System of activities to strengthen Environmental Education for Sustainable Development in 7th1 students from José Ramón León Acosta Junior High School through the teaching learning process of the English subject

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(1)“FÉLIX VARELA MORALES” UNIVERSITY OF PEDAGOGICAL SCIENCES. SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES. SYSTEM OF ACTIVITIES TO STRENGTHEN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN 7TH GRADERS FROM JOSÉ RAMON LEÓN ACOSTA JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL. MAJOR PAPER. AUTHOR: Hanser Leonel Yanes García. ADVISER: Miguel Iraido Gutierrez Espinosa, MA Associate Professor. Santa Clara 2015.

(2) ABSTRACT. The earth‘s environment is in crisis mainly because it is being abused beyond its capacity by human beings. The present major paper assesses the need for environmental education in the present times. It focuses on the role of teachers to spread awareness of environmental issues and problems. The emphasis is on sensitizing the student community through their teachers who can play a pivotal role in transmitting the requisite knowledge, skills, attitudes and values, essential to restore or at least mitigate the irreversible damage being caused to the environment. The research is inserted in the teaching-learning process of the English subject in 7th graders from José Ramón León Acosta Junior High School. The paper describes a system of communicative activities to strengthen Environmental Education for Sustainable Development in 7th grade students. Different methods from the theoretical, empirical and mathematic levels were used along the process of research. With the partial implementation of the proposal, positive changes were observed in the students in the cognitive and attitudinal dimensions..

(3) RÉSUMÉ. L'environnement de la terre est en crise, principalement parce qu'il est maltraité delà de sa capacité par des êtres humains. Le document présent majeur évalue la nécessité pour l'éducation environnementale dans les temps présents. Il se concentre sur le rôle des enseignants pour faire connaître les questions et les problèmes environnementaux. L'accent est mis sur la sensibilisation de la communauté à travers leurs enseignants qui peuvent jouer un rôle essentiel dans la transmission des connaissances, les aptitudes, les attitudes et les valeurs étudiant, essentielle pour restaurer ou au moins atténuer les dommages irréversibles causés à l'environnement. L'enquête est insérée dans le processus du sujet anglais en 7e année de José Ramón León Acosta école secondaire enseignement-apprentissage. Le document décrit. un. système. d'activités. communicatives. pour. renforcer. l'éducation. environnementale pour le développement durable dans les élèves de 7e. Différentes méthodes des niveaux théoriques, empiriques et mathématiques ont été utilisés au long du processus d'enquête. Avec la mise en œuvre partielle de la proposition de changements positifs ont été observés chez les étudiants dans les dimensions cognitives et comportementales..

(4) INDEX INTRODUCTION.…………………………………………………………………………….. I. THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL. 1 7. EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL. 1.1 Historical Antecedents of Environmental Education ……….................................... 1.2 Environmental Education in Junior High School...……………………………………. 1.3 Environmental Education in 7th grade.....………………………………………...……. 7 13 16. II. NEEDS ASSESSMENT RELATED TO THE STUDENTS ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION........................................................................................................................... 2.1 Characteristics of the adolescent in Junior High School ………………….………… 2.2 The analysis of the results of the diagnosis…………………………………………… 2.2.1 Regularities of the diagnosis………………………………………………………….. III. SYSTEM OF ACTIVITIES TO STRENGTHEN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN 7. TH. 18 18 21 24 25. GRADE STUDENTS THROUGH THE. TEACHING-LEARNING PROCESS OF THE ENGLISH SUBJECT. 3.1 Foundation of the proposal…………………………………..………………….………. 3.2 Characteristics of the proposal…………………………………………………………. 3.3 Proposal of activities ……………………………...…………………………………….. 3.4 Evaluation of the system of activities by specialists………………………………….. 3.5 Evaluation of the partial implementation of the proposal…………………………….. CONCLUSIONS…………………………………………………..…………………………………… SUGGESTIONS ………………………………………………..…………….………………………... BIBLIOGRAPHY APPENDIXES. 26 28 29 31 31 34 35.

