The Belgrade Charter
EE gained international recognition in the 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm, Sweden. In Recommendation 96, EE is called upon as a means to address the environmental issues worldwide. In 1975, this recommendation was addressed at the International Environmental Workshop in Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
Participants at the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) workshop, proposed a global framework for environmental education, referred to as the Belgrade Charter. The Charter's goal statement for environmental education has been generally accepted by professionals in the field. The Charter states:
Environmental education, properly understood, should constitute a comprehensive lifelong education, one responsive to changes in a rapidly changing world. It should prepare the individual for life through an understanding of the major problems of the contemporary world, and the provision of skills and attributes needed to play a productive role towards improving life and protecting the environment with due regard given to ethical values.
The goal of environmental education is to develop a world population that is aware of, and concerned about, the environment and its associated problems, and which has the knowledge, skills, attitudes, motivations, and commitment to work individually and collectively toward solutions of current problems and the prevention of new ones.
Jul 31, 2009
Tbilisi Declaration 1977
Tbilisi Declaration (1977)
The world's first intergovernmental conference on environmental education was organized by the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in cooperation with the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) and was convened in Tbilisi, Georgia (USSR) from October 14-26, 1977.
Delegates from 66 member states and observers from two nonmember states participated. Representatives and observers from eight U.N. agencies and programs also participated. Three other intergovernmental organizations and 20 international nongovernmental organizations also were represented. In all, 265 delegates and 65 representatives and observers took part in the conference.
The Tbilisi Declaration was adopted by acclamation at the close of the intergovernmental conference. The declaration noted the unanimous accord in the important role of environmental education in the preservation and improvement of the world's environment, as well as in the sound and balanced development of the world's communities.
The Role, Objectives, and Characteristics of Environmental Education
The Tbilisi Declaration together with two of the recommendations of the Conference constitutes the framework, principles, and guidelines for environmental education at all levels—local, national, regional, and international—and for all age groups both inside and outside the formal school system.
I. The Conference recommends the adoption of certain criteria which will help to guide efforts to develop environmental education at the national, regional, and global levels:
1. Whereas it is a fact that biological and physical features constitute the natural basis of the human environment, its ethical, social, cultural, and economic dimensions also play their part in determining/he lines of approach and the instruments whereby people may understand and m~e better use of natural resources in satisfying their needs.
2. Environmental education is the result of the reorientation and dovetailing of different disciplines and educational experiences which facilitate an integrated perception of the problems of the environment, enabling more rational actions capable of meeting social needs to be taken.
3. A basic aim of environmental education is to succeed in making individuals and communities understand the complex nature of the natural and the built environments resulting from the interaction of their biological, physical, social, economic, and cultural aspects, and acquire the ~knowledge, values, attitudes, and practical skills to participate in a responsible and effective way in anticipating and solving environmental problems, and in the management of the quality of the environment.
4. A further basic aim of environmental education is clearly to show the economic, political, and ecological interdependence of the modern world, in which decisions and actions by different countries can have international repercussions. Environmental education should, in this regard, help to develop a sense of responsibility and solidarity among countries and regions as the foundation for a new international order which will guarantee the conservation and improvement of the environment.
5. Special attention should be paid to understanding the complex relations between socio-economic development and the improvement of the environment.
6. For this purpose, environmental education should provide the necessary knowledge for interpretation of the complex phenomena that shape the environment, encourage those ethical, economic, and esthetic values which, constituting the basis of self-discipline, will further the development of conduct compatible with the preservation and improvement of the environment. It should also provide a wide range of practical skills required in the devising and application of effective solutions to environmental problems.
7. To carry out these tasks, environmental education should bring about a closer link between educational processes and real life, building its activities around the environmental problems that are faced by particular communities and focusing analysis on these by means of an interdisciplinary, comprehensive approach which will permit a proper understanding of environmental problems.
8. Environmental education should cater to all ages and socio-professional groups in the population. It should be addressed to (a) the general nonspecialist public of young people and adults whose daily conduct has a decisive influence on the preservation and improvement of the environment; (b) to particular social groups whose professional activities affect the quality of the environment; and © to scientists and technicians whose specialized research and work will lay the foundations of knowledge on which education, training, and efficient management of the environment should be based.
9. To achieve the effective development of environmental education, full advantage must be taken of all public and private facilities available to society for the education of the population: the formal education system, different forms of nonformal education, and the mass media.
