Frontier Tanzania Environmental Research - Frontier-publications ...

SPIEEP: End of Project ReportAppendix 1. List of activities undertaken during the Environmental Education PilotProject.1. Environmental Education Workshop for DET staff and teachers.This was a workshop held by Frontier-Vietnam for teachers from all the schools in theNature Reserve and the Department of Education and Training (DET). After the initialintroduction to the workshop and Frontier’s activities, information gathered over thecourse of the project was presented with a view to creating an initial structure for thedevelopment of the new environmental education curriculum. Subject matter wasdecided and Frontier was asked to help the DET to both write this curriculum (to be usedin the existing “Social and Nature Studies” classes) and to produce teacher and studentbooks. Environmental education teaching methods (subject matter (i.e. information aboutthe values of and threats to the Reserve), use of games, etc.) were also presented. Whilethe actual writing of such a curriculum was deemed outside the scope of the pilot project,it was decided that further funding would be sought to implement this activity (seesection 3 for the Integrated Environmental Education Project).2. Production of an environmental education manual, booklet and exercise book.These were designed to supplement teacher training and provide a template for futuretraining initiatives (e.g. during the integrated project). The manual was produced not as alist of environmental awareness activities but as a manual on how to develop activities.Information in the manual included background information about the Sa Paenvironment, threats to the environment, and details of animals and plants found in theNature Reserve; information on ways to establish and run wildlife clubs; techniques forthe development of visual aids; songs; environmentally-themed games, plays and stories;environmental exercises; and a section on environmental awareness for adults.The booklet (“Sa Pa – N¬i T«i Sèng; Gi¸o Dôc M«i Tr-êng” (Sa Pa – WhereI Live; Environmental Education) was designed for primary school children (grades 1 to5). It follows a local H’mong man who tells an informative story about the localenvironment in Sa Pa.The environmental education manual (Tordoff 1998) was produced (200 copies), printedand distributed in July 1998. The manual, booklet (3000 copies) and exercise books(1000 copies) were distributed to all schools in the Nature Reserve via the Sa PaDepartment of Education and Training (DET) in mid-November 1999.The environmental education manual and booklet were well received at all levels.Teachers were particularly pleased to have access to a new resource and teaching andlearning aid.After completion of the environmental manual Frontier-Vietnam, in conjunction with theSa Pa DET, held a training workshop. The purpose of this workshop was to introduce thenew manual to the local teachers and to try to help them integrate the information intotheir lessons.Frontier Vietnam Environment Research Report 23 32