(5) INTRODUCTION. Environment is essential for all life forms on the planet earth. There is dependence of all living beings, including human beings, on the environment, with which they interact continuously. However, human beings are solely responsible for changing the environment by indiscriminate use of the natural resources. Therefore, the onus of protecting the environment for the present and future generations also rests with human beings alone. So the society needs environmentally literate citizens. For this reason, environmental education is required, so that people become aware and take active part in protecting the earth‘s environment by making informed decisions and taking environmentally friendly actions (Tbilisi UNESCO-UNEP I977:81). Never has the whole world been so concerned about global issues generally and environmental education and protection in particular. “Thinking green” and “acting green” preoccupies many individuals, governmental and non-governmental institutions worldwide today. Education plays a very important role in the life of man. It is this tool that makes a man a human being who can think, analyze and act judiciously. Language teachers in the 21st century live in critical times. The world faces serious global issues of terrorism, ethnic conflict, social inequality, and environmental destruction. How can teachers prepare students to cope with these problems? What is teachers‘ responsibility as language teachers in a world of war, poverty, prejudice, and pollution? According to Tang (2009), the Earth Summit of 1992 had provided agenda 21 to render environmental education necessary for every citizen in the world and the former head of the United Nations Environment Programme, Ghafoor-Ghaznawi had stated that environmental education was considered cross-curricular because the environment includes all areas of studies. This implies that EFL/ESL teachers worldwide could use their profession in building up a sustainable environment for mankind‘s future generations (Tang, 2009). 1.

(6) According to UNESCO (2005), institutions of teacher education have the special role in reorienting teacher education to address sustainability, and since institutions of teacher education fulfill vital roles in the global education community; they have the potential to bring changes within educational systems that will shape the knowledge and skills of future generations. It is agreed, that teachers are potential change agents and are capable of generating a workforce of enlightened, skilled and motivated learners. They can empower the citizens with the ability, attitude and values to protect the environment using formal and non formal channels of education. It is essential that teachers themselves need to be trained and equipped with the requisite knowledge, skills and values to effect such a change. In Cuban educational system, environmental education plays a pivotal role in every level of education, but there is still a lot of work to do in this regard inside and outside the classroom. The Minister of Education passed a resolution in 2009 that establishes the need ―to promote environmental education of both curricular and extracurricular nature, activating scientific societies and special interest groups‖. In the same resolution the Minister also states that ―such activities are to be organized and integrated to the strategy and work system of education institutions and will aim at presenting and discussing the result of projects, research, experiences and activities.‖ Also the Cuban National Strategy for Environmental Education up to 2015 states the following as objectives to be attained: -. To reach higher levels in the development of values, knowledge, and capacities in the citizens to promote their active and conscious participation in the protection of the environment and in sustainable development.. -. To strengthen the processes of environmental communication so as to develop capacities in (…) institutions that contribute to raise awareness and sensitize Cuban population (CITMA, CIGEA, 2010).. However, environmental policies cannot be called successful if the students are ignorant of world problems, have no social conscience by using their communication. skills. for. international 2. crime,. exploitation,. oppression. or.

(7) environmental destruction. The people who shoulder this responsibility are to be trained, hence the importance of teacher educators. An analysis of the aims of the English subject in seventh grade showed that they are not only addressed to the learning of this foreign language but also to strengthen students‘ attitudes through the study of the different linguistic contents and topics. However, these topics have not been clearly stated in the aims of the subject in seventh grade. A revision of the seventh grade workbook showed that just five units treat environmental issues explicitly, taking into account that the teacher might know the different dimensions of environmental education that can be linked to the content being taught. If not, that would constitute another problem to solve. On the other hand, just 4 reading texts deal with environmental issues. The analysis of the report on the needs assessment carried out by the head teacher revealed that there is a good number of students in seventh grade 1 that needs special attention by all the teachers in terms of their environmental education which includes health styles, such as unhealthy habits (smoking), carelessness in terms of their cleanliness and the lack of good manners when relating to their peers, and even the use of obscene and violent language as well as irresponsible sexual behavior. It was also relevant the way they dress since they are very careless in the way they wear their school uniform, in the way they arrange the classroom and even the lack of esthetic they show to keep the classroom bulletin board updated. The teacher could also observe the way his students behave while crossing the streets, what clearly matches with the absence of pedestrian education for accident prevention. Among the main causes of these difficulties, it was found the students´ poor Environmental Education expressed through the lack of explicit information about this topic in the program of the subject and the methodological guidelines for 7th grade, and the negative influence of their classmates, friends, teachers and the community in general in terms of Environmental Education. This need calls for coordinated work among all the teachers working with this particular class, otherwise, this situation will probably not change easily. 3.

