In guiding a learner's development it is important to assess where the learner is at the moment and guide the learning forward from that point. One cannot assume that because learners have been exposed to a particular grade level that they have acquired the environmental literacy benchmarks of that level. The Result Benchmarks are essentially learning goals and objectives. They do not constitute a curriculum. Many different instructional approaches and venues may be employed to help learners achieve any particular benchmark.
Benchmarks are tools to be used in designing formal and nonformal curricula and programs.
They are also guidelines for use in developing assessment tools for programs or for marking individual progress. Environmental Education and Literacy Environmental education is a process aimed at developing a citizenry that is aware of and concerned about the total environment and its associated problems, and which has the knowledge, attitudes, motivations, commitments and skills to work individually and collectively toward the solution of current problems, as well as the prevention of new ones. The goal of environmental education is to develop an environmentally literate citizenry, thus environmental education focuses on empowering individuals to deal effectively with positive and negative relationships between people and their environments. All of our material needs, and many of our emotional and spiritual ones, are met from our bio-physical and social environments. The quality of the environments affects the quality of our lives.