept of ecology; - give examples and explain the negative consequences of the human activities upon the environment; - identify activities which could be used to protect the environment. At the end of this indoors activity each pupil was capable of explaining what ecology is; could give examples of negative/ positive activities that have a great impact upon the environment; could enumerate actions in order to preserve the environment; and manifested interest for the species of plants and animals which became extinct. II. In order to achieve better results, another series of activities was held in the second location, which was a Zoo. These activities were relevant for the further acquisition of new information. At the Zoo, the pupils met several wild animals and they were informed about their natural habitat and way of living. Each group had to take notes about what they have seen and learnt at the Zoo. Also, each group had to fulfil the following task: select an animal that mostly impressed them and write a group essay about it, with a focus on its way of living in the wild world. They were required to rely not only on the data they came across during this activity, but also they had to collect materials about it from school magazines, books, atlases, or even on the internet. For writing this essay they had at their disposal a period of time of 5 days, so that they could collect materials of their own, and they worked in groups. They also used the data presented during the first two activities. Finally, they were asked to choose a representative for each group to present their essay to the other groups, activity which was held in the classroom. Impressions were changed between the three groups and appreciation was made on the part of the teacher. These activities helped the pupils make contact with the wild world and concentrate on finding solutions to the problem of the endangered species of animals. They were also encouraged by the teacher to think from the perspective of the animals they have observed at the Zoo, so that they should develop responsible behaviours concerning the fauna of the planet.

At the end of these activities pupils were capable of understanding why it is important to assure an environmental equilibrium between nature and human existence and they learnt that nobody should be passive when dealing with such issues. III. The third group of activities was developed outdoors. The area of study chosen was the schoolyard, where the pupils were required to fulfil several tasks. The first two groups had to plant some trees, while the third one was asked to recycle the entire waist found there. This activity was repeated the next day, with the difference that the tasks were inversed. In this way, all the pupils could perform each of the two activities planned. They were asked to formulate ideas, suggestions, to give opinions related to the activities developed and to write in their school journal which activity they consider was the most relevant for them, bringing also pertinent arguments for their choice. For this activity practical tools were used, such as paddles, hoes, tillers, pots with water, bags for garbage and so on. The danger of pollution was also discussed after a meticulous observation of the surrounding nature. The pupils collected data about the air and water pollution, compared several kinds of habitats, draw conclusions, collected pictures, poems, stories, recorded sounds from natureall these during their free time, as a special homework, or during the activities deployed. At the end of the last activity held in the schoolyard they put together everything and a debate took place with the purpose of encouraging them find solutions to the environmental problems and identify actions through which they could help the environment. Results For the first type of activities deployed the results are presented in Graph I. Pupils in the first group performed theoretical knowledge significantly better than the others on all the items required. For example, they were capable of defining the concept of ecology, gave examples of negative consequences that human activities have upon the environment and clearly explained them, and identified activities with practical use in protecting nature. For the second group middle results were registered. The pupils also solved all the tasks, however, not completely. On the other hand, the pupils in the third group scored weaker results, as they solved the theoretical test only partly. These findings indicate that theoretical information is better assessed by pupils who constantly work and learn. Graph I
50 40 30 20 10 0

Group I Group II Group III

The methods used during the last two activities showed that there is a strong link between theory and practice, as pupils achieve better theoretical knowledge when they are implicated in actions with practical character. In Graph II the effects of this method are presented. All groups of pupils successfully fulfilled the requested taskswrote the essay using the data collected during the activities developed in their free time, planted trees and collected the waist found in the schoolyard. Moreover, they demonstrated that they understood why it is necessary for our existence to live harmoniously with nature and they learnt to positively appreciate the environment. These findings indicate that: pupils enjoy practical activities, no matter what the level of their theoretical knowledge is and they are eager to share their experience; they learn while they play and they gradually become able to talk about what they are doing; they use imagination a lot, and when they write an essay they also fall back upon fiction. The data collected during these activities suggested that theory must be always correlated to practice, so that the pupils have a chance to apply their knowledge and to experiment practical facts. These findings led us to the conclusion that better results are achieved when children are encouraged to observe and to appreciate the surrounding environment and also to find solutions to the problems that affect it. Graph II
100 80 60 40 20 0 Group I Group II Group III behaviour during activity em otions observed quality of the essay information acquired

Discussion This research, applied to a small number of pupils, is relevant because it informs teachers what methodology they could use in teaching ecological education so that they could help pupils develop personalities according to the requests that this discipline imposes. It emphasizes the fact that it is significantly important to implicate pupils in practical activities, as this kind of activities encourage them manifest interest in environmental issues. The results of the present research may be summarized by pointing out, firstly, that there is a need to get the new generations closer to the environmental issues and to promote responsible environmental behaviours on the part of the pupils. In addition to this, the research demonstrates that of great importance in teaching ecological education is the use of activities with practical character, through which pupils are stimulated to comprehend and take action regarding current and future environmental issues. The findings resulted are decisive for the hypothesis proposed. We discovered that it is extremely important that the young learners are taught about environment and its