(8) The topic of Environmental Education through English, in preuniversity and secondary school, has been researched by a short number of student teachers from the English program at ―Félix Varela‖ Pedagogical University (Martínez M., 2009; Almanza V., 2009; Rojas L., 2014). Most of these papers have centered their attention in the Environmental Education in secondary and preuniversity students in Villa Clara. Their proposals stress on the need to design activities to strengthen students´ Environmental Education as a cross-curricular content; two of them with different proposals for 9 th and 10th graders and a proposal for 7th graders from Rosa Luxemburgo Junior High School. In the national context, this topic has been researched by a great number of teachers Mc Pherson, 1999; Santos, 2002; Marín, 2002; Roque, 2004; Marimón, 2004; González, 2006; Laportilla, 2008; Díaz, 2009; Moré, 2010; Evora, 2011; Ugarte, 2012; Gutierrez, 2014, among the most significant ones, but such authors have developed their research projects within the teacher education context or the formation of other professionals, aiming at the development of environmental values or valuable environmental behaviour. However, no previous research was found that covered the environmental education for sustainable development of 7th graders at José Ramón León Acosta Junior High School. This problematic situation led the author to formulate the following scientific problem: How to contribute to strengthen environmental education for sustainable development in 7th1 students from José Ramón León Acosta Junior High School? In order to solve this problem our research will focus on the following object: Environmental Education for Sustainable Development in Junior High School. Field of action: Environmental Education for Sustainable Development in 7 th graders. Aim: To propose a system of activities to strengthen Environmental Education for Sustainable Development in 7th1 students from José Ramón León Acosta Junior High School through the teaching-learning process of the English subject. In order to guide the research process the following scientific questions were stated: 4.

(9) 1. What. theoretical. and. methodological. foundations. may. support. Environmental Education for Sustainable Development in Junior High School? 2. What is the present situation of Environmental Education for Sustainable Development in 7th1 students from José Ramón León Acosta Junior High School? 3. What characteristics should a system of activities have to strengthen Environmental Education for Sustainable Development in 7th1 students from José Ramón León Acosta Junior High School in the teaching-learning process of the English subject? 4. What are the specialist s´ criteria about the proposal? 5. What are the results obtained after the partial implementation of the proposal? In order to answer these scientific questions the following scientific tasks were designed: 1. Determination of theoretical and methodological foundations that support Environmental Education for Sustainable Development in Junior High School. 2. Diagnosis of the present situation of Environmental Education for Sustainable Development in 7th1 students from José Ramón León Acosta Junior High School in the teaching-learning process of the English subject. 3. Design of a system of activities to strengthen Environmental Education for Sustainable Development in 7th1 students from José Ramón León Acosta Junior High School in the teaching-learning process of the English subject. 4. Evaluation of the proposal by the specialists' criteria. 5. Evaluation of the results after the partial implementation of the proposal.. Based on a dialectic and materialistic position and in direct agreement with the object under study and the field of action, the researcher decided to follow a quantitative paradigm in which the following methods were used: -. From the theoretical level: Logical-Historical, Analytic-Synthetic, InductiveDeductive and the system approach. 5.

(10) -. From the empirical level: document analysis, observation, survey, pedagogical test, interview, specialists´ criteria and triangulation.. -. From the mathematical and/or statistic level: percent analysis.. The sample of this research is made up of 36 students of class 1 from 7th grade at José Ramón León Acosta Junior High School. They were intentionally selected on the basis of the fact that it is the class in which the author of this paper develops his practicum and carries out the research. The novelty of this paper lies on the smooth integration of environmental contents within the teaching-learning process of the English language system in 7th grade, considering. the. methodological. guidelines. that. rule. such. process. (the. communicative approach). It is an active, developing and different proposal from any other before, which goal stands in showing commitment, concern and awareness towards the improvement of their environmental education. In addition, this is the first time that such a system of activities is built and implemented in 7th grade at José Ramón León Acosta Junior High School in the teaching-learning process of the English subject. As a practical contribution, this paper offers a system of activities to strengthen Environmental Education for Sustainable Development in 7 th1 students from José Ramón León Acosta Junior High School through the teaching-learning process of the English subject. This paper is structured in several parts that comprise introduction, development, conclusions, recommendations, bibliography and appendixes.. 6.

