Assignments in environmental education courses : instruments for facilitating social-environmental change

Abstract

Assignments form an integral part of the tuition strategy in environmental education courses presented by Unisa's Faculty of Education. If a social-constructivist view of the environment and its issues is taken, it can be argued that assignments could be used as instruments for facilitating social-environmental change. Consequently assignments should provide opportunities for research that is community centred, needs driven, participatory, leads to empowerment and is sustainable. This article reviews students' responses to set assignments in an attempt to illustrate this point. In view of the outcomes of these students' assignments, it is concluded that, although individual action is not likely to lead to the scale of social change that is necessary to preserve the environment, assignments that encourage community-based research could well facilitate the type of change that would promote environmental awareness and lead to a sustainable future.