ECO-SCHOOLS: Programme Evaluation

LESSONS LEARNED: Successes and Challenges

Sheraine van Wyk of the Overstrand Conservation Foundation, Western Cape :
"I have found that the public school staff are overburdened with the demands of their teaching posts and struggle to juggle their duties in order just to meet with me."

Joe Peu of the Trident Steel Node, Gauteng finds that "Teachers still struggle to link environmental work they are doing with the curriculum. They think that specific lesson plans related to each focus area need to be developed, this is why they see eco schools as additional work. What they fail to realise is that they could easily link topics, abstract concepts and themes such as radiation, photosynthesis, absorption they have been teaching learners for years to the environment outside with ease. Learners would understand these topics/themes, concepts much easier than an abstract understanding of these concepts in the classroom."

Cathy Dzerefos, Coordinator for the Hearnetsburg-Grassland Node:
"Individual visits on a regular basis to encourage and motivate teachers are required. For weaker schools we are trying to make sure that the learners benefit by arranging environmental education outings. Educators have been very positive about the workshops arranged to assist them in compiling E-S portfolios and have requested more. When sharing transport i t is great to see educators from different schools making friendships and catching up with each others' action projects."

Solly Tladi, Coordinator for the Alexandra Node, Gauteng :
"Relationships, politics, economics, lack of awareness, limited support from authorities all play a role." In the Eco-Schools programme especially these aspects are fundamental in securing and acknowledging in the role that they play if the process is to be successful. How well these connections and networks are made at all levels ensures the success or failure of the programme.

Bronwyn Egan of the Bochum Node in the Limpopo region:

• A teacher from a different area, but interested in registering with Eco-schools, attended our first workshop and had helpful suggestions and insights, perhaps because he was thinking "out of our Blouberg box" but found the networking and collaborative process helpful.
• The teachers very much enjoyed the workshop at the nature reserve, rather than our normal format of holding it at the circuit office. There was much animated discussion during the ice-breaker activity which involved comparing differences, good and bad, between the reserve and the villages.
• Masete School was very excited by their inclusion in the Enviro-kids magazine. This has emphasized the fact that the programme is not only about attaining a flag.
• The support of the local education department is invaluable. Workshops are always endorsed and accompanied with a circular and transport arrangements are facilitated.
• There is a challenge in trying to engage with learners to see first hand how the programme affects them, mainly because there is not enough time or resources to give active learning lessons as a co-ordinator. This year we plan to hold one or two events for some of the learners from each school. In this way there will be time to communicate with the learners themselves and learn from their insights.

Debbie Abrahams of the Blue Crane Node (Somerset East):

• Official endorsement and promotion of the programme by the Department of Education district office is needed. Dealing with the national government department is vital for broad Eco-Schools programme management but very little seems to filter down to provincial education levels and even less to district level, which is the schools' first point of contact with the department.
• Only if a school has a truly committed and enthusiastic co-ordinator, does the programme stand a chance of survival without education department input and node co-ordinator support.

Jabulile Sindane from the Ekurhuleni Node found that Educator's professional development workshops really help as the educators are encouraged and are slowly moving away from thinking that the programme is bringing in extra work. Doing the workshops individually per school makes it easier to deal with each school's challenges.

The Riverine Rabbit Node is coordinated by Dr. Vicky Ahlmann. There is a lack of sufficient support of the National Eco-Schools Programme by the DoE, at least as far as the regional office in De Aar is concerned. In addition the Department is aiming to close down all farm schools in the province, which has already disrupted the work of the RR/Karoo Eco-Schools Node. Because of this many learners and educators that attend farm schools in the distribution range of the RR cannot be reached. This combined with poverty, ignorance, lack of trained educators and leaders in the community and political disputes impede the efforts in some schools to be transformed into sustainable Eco-Schools.

Lorraine McGibbon coordinates a cluster of schools in the George, Mossel Bay area.

Within her nodes for this period she has found the following:

Challenges

• Level of Commitment and prioritising from the schools. It is very difficult to get appointments set up. Even then, attendance and delivery are weak

• Distance and time are very real logisitical issues, particularly with the Little Karoo schools.

Successes

• Opportunities for partnerships with service providers, like the municipality and the conservation organisations
• Working with service partners means there are more specialists and more resources available to the schools
• A major event can act as a catalyst for jump-starting a programme - the posters at the KKNK

Midlands Meander Node coordinated by Nikki Brighton, KwaZulu Natal Midlands :

There successes and challenges were:

• We find it frustrating that there is so much we would like to teach and there is so little time (only one day a month). We realise that we should try to inspire the children to learn and respect the environment rather than simply try to impart all our knowledge! Hopefully our creativity and enthusiasm does make a difference.
• Lesson planning takes too long, teachers don't have time.
• You have to be responsive and often this requires backtracking to a previous lesson.
• The timetable goes out the window and sticking to prescribes times is virtually impossible.
• Starting with a good activity and working backwards to id outcomes and assessment standards is a good way of designing a lesson plan as this gets the creative juices flowing.
• Integration is best limited to one other learning area otherwise it gets confusing.
• The new textbooks in many instances do not cover basic skills and are faulty.
• Subject advisors do not know the new curriculum and how to do lesson planning and they are responsible for training teachers.
• Farm school educators are tired of filling in questionnaires for yet another report on the state of teaching in farm schools with no action on the part of the minister.