(11) MAIN PART I-. THEORETICAL. AND. METHODOLOGICAL. FOUNDATIONS. OF. THE. ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL This epigraph reveals the essential theoretical and methodological background related to the object and the field of action of the research, as a result of having studied and evaluated the scientific literature for such purpose.. 1.1 Historical Antecedents of Environmental Education The concept of environmental education (EE) has been discussed and debated for decades, beginning in the 1960s. Some scholars argue that the topic came about as the population became more aware of environmental problems and wanted to study these issues in more depth. In 1969 the definition written by Stapp for this new, all-encompassing concept of EE, is as follows: ―Environmental. education. is. aimed. at. producing. a. citizenry that. is. knowledgeable concerning the biophysical environment and its associated problems, aware of how to help solve these problems, and motivated to work toward their solution‖ (Stap,1969: 34) Moreover, Stapp outlined the four goals of environmental education: 1. ―To help individuals acquire a clear understanding that man is an inseparable part of a system, consisting of man, culture, and the biophysical environment, and that man has the ability to alter the interrelationships of this system 2. To help individuals acquire a broad understanding of the biophysical environment, both natural and man-made, and its role in contemporary society 3. To help individuals acquire a fundamental understanding of the bio-physical environmental problems confronting man, how these problems can be. 7.

(12) solved, and the responsibility of citizens and government to work toward their solution 4. To help individuals acquire attitudes of concern for the quality of the biophysical environment which will motivate citizens to participate in biophysical environmental problem-solving.‖ (Stap,1969: 34-35) In other words, the over-arching goal of EE is to educate in order to motivate people to act for, and not against, their environment. In order to act, citizens must be informed and aware of the environmental impact of human activities that can negatively affect their communities. In the 1970s, two more ―working‖ definitions of EE were published that built upon Stapp‘s ideas and made the concept more globally applicable. First, Stapp points out that the working definition of the International Environmental Education Conference in Belgrade in 1975 stated that, ―Environmental education should be an integral part of the educational process, aimed at practical problems of an interdisciplinary character, build a sense of values, and contribute to public wellbeing. Its focus should reside mainly in the initiative of the learners and their involvement in action and guided by both the immediate and future subjects of concern‖ (Stapp, 1969: 36). And in 1977, the UNESCO-UNEP Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education in Tbilisi, Georgia proposed another working definition, ―Environmental education is a process aimed at developing a world population that is aware of and concerned about the total environment and its associated problems, and has the attitudes, motivations, knowledge, commitment and skills to work individually and collectively towards solutions of current problems and the prevention of new ones‖ (Stapp, 1969: 36) This definition, as it can easily be noticed, is expressed in terms of a process, going beyond the concept given in Tbilisi Declaration. It concentrates actions individually and collectively; expresses its permanent character and it is aimed for present and future generations. Nevertheless, the author of this research thinks that this definition is not projected to the society as a whole; it does not refer to the 8.

(13) complex character of the environment and it does not link the pedagogical process with the development of the society as well. These definitions have been expanded to include formal and informal educational approaches and the idea that EE can be ―education about the environment, education for (the preservation of) the environment, and education in the environment‖ (Roth,1973: 38-39; (Lucas, 1980: 32-37). Regardless of definition, the ultimate goal of EE is most often stated as ―environmental literacy‖ meaning learners become environmentally literate, environmentally competent, and environmentally dedicated (Harvey, 1977: 67). It was back in the 90s when the term ―sustainable development‖ was first heard. It was provided by the World Commission on Environment and Development, headed by the former Norwegian Prime Minister, Gro Harlem Brundtland who stated, "Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs‖, (Brundtland, 1987). It contains within it two key concepts:  the concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the world's poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and  the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment's ability to meet present and future needs. All definitions of sustainable development require to see the world as a system—a system that connects space; and a system that connects time. However, prior to the development of this research, no other study on Environmental Education for Sustainable Development (EEfSD) through the teaching-learning process of the English subject in 7th1 students at Ramón León Acosta Junior High School existed. So far, the origins of Environmental Education, its definition and goals have been approached. But, how is this topic dealt with in Cuba? Is there any policy in our country in relation to Environmental Education? How is this theme treated in the System of Education? As long as you continue reading the next paragraphs the author tries to provide answers for each of these questions. 9.

