Building STEM Skills Through Environmental Education

Book excerpt: Environmental studies provide an ideal opportunity for children of any age to build critical and creative thinking skills while also building skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Exploring issues related to sustainability and environmental concerns permits learners to identify problems, develop research questions, gather and analyze data, develop possible solutions, and disseminate this information to others. Despite the advantages of green education and its ability to improve student achievement, there is a gap in understanding the interplay between curriculum and instruction and how this affects teaching and learning. Building STEM Skills Through Environmental Education is an essential publication that addresses gaps in the understanding of green education and offers educators meaningful and comprehensive examples of environmental and sustainability education in the Pre-K through secondary grade levels. The book offers a unique combination of foundational understanding of green education and chapters that illustrate the principles and impact of green education across grade levels, content areas, assessment systems, instructional strategies, technology, and other related topics. It is ideally designed for educators, curriculum developers, instructional designers, advocates, policymakers, researchers, academicians, and students.