Successful techniques and helpful hints

Laura Conde - Regional Coordinator: Border Kei

"Parents are the first educators. They pass on the traditions that inform their culture and the values that moderate their lives. Schooling is a learning environment which expands and adds onto the information and body of knowledge already embedded in their children. Schooling enables the young generation to keep pace with the progress and development of the world around them as learners are drawn into the process of how to access and use new information. Learners take some of this information back to their parents who, in association with the school programme, also put it into action. A cycle of learning is happening that moves the community forward.

This is the process I see that is motivated, supported and encouraged by the Eco-school Programme in the Port St Johns node.

Eco-school Programme has been a hands-on learning and doing experience. I am quite sure it has propelled participating educators into achievements far beyond their initial imaginings. Over three years the Eco-school programme has consolidated a learning process. It is now up to all the players to creatively own and deploy the knowledge gained, to make it their own."

Phillip Wilkinson - Mussel Node, Coffee Bay

• ·The more structured system of a modulated programme has proved to be very popular with the teachers involved in the programme.
• ·Having a project assistant based in Coffee Bay to support the teachers on a "day to day" basis has greatly improved the quality as well as the rate of work.
• Running smaller focus workshops at each school involving more teachers from each school has been successful in other clusters in the region as well.

Melikaya Buti - Mdantsane Node:

• " The ability to recognize learning opportunities and partner with other organizations goes a long way to strengthen the learning activities with in the school.
• The experience teachers have gained over the three year period in the Eco-Schools adds quality to the programme. This is reflected by their deep understanding of environmental education and action taking.
• · The preparation of long-term schedules for cluster and school workshops has also proved helpful. This enables the teachers and coordinator to have an overview of the year's plan and work in an organised manner.

Dr Vicky Ahlmann - Riverine Rabbit Node:

"It was helpful to initially find out what the teachers plans for each term are and to then link these to the Eco-Schools focus areas and projects respectively."

National Office Response to Vicky Ahlmann's findings:

In this way you are ensuring that the learning is happening from the school classroom outwards and it is more supportive of the educators planning. Offering suggestions to this process is also useful and it is suggested by National Office that when the planning for the year gets done the node coordinator could be there to assist in idea sharing. By doing this you are not overloading the educators with your own ideas when they are working to their work schedules and this will then diminish any tension around educators believing the programme is more work that wha they had planned for.

King's School:
"I think the school's involvement in the Eco-School project has made us question and examine many of our common practices, and that in turn has stimulated a process of change. It has provided a focus to integrate people and their ideas. It has resulted in concrete actions and visible spin-offs".


"The Eco-School idea has brought a new and meaningful focus into our school. the children and staff have been caught up by the enthusiasm and a new dimension has been added to the school day."

Michaelhouse:
"This programme has focused our thoughts and initiatives. we know that overcoming the inertia of old habits will require much energy and persistence but we have made a start".

Injoloba Secondary School Enviro-Club:
"Our garden is improving.we are arranging meetings, deciding on things and bringing opinions". The enviro-club at Injoloba have been largely responsible for putting together their school's Eco-School portfolio. Injoloba has focused on recycling of cans and developing the school's garden. The school has also entered the Mondi WESSA Environmental Quiz and participated in the ESKOM Energy & Sustaianability Programme .

Minister of Education, Kader Asmal:
Without a healthy environment sustaining and nourishing people with healthy food, clean air and water there is simply no future for South Africa. We need to work together to care for our schools, our curriculum and our environment.
For many of our citizens the search for clean water, firewood, housing and food has made them victims of a harsh environment. We have a responsibility, through education and the delivery of essential services, to reverse this trend and alleviate the hardship so that the environment is once again able to nurture our citizens. By embracing the Eco-School concept you as a school community are continuing the liberation from the legacy of the past. I wish you strength and perseverance and joy in your endeavours.

Naledi Pandour:

From Report of the Ministerial Committee on Rural Education:
A New Vision for Rural Schooling, Dept of Education, May 2005

. The success of the Eco-Schools programme, albeit on a small scale, demonstrates how a fairly simple and cost-effective programme, can strengthen community participation in schooling and unleash the potential for integrating knowledge across learning areas in ways that promote learner activity.

. The Eco-Schools project appears to have a strong impact on the 'ethos' of schools with learners, educators and communities developing a strong sense of ownership and pride in their school. ( p24)

Hetti Gets, Manager of WWF-SA Conservation Education Programme:
"The aim is to provide learners with the capacity and skills to make informed decisions about their lifestyles, livelihoods and relationships with their environment."

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