(14) Cuba has a well-defined policy toward EE based on article 27 from the Constitution of the Republic (1992), the law passed in 1997, known as Law 81or Environment Law, in which EE is defined as ―a continuous and permanent process that constitutes a dimension of the integral education of citizens, oriented in such a way that the acquisition of knowledge, habits, abilities, capacities and attitudes meet the relationships among human beings, and thus their relations with the rest of the society and nature, to favor the economic, cultural and social processes aimed at sustainable development‖ (Law 81, 1997:4) The author of this research ascribes to the previous definition since it is aimed at sustainable development and it comprises a harmonious relation between man, society and nature. These laws are put into practice through resolutions; regulations and administrative orders derived from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment and are taken to the National Environmental Education Strategy, keeping up a correspondence with articles 129, 133 and 139 from the Guidelines of the Economic and Social Policy of the Cuban Party, passed on 2011. Thus the problem does not lie on which policy to follow, but in looking for alternatives which favor their practical, effective and consistent application toward the solution of the main global, nationwide and local environmental problems. The school, as the social institution in charge of the education of the personality of the students, is responsible of formal EE in all levels of education. That is why Cuban educators are involved in finding such solutions through the teachinglearning process of the different subjects. Over the past few years, recognition of the urgency of environmental problems has caused an increase in the attention paid to ―green‖ issues. With growing frequency, the environment is turning up as the subject of newspaper and magazine articles, radio and television news reports, documentaries and feature films. This concern is reflected in schools around the world, where teachers of all subjects and at all levels are using the environmental theme as a means of linking the classroom to the world. 10.

(15) In the field of English as a Foreign Language, (EFL), evidence of increasing interest in the environment is shown by a growing number of teaching textbooks and videos that use ―green‖ issues as a single organizing framework for language study (Stempleski,1993). Other signs of interest include teacher education workshops and courses encouraging an EFL-environmental link in the classroom. The teaching of English must not only contribute to the functional linguistic proficiency, but also to develop the ability to build and rebuild new knowledge. It means to develop knowledge, habits and basic abilities as well as values and attitudes in the students. This should be carried out in a way that they could communicate each other in such foreign language allowing the students to understand written and oral information about topics related to everyday life issues. What have environmental issues got to do with teaching EFL? Should language teachers not confine their concerns to the teaching of grammar, vocabulary, and communication skills? There are several good reasons for introducing the study of the environment to the EFL class. Some of the more compelling reasons follow: (Stempleski, 1993)  The environmental situation is urgent. Problems such as rain forest destruction and animal extinction are so pressing that they demand a response from the entire educational community. As educators we have an ethical and personal responsibility to contribute to our students‘ awareness of environmental issues and to foster students‘ ability to make independent, responsible, and informed choices where the environment is concerned.  Environmental topics are a rich source of content. ―Contextualizing‖ presentation and practice is a widely accepted rule of good language teaching. However, simply providing a situational context for language lessons organized around structures or functions may not be enough. Teachers are being urged to use content as a starting point for the selection of language items to be taught, rather than vice versa (Brinton et al. 1989).  Teachers wishing to use content-based instruction will find that the environment can serve as a useful and relevant theme for integrating content with language-teaching objectives. 11.

(16)  Environmental issues are real. By introducing environmental topics into the EFL class we can transcend the often narrow limits of language teaching and more effectively link classroom activities to ―real life.‖  Environmental issues motivate learners. Environmental issues such as rain forest destruction and endangered animals are not only real, but they are of considerable interest and relevance to students. Learners of all ages, and children in particular, are fascinated by the problems these issues present.  The environmental theme can be linked to all areas of the curriculum. Environmental topics can be linked to every subject in the curriculum— science, history, geography, mathematics, even music and art. By using the environment as a theme, we can help bridge the gap between EFL and other school subjects. Students gain academic knowledge and develop skills that can enhance achievement in all areas of the curriculum.  Environmental issues provide a useful framework for integrating language skills. Environmental themes present numerous opportunities for project work and other activities that integrate the four skills.  Environmental topics encourage interaction. Environmental issues engage the minds and feelings of learners and encourage real language use. Students are stimulated to discuss the topics, brainstorm solutions, and share their reactions with other students and the teacher.  Learning about the environment can be fun. Environmental problems may seem overwhelming, but learning about them doesn‘t have to be ponderous or depressing. By using classroom activities that take a positive approach and focus on what we as individuals can do to help save the earth, we can provide students with a particularly enjoyable and satisfying learning experience. A global approach to EFL involves four interdependent and overlapping goals: awareness, concern, skills, and action (Cates,1990; Maley,1992). AWARENESS: Some activities serve as a means of guiding students toward an awareness of the nature of specific environmental problems—their causes, ramifications, and/or potential solutions. Other activities may heighten awareness 12.