problems, because it is this knowledge that will influence the decisions they would probably make as grown-ups concerning the environment. Ecological education focuses on changing individual knowledge, attitudes and behaviour and it aims at maintaining and improving the environments quality. Asked to observe nature, pupils notify the environmental problems and are stimulated to become more conscious about these issues. Furthermore, such practical activities embolden them to evaluate and clarify their feelings for the environment and also increase their sensitivity and concern about the environmental issues. Some authors considered that A major goal of environmental education is to produce environmental responsible actions on the part of students (Alec, M. Bodzin, Beth Shiner, Starlin Weaver, 2010: 31-47). However, this research has several limitations. The results may depend on the subjects selected, on their interest, maturity, and abilities or experience of life. In addition to this, our sample was very small. It is likely that applied to a bigger number of pupils or to students of a different age the results could be more complex. However, we can conclude with certainty that ecological education is a discipline with great implication in teaching students how to evaluate the environment. As K. L. Kundu (preface: v- vii) states, ecology teaches us how to lead a healthy and progressive life while living in harmony with nature. Furthermore, the teacher should concentrate his/ her attention on educating students behaviour toward the natural environment. A practical example of how to achieve this is to take students to examine the natural habitats of plants or animals protected by law or to ask them plant trees. We strongly believe that a person who appreciates the surrounding environment is a better person. This is the motif why we recommend that the discipline of ecological education should be studied more in the future and also its principles should be taught in the process of education as a whole. References
Alec, M. Bodzin, Beth Shiner, Starlin Weaver (eds.), 2010, The Inclusion of Environmental Education in Science Teacher Education, Springer Anil Kumar, Arnab Kumar, 2004, Environmental Education, New Age International Publishers Edmund, OSullivan, Marilyn, M. Taylor, 2006 (2004), Learning toward an Ecological Consciousness, Palgrave Macmillan Gerald, G. Marten, 2001, Human Ecology: Basic Concepts for Sustainable Development, Earthscan, London, Sterling VA Gregory, A. Smith, Dilafruz, K. William, 1999, Ecological Education in ActionOn Weaving Education, Culture and the Environment, State University of New York H. L. Kundu, 2006, Ecology for Millions, New Age International Publishers Kiran, B. Chhokar, Mamate Pendya, Meena Raghunathan, 2004, Understanding Environment, CEECentre for Environmental Education, Sage Publications, India Joy, A. Palmer, 1998, Environmental Education in the 21st Century: Theory, Practice, Progress and promise, London

Abstract A relatively new discipline has been implemented into the vast domain of educational scienceecological education. It deals with the study of the environment, of the relations which establish between humans and the surrounding nature. In addition to this, ecological education studies the importance of preserving a healthy environment.

Our research assessed, in the first place, the impact of this new discipline upon the young learners. Secondly, the present experiment intended to demonstrate the importance of persuading the young generations to be aware of the environment, to preserve it the best way they can. With the purpose of reaching this goal, we used in our research theoretical and practical teaching methods, adequate for advocating the importance of ecological education within the educational system. We used a sample of 15 pupils, who were grouped in groups of 5 and submitted to activities during which they performed several tasks. The first of these activities had a theoretical character and the pupils were informed about the concept of environment and its implications in our everyday life. The last two were practical activities, deployed at the Zoo and in the schoolyard. At the Zoo the pupils met wild animals and got more knowledge about their natural habitat, then wrote an essay about a selected animal from those observed. On the other hand, in the schoolyard they planted trees and collected the garbage. Each activity was evaluated in accordance with the proposed standards. A theoretical test was initiated for the first activity, an essay was the task specific to the second activity, and the work and behaviour of the pupils were objectively evaluated during the third activity. The results showed differences between the three groups of pupils concerning the theoretical activity. The pupils, who generally got the highest results in the theoretical field, also obtained good scores at this activity, while the others got middle and weak results. In contrast, no significant scores were obtained related to the last two activities, which thing demonstrates that practice does better when we intend to inoculate to our pupils the love and respect for nature. All subjects obtained good results at the practical activities and their actions were highly appreciated. As a conclusion, we recommend that more importance should be given to activities with practical character when teaching ecological education (and not only). Our findings also suggest that this discipline has a great impact upon the pupils personality and stimulates them to be more preoccupied with the environmental issues. If these results should be taken into consideration the bleak vision that some environmentalists have about the future of our planet would become more optimistic. Summary O disciplin studiat cu mult interes n zilele noastre este educaia ecologic. Aceasta are n vedere educarea tinerelor generaii n aa fel nct acestea s fie capabile s descopere i s aprecieze frumuseile naturii, s protejeze i s iubeasc n mod instinctiv mediul natural. n studiul de fa am realizat un experiment bazat pe observarea elevilor n cadrul unor activiti complexe. Au fost desfurate lecii teoretice n care elevii au cptat cunotinele necesare pentru o bun nelegere a importanei naturii n viaa omului. Pe de alt parte, elevii au fost implicai n activiti practice, care s le ofere oportunitatea de a participa activ la aciuni de protejare i conservare a mediului nconjurtor. Rezultatele obinute au fost conforme cu cele ateptate, i anume c activitile practice au un impact major asupra caracterului i a modului de a se comporta al elevilor, iar cele teoretice servesc doar pentru transmiterea i acumularea informaiilor. De asemenea, am intenionat s demonstrm importana acestei discipline pentru formarea unei personaliti puternice, capabile s se integreze ulterior n aciuni de protejare a mediului nconjurtor.