Support for Promotion of Environmental
Education in Japanese School
Toshihiko Higuchi*
Objective of this report
The objective of this report is to explore how to support the environmental education to Japanese formaleducation. Since the books on environmental education guideline by the Japanese Ministry of Education,Culture, Sport and Science were issued in 1991 and 1992, there had been any developments in school
environmental education of 1990’s, in comparison with that of 1980’s. However, we still have any issues for
success story of environmental education, although we got some good results in formal education. One of theissues is the support to environmental education in formal education.

Contents in this report
1） Why support to school should be promoted in environmental education?
Firstly, we discuss the reason why the support to school on environmental education should be promoted.
2） What ways of support for environmental education are necessary in formal education?
In this section, we explore the ways of support for promotion of environmental education.
3） Partnership on professional development or teacher training related environmental education amongorganizations.
Examining examples of teacher training workshops, we discuss the fruit and issue in professional
development and teacher training, and examine the support by NGO’s, environmental authorities anduniversities.
4） Interaction between school education and local environmental behavior.
Finally, I would like to show that the support to school in environmental education has the good effects forlocal environmental behavior.
1） Why support to school should be promoted in environmental education?
The reasons why support by outside of school should be promoted in environmental education are asfollows.
* Environmental education is new theme in formal education.
* It has interdisciplinary feature.
* It has learning activities with real world related to local nature, culture and society.
* The change of the Course of Study from this year has the new period, “the Period of Integrated Study” thathas the educational object to bring up ability of problem resolution.
2） What ways of support for environmental education are necessary in formal education?

* Professor, Tokyo Gakugei University, JAPAN－36 －Ann. Rep. Env. Edu. MUE. Vol.5 No.2, 2003

* Educational support by the able organization and people of local society in practice of environmentaleducation.
* Support on development and information dissemination on leaning activities focusing on local environment.
* Establishment of resource system supporting educational exploration by students during inquiry process orproblem based leaning in the Period of Integrated Study.
* Support by local community when creating environmental friendly schoolyard and school building.
* Environmental learning center with professional interpreter, environmental information and educational
materials.
* Support on professional development through teacher training workshops.
* Emotional effect to school by making the Action Plan for Environment as Local Agenda 21 with civicinvolvement.
* Support by promotion of national or international project for environment with common theme.
3） Partnership on professional development or teacher training related environmental education
As an example of support systems, an idea of partnership on professional development is discussed. When
the ways of support described in the above are examined for implementation of professional development, wehave to offer the system with good relationship among the educational board, environmental board, NGO,
teacher organizations as union and subject research association, and university.

Training workshop byeducational board

PD by university,
environmentalsection and NGO

PD in ordinary teaching
bydiscussion
andinformation exchange
among teachers

Partnership on professional
development among organizations－37 －4） Interaction between school education and local environmental behavior
Finally, I would like to show that the support to school in environmental education has the good effects forlocal environmental behavior. The effects are as follows.
* Use of school facility by community.
* Confidence on environmental action in people who participate to support the educational activities in school.

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