(17) of how several problems are related, or of how individuals can contribute to solving them. CONCERN: Some activities provide students with an opportunity to explore their own values and feelings of concern about the environment, and to become motivated to work actively for its protection and improvement. SKILLS: Some activities focus on acquiring and developing the necessary skills to identify and solve environmental problems. These include communication skills, cooperative problem solving, critical and creative thinking, and informed decisionmaking—all of which are directly related to language teaching. ACTION: Some activities provide opportunities for students to get actively involved in doing something to remedy environmental problems. Are Junior High School students fulfilling these goals? Is the National System of Education in Cuba aware of the challenges with regard to EE? Is there any concern to look for a solution in the teaching-learning process in this level of education? A brief summary about these issues is provided as follows. 1.2 Environmental Education in Junior High School Many challenges potentially obstruct the goals of EE. First, education about the environment alone does not necessarily lead to environmental action or positive changes in one‘s behavior. As with other social sciences, environmental education should be presented in a way in which students can make their own choices and not be pressured into action by ―preachy‖ educators. John Hug warns that environmental educators can be both environmentalists and teachers, but must present factual information to students so they can develop skills and participate in environmental decision-making (Hug, 1977: 73). Other scholars agree that the role of the environmental educator is not to ―convert‖ students to one perspective on the environment, but to promote critical thinking skills in students so that they can make responsible behavioral choices (Disinger, 2005: 30-31). Another challenge lies in defining the topic itself. Environmental education does not necessarily ―fit‖ into a specific educational subject. As Disinger explains, ―First and foremost, environmental education is by its nature interdisciplinary, but neither 13.

(18) school organizational patterns nor teacher certification programs (for high schools and middle schools) make allowance for anything that is not tied to one of the established disciplines. There is at least as much logic in associating environmental education in schools with the social studies as with the natural/physical sciences, but the way that environmental education has evolved has made that impractical. Thus, a major tension is unavoidable: some aspects of environmental education fit into existing curricula as science, and some as social studies, but the two are not coordinated with one another. Furthermore, the complete environmental education package cannot appropriately be labeled a subheading under either science or social studies, or of any subject area, but the educational system is unable to adjust to that. Further, no one believes that there is room to add a new subject, environmental education, to the curriculum‖ Disinger, 2005: 5) Environmental education has always been viewed as an extension, or an optional topic, and not a distinct discipline to be studied. Disinger also explains that environmental education is inserted in modules, packets, pieces, even single lessons throughout curriculums. This allows for the environment to only exist in students‘ minds in fragments, with its amount of importance being dependent on the teachers desire to incorporate the lessons where they see fit. Many environmental educators are discouraged and disappointed with the lack of focus on the total environment and its exclusion from subjects outside of the social sciences. The environment and environmental concerns abound with convenient, striking examples that can illustrate key concepts in many other subject areas. Thus, much environmental teaching and learning take place in science and social studies classes – and in English, math, and many other subject area classes. In total agreement with the challenges declared above, a group of teachers and specialists from Félix Varela Morales Pedagogical University carry out a research project headed by Ismael Santos Abreu, PhD, aimed at establishing objectives, regulations and procedures to follow in every level of education associated to EEfSD. 14.

(19) This study, in the case of Junior High School conducted by Gina Villalón Legrá, PhD, reveals the need of improving EEfSD in the Cuban National System of Education. According to Villalón, (2015), a diagnosis of the present situation in Junior High Schools shows:  Limited treatment of EE in the curriculum in terms of Sustainable Development.  Barely orientation of the aims of the subjects towards the perspective of Sustainable Development in the treatment of facts, phenomena and processes.  The contents in the National Strategy for Environmental Education (20102015) are not explicitly stated.  Textbooks are out of date in relation with the present environmental issues.  Methodological guidelines are not enough to concrete the integration of environmental contents. Based on the prior diagnosis a general aim for Junior High School was set:  To value the interdependence of the economic, political and ecological dimension for sustainable development favoring the acquisition of new knowledge, the development of abilities, feelings and values expressed in good environmental practices. In conclusion, there is the challenge in having well-trained teachers. The future of environmental education in the world will depend on communication, co-operation and funding. One of the gaps that needs attention is helping teachers to develop a better understanding of just what environmental education is – that it is not only about biology, but encompasses social and economic issues which are crucial to the development of the world today. Specifically in 7 th graders EE is viewed as follows in the next epigraph.. 15.