10. To make an effective contribution towards improving the environment, educational action must be linked with legislation, policies, measures of control, and the decisions that governments may adopt in relation to the human environment.
II. The Conference endorses the following goals, objectives, and guiding principles for environmental education:
The goals of environmental education are:
1. to foster clear awareness of, and concern about, economic, social, political, and ecological interdependence in urban and rural areas;
2. to provide every person with opportunities to acquire the knowledge, values, attitudes, commitment, and skills needed to protect and improve the environment;
3. to create new patterns of behavior of individuals, groups, and society as a whole towards the environment.
The categories of environmental education objectives are:
Awareness—to help social groups and individuals acquire an awareness and sensitivity to the total environment and its allied problems.
Knowledge—to help social groups and individuals gain a variety of experience in, and acquire a basic understanding of, the environment and its associated problems.
Attitudes—to help social groups and individuals acquire a set of values and feelings of concern for the environment and the motivation for actively participating in environmental improvement and protection.
Skills—to help social groups and individuals acquire the skills for identifying and solving environmental problems.
Participation—to provide social groups and individuals with an opportunity to be actively involved at all levels in working toward resolution of environmental problems.
Guiding principles—environmental education should
1. consider the environment in its totality—natural and built, technological and social (economic, political, cultural-historical, ethical, esthetic);
2. be a continuous lifelong process, beginning at the preschool level and continuing through all formal and nonformal stages;
3. be interdisciplinary in its approach, drawing on the specific content of each discipline in making possible a holistic and balanced perspective;
4. examine major environmental issues from local, national, regional, and international points of view so that students receive insights into environmental conditions in other geographical areas;
5. focus on current and potential environmental situations while taking into account the historical perspective;
6. promote the value and necessity of local, national, and international cooperation in the prevention and solution of environmental problems;
7. explicitly consider environmental aspects in plans for development and growth;
8. enable learners to have a role in planning their learning experiences and provide an opportunity for making decisions and accepting their consequences;
9. relate environmental sensitivity, knowledge, problem-solving skills, and values clarification to every age, but with special emphasis on environmental sensitivity to the learner's own community in early years;
10. help learners discover the symptoms and real causes of environmental problems;
11. emphasize the complexity of environmental problems and thus the need to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills;
12. utilize diverse learning environments and a broad array of educational approaches to teaching, learning about and from the environment with due stress on practical activities and first-hand experience.
The world's first intergovernmental conference on environmental education was organized by the United Nations Education, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in cooperation with the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) and was convened in Tbilisi, Georgia (USSR) from October 14-26, 1977.
Delegates from 66 member states and observers from two nonmember states participated. Representatives and observers from eight U.N. agencies and programs also participated. Three other intergovernmental organizations and 20 international nongovernmental organizations also were represented. In all, 265 delegates and 65 representatives and observers took part in the conference.
The Tbilisi Declaration was adopted by acclamation at the close of the intergovernmental conference. The declaration noted the unanimous accord in the important role of environmental education in the preservation and improvement of the world's environment, as well as in the sound and balanced development of the world's communities.
The Role, Objectives, and Characteristics of Environmental Education
The Tbilisi Declaration together with two of the recommendations of the Conference constitutes the framework, principles, and guidelines for environmental education at all levels—local, national, regional, and international—and for all age groups both inside and outside the formal school system.
I. The Conference recommends the adoption of certain criteria which will help to guide efforts to develop environmental education at the national, regional, and global levels:
1. Whereas it is a fact that biological and physical features constitute the natural basis of the human environment, its ethical, social, cultural, and economic dimensions also play their part in determining/he lines of approach and the instruments whereby people may understand and m~e better use of natural resources in satisfying their needs.
2. Environmental education is the result of the reorientation and dovetailing of different disciplines and educational experiences which facilitate an integrated perception of the problems of the environment, enabling more rational actions capable of meeting social needs to be taken.
3. A basic aim of environmental education is to succeed in making individuals and communities understand the complex nature of the natural and the built environments resulting from the interaction of their biological, physical, social, economic, and cultural aspects, and acquire the ~knowledge, values, attitudes, and practical skills to participate in a responsible and effective way in anticipating and solving environmental problems, and in the management of the quality of the environment.
