Methods of Adult Environmental Education Training

Educators in this field of study consider environmental problems with a holistic approach that combines social, political and environmental concerns into community dilemmas (Haugen 2006).

Participatory methods allow learners to make connections between social issues and environmental problems. This connection allows adult learners to understand the core causes of major environmental issues and the resulting social inequalities. This method also allows educators to stress the importance of instilling environmental awareness so that learners do not forget their relationship with the natural world.

To summarize the methods of adult environmental education training, environmental adult educators strive to instill learners with:

* a knowledge of environmental problems and their causes
* the skills to engage in social activism to combat those problems
* the attitude of respect and connection to the natural world
* a desire to change current practices to protect the Earth

Environmental adult education generally takes place in a nonformal education setting. This means that the organized learning can take place in many forms including vocational education, literacy education and on the job training (Haugen 2006).