(20) 1.3 Environmental Education in 7th grade Environmental education will not be successful if teachers are not trained so that they adequately make the connection between the environment and students‘ everyday lives. The responsibility of doing this lies with the teachers who teach at these levels. A properly planned syllabus and activities appropriately calculated and executed will bring the desired change. Hence the importance of having knowledgeable high school teachers, so that they can become effective in achieving students´ EE. Derived from the overall aim for Junior High School education, there is one for each grade. Specifically, 7th grade students, according to this updated compilation, will:  Explain the interrelation among the components of the environment, in line with the dimensions of sustainable development in the analysis of facts, phenomena and processes which favor the development of good environmental practices. A deep analysis in the 7th grade syllabus helped the researcher to corroborate, in one way or another, the existence of environmental goals to be attained in the different subjects. The following chart summarizes some of the subjects in which these objectives are explicitly stated: Subject Math. Environmental goal To compile, organize and describe data… related to biodiversity in its natural and social environment to understand its tendencies… Spanish To enhance students´ esthetic education through the study of different art and literature works… To reflect on facts and phenomena of material and spiritual life of man, its natural and physical environment as well as his personal and collective health… Geography To express their antimperialism by rejecting its policies that brings about unequal exploitation of natural resources… To solve everyday life problems in relation to the protection of the environment… Biology To explain the role of the human beings as part of the environment, its influence towards it and the actions that can be taken to protect it… To show healthy hygiene habits, responsible sexual education, antitobacco, anti-alcohol and antidrug education... 16.

(21) In the Biology syllabus, as well as in the Geography one, environmental aims are clearly stated. Nevertheless, in the English syllabus there are some contents that tribute to strengthen students´ EE and the aims in such official document are not openly declared. It means that if the teacher does not know that Citizenship Education, for example, is a dimension of Environmental Education, then the first aim in the English syllabus related to this issue could not be attained. Only six units of the English program explicitly deal with environmental issues through the content of the communicative functions. They are: Unit. Environmental Contents. 1. Hello! What´s your name?. Social behavior in class. 2. What´s your town like?. Environmental issues in their communities. 3. What´s your house like?. Students´ living conditions. 4. What´s your mom doing?. Climate change in other countries. 8 What´s the weather like?. Weather conditions. 11. Can you do it on your own? Ecology and environment. Throughout these units different kinds of oral and written exercises as well as reading texts are found in which environmental issues are easily treated, but it all depends on the preparation the teachers might have to identify which part of the content or the communicative function being taught strengthens students´ EE. The following epigraph deepens a little bit more on what really happens in relation to EEfSD in a 7th grade class from José Ramón León Acosta Junior High School.. 17.

(22) II- NEEDS ASSESSMENT RELATED TO THE STUDENTS ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION The needs assessment of this research project was carried out in a sample of 36 7th-grade students from José Ramón León Acosta Junior High School. As a part of it, a survey, an interview to the students, participant observation and an analysis of documents were carried out. 2.1 Characteristics of the adolescent in Junior High School Education is the process which brings a change in the behavior of human being. The early life of man is about 20 years, and it is spent in getting education. It is this time from the age of 6 years onwards that a desired change is planned and executed in terms of primary, high school, pre university and university level education. The most effective and interactive period in the first two stages of education is primary and high school. At this stage the children will fall in the age group of 6 to 14 years. It is the most receptive age group, which can influence, to bring a desired change. Adolescence refers to the period of human growth that occurs between childhood and adulthood. Adolescence begins at around age 10 and ends around age 21. Adolescence can be broken into three stages: early adolescence, middle adolescence, and late adolescence. Each stage has its own characteristics. It is necessary to take a look at early adolescence in more detail below since the sample of the present research is included within this stage. Early adolescence is the first stage and occurs from ages 10 to 14. Puberty usually begins during this stage. People in this stage become aware of their rapidly changing bodies and start to worry about their physical appearance. They might experience shyness, blushing, modesty, and a greater interest in privacy. Early adolescents may feel invincible and start to engage in risky behaviors such as smoking and alcohol use. This period is also characterized by sexual curiosity, which is usually expressed through admiration of celebrities, teen idols, and musicians. Relationships with close friends become more important than family relationships. Early adolescents start to realize that their parents are not infallible 18.