4. A further basic aim of environmental education is clearly to show the economic, political, and ecological interdependence of the modern world, in which decisions and actions by different countries can have international repercussions. Environmental education should, in this regard, help to develop a sense of responsibility and solidarity among countries and regions as the foundation for a new international order which will guarantee the conservation and improvement of the environment.
5. Special attention should be paid to understanding the complex relations between socio-economic development and the improvement of the environment.
6. For this purpose, environmental education should provide the necessary knowledge for interpretation of the complex phenomena that shape the environment, encourage those ethical, economic, and esthetic values which, constituting the basis of self-discipline, will further the development of conduct compatible with the preservation and improvement of the environment. It should also provide a wide range of practical skills required in the devising and application of effective solutions to environmental problems.
7. To carry out these tasks, environmental education should bring about a closer link between educational processes and real life, building its activities around the environmental problems that are faced by particular communities and focusing analysis on these by means of an interdisciplinary, comprehensive approach which will permit a proper understanding of environmental problems.
8. Environmental education should cater to all ages and socio-professional groups in the population. It should be addressed to (a) the general nonspecialist public of young people and adults whose daily conduct has a decisive influence on the preservation and improvement of the environment; (b) to particular social groups whose professional activities affect the quality of the environment; and © to scientists and technicians whose specialized research and work will lay the foundations of knowledge on which education, training, and efficient management of the environment should be based.
9. To achieve the effective development of environmental education, full advantage must be taken of all public and private facilities available to society for the education of the population: the formal education system, different forms of nonformal education, and the mass media.
10. To make an effective contribution towards improving the environment, educational action must be linked with legislation, policies, measures of control, and the decisions that governments may adopt in relation to the human environment.
II. The Conference endorses the following goals, objectives, and guiding principles for environmental education:
The goals of environmental education are:
1. to foster clear awareness of, and concern about, economic, social, political, and ecological interdependence in urban and rural areas;
2. to provide every person with opportunities to acquire the knowledge, values, attitudes, commitment, and skills needed to protect and improve the environment;
3. to create new patterns of behavior of individuals, groups, and society as a whole towards the environment.
The categories of environmental education objectives are:
Awareness—to help social groups and individuals acquire an awareness and sensitivity to the total environment and its allied problems.
Knowledge—to help social groups and individuals gain a variety of experience in, and acquire a basic understanding of, the environment and its associated problems.
Attitudes—to help social groups and individuals acquire a set of values and feelings of concern for the environment and the motivation for actively participating in environmental improvement and protection.
Skills—to help social groups and individuals acquire the skills for identifying and solving environmental problems.
Participation—to provide social groups and individuals with an opportunity to be actively involved at all levels in working toward resolution of environmental problems.
Guiding principles—environmental education should
1. consider the environment in its totality—natural and built, technological and social (economic, political, cultural-historical, ethical, esthetic);
2. be a continuous lifelong process, beginning at the preschool level and continuing through all formal and nonformal stages;
3. be interdisciplinary in its approach, drawing on the specific content of each discipline in making possible a holistic and balanced perspective;
4. examine major environmental issues from local, national, regional, and international points of view so that students receive insights into environmental conditions in other geographical areas;
5. focus on current and potential environmental situations while taking into account the historical perspective;
6. promote the value and necessity of local, national, and international cooperation in the prevention and solution of environmental problems;
7. explicitly consider environmental aspects in plans for development and growth;
8. enable learners to have a role in planning their learning experiences and provide an opportunity for making decisions and accepting their consequences;
9. relate environmental sensitivity, knowledge, problem-solving skills, and values clarification to every age, but with special emphasis on environmental sensitivity to the learner's own community in early years;
10. help learners discover the symptoms and real causes of environmental problems;
11. emphasize the complexity of environmental problems and thus the need to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills;
12. utilize diverse learning environments and a broad array of educational approaches to teaching, learning about and from the environment with due stress on practical activities and first-hand experience.
Jul 17, 2009
Beep Test
Beep test, but it goes by many names (shuttle run test, beep, bleep test (UK), yo-yo, PACER, Aero, multistage fitness test, MSFT).The multistage fitness test is a commonly used maximal running aerobic fitness test. It is also known as the 20 meter shuttle run test, beep or bleep test among others. For more information, the complete guide to the bleep / beep test can be found at http://www.topendsports.com/testing/beephome.htm
Jul 2, 2009
Principles of training
Adaptation principle
Subtle changes take place in the body as it adapts to the added demands imposed by training. These adaptations include;
- Improved heart function, circulation and respiration.
- Improved muscular endurance and strength.
- Tougher bones, tendons, ligaments and connective tissue.
It is important for coaches of young athletes not to treat them as ‘mini-adults’. It takes weeks and months of patient progress to achieve success. Anything on the contrary may result in injury, illness, etc.
The training program must place a demand on the body’s systems for improvement to take place. As such for adaptation to increase load occurs more load occurs, more load should be added. This increase in load or rate of improvement in various fitness parameters is related to the following three factors;
- Frequency
- Intensity
- Time (duration)
Adding more weight to the barbell for strength training and adding more miles and hours of training are examples of the overload principle. The overload stimulates changes in the muscles and other systems. These changes are designed to help the body cope with future demands.
To achieve adaptations using the overload Principle, the training must follow the progression principle. As such, when the training load is increased too quickly, the body might not be able to adapt and instead it breaks down.
Therefore, slow steady progression must be observed in terms of;
- Frequency
Sessions per week, per month, per year
- Intensity
Training load per week, per month, per year
- Time
Duration of training in hours per week, per month, per year
Impatient coaches who have athletes progress too quickly at best cause athletes to peak too early and at worst suffer injury or illness. This principle also implies progression from:
-The general………to the specific
-The parts………….to the whole
-Quantity………….to quality
The type of training undertaken must relate to the desired results. Specific training brings specific results. For example, heavy weight training is of little value for the best preparation for running, or vice versa. Performance improves most when the training is specific to the activity.
A training program must be varied to avoid boredom and achieve results. The Variation Principle embraces two basics concepts:
- Work/Rest…and…Hard/Easy
Adaptation comes when work is followed by rest, when the hard is followed by the relatively easy. Failure to include variation leads to boredom, staleness, and poor performance.
Warm-up/Cool down Principle
A warm-up must always precede strenuous activity (a) to increase body temperature, (b) to increase respiration and heart rate, and (c) to guard against muscle and tendon strains and ligament sprains. A warm-up should consist of stretching, calisthenics, and gradually increasing exercise intensity.
The cool down is just as important as the warm-up. Stopping an activity abruptly leads to pooling of blood and slow removal of waste products.
Changes from the gradual overload of body systems lead to impressive improvements in performance. It takes years of effort to approach excellence, however, Long-term training allows for gradual progress, growth and development, acquisition of skills, learning of strategy, and a deeper understanding of the spot.
In time, as young athletes grow and develop, they will begin to spend more time on one or two sports. Those who want to reach the top must someday choose one sport and give it their undivided attention – for years. But don’t rush the process; too much training too soon may lead to both mental and physical burnout. Excellence comes to those who pursue it with a long-term, non-pressured training program.
Most of the adaptations achieved from hours of hard training are reversible. It takes three times as long to gain endurance as it does to lose it. With complete bed rest, fitness declines at the rate of nearly 10% per week. Strength declines more slowly, but lack of use will cause atrophy of even the best-trained muscles. The smart coach recognizes the Reversibility Principle and provides the team with off-season maintenance programs.
Why children may give up sport
In general, sport participation increases in primary and middle school years and decreases in upper school years, and boys do more sport than girls. This may be partly because ore teams are run for boys than girls, so they have more opportunities. The lack of suitable opportunities and support to develop their talents may sometimes cause children to withdraw from sport, but their achievement goals generally have more to do with it.
Causes of children’s anxiety in sport
The main features of each type of anxiety are described below;
· Generalized anxiety
Describes worries or fears which are not isolated to any one situation or event but which are generalized by the youngster to cover a wide range of future events
· Separation anxiety
Caused by worries about real or imagined separation from a parent because of illness, injury or death.
· Social anxiety
Caused by fears or worries about loss of friend attractiveness or meeting new people.
· Performance anxiety
Can occur when the child is called upon to take a test, speak in front of others in the classroom, or compete against someone in sport.
· Fears and phobias
Extreme states of anxiety linked to particular objects, persons or situations. For example, visiting the dentist or having an injection are common childhood fears. In some cases, though, extreme fear can result in the child avoiding certain situations (phobias).
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