(23) and begin to identify their own faults. It is also common for early adolescents to show acting-out behaviors. Characterization of the sample To carry out this research the author of this paper has intentionally taken as a sample class1 at ―José Ramón León Acosta‖ Junior High School, since he is carrying out his practicum there during the present academic year 2014-2015. Some of the characteristics of the adolescents previously described are present in the class where the researcher carries out this research. In certain way, it helped the research process when the students showed their interest in taking risk while getting involved in the designed activities. On the other hand, working in groups resulted in some discipline problems while putting into practice specific activities since it is a large class. This class is made up of 36 students from which 20 students are girls and 16 are boys. In general, the students have average marks, though there are some responsibility issues related to systematic study since some of the students only study for tests and not on a regular basis. Their behavior is standard, though some of them are not always self-controlled. In relation to the English subject, only a few of them show interest and are motivated towards the subject. A significant amount of students are more concerned with other subjects like Maths, History and Spanish. This means that the teacher of English has to face not only methodological aspects, but also the problem of his students´ motivation towards the subject. Scientific methods used Along the research different theoretical methods were used as described as follows:  Historical - logical: it was used to analyze the antecedents of the scientific problem and the points of view of different authors regarding the definition, goals and challenges of Environmental Education.  Analytic - synthetic: It was applied during the study of the problematic situation and the different available sources containing information about the essence of the object and was very useful in the design of the proposal. 19.

(24)  Inductive - deductive: It was used in the study of the data obtained about the. students‘. strengths. and. weaknesses. before. and. after. the. implementation of the proposal through the different instruments applied.  System Approach: It was used to guarantee the internal structure and coherence of the system of communicative exercises to transform the reality detected in the class regarding the lack of Environmental Education in the subjects of this research. The following methods from the empirical level were used:  Analysis of documents: It was used to know the treatment given to the development of the Environmental Education in the syllabus of 7th grade, and in the English workbook designed for the students.  Observation: Participant observation was carried out during the first 3 weeks to evaluate the students‘ potentialities and deficiencies on environmental issues. It was also carried out in each class of the proposal to evaluate the development of the students‘ Environmental Education with emphasis on its different dimensions.  Interview: it was carried out to the class in order to assess students´ knowledge about environmental issues.  Survey: It was carried out to diagnose the students´ knowledge about the environment, and to corroborate what had been observed through the lessons. It was also applied to assess the students´ progress toward Environmental Education after the proposal was put into practice.  Triangulation: It was used in the research to establish regularities in the analysis of the results of the diagnosis. From the mathematical and/or statistic level:  Percent Analysis: It was used to analyze the quantitative results obtained through the different instruments applied. To deepen on the problematic situation previously described in the introduction regarding the environmental education in the students of the sample, the following indicators were suggested for administering the different tools and for the analysis of the collected data as well. 20.

(25) 2.2 The analysis of the results of the diagnosis The analysis of documents (Appendix 1) permitted the author of the research to find out about the official documents for 7th grade and how the theme under research is treated in the syllabus for the grade. A deepen analysis allowed corroborating that all the subjects within the syllabus have at least an objective, in some cases more than one, related to strengthening students‘ environmental education. At this point is necessary to explain that if a 7 th-grade teacher is not aware of all the dimensions of EE, it will be hard to notice what part of the content being taught deals about this topic. A further analysis was carried out with the School Strategy to corroborate the existence of actions inside and outside the institution which favor the topic being researched. To the researcher´s surprise, there are some actions planned for every grade in relation to the aim of strengthening students´ Environmental Education. Some of them include students´ participation in Special Interest Groups about health and pedestrian education for accident prevention; participation in the anti-mosquito campaign; visit to historical places in the community, participation in the students´ camp every month, among others. Summarizing, both the syllabus for 7th grade and the School Strategy includes objectives and actions to strengthen students´ EE, even though the aims of some subjects in the grade are not explicitly stated what hinders teacher´s effectiveness in treating environmental issues appropriately. Through the Participant Observation (Appendix 2), the teacher could get familiar with some of his students´ potentialities and deficiencies on environmental issues. To carry out the participant observation two dimensions were followed, the cognitive and the attitudinal dimension. The results are as follow: In one hand, the cognitive dimension revealed that 7 th1 students have very limited knowledge on environmental issues even though they know about some of the main environmental problems in their community. Besides, the contents treated in the classes observed were aimed at strengthening students´ EE. On the other hand, the attitudinal dimension corroborated that students keep attitudes towards the environment that were not always either constructive or 21.

(26) positive, which means lack of responsibility towards the environment in general and particularly towards the community where they all live. As stated in the problematic situation, students´ health styles are not appropriate according to their age. Five students (13.8%) smoke freely in the school area and on the streets as they come to it or go back home. Another relevant issue that called the teacher´s attention was the lack of good manners when relating to their peers, and even the use of obscene and violent language inside the classroom, denoting a kind of rupture in their communication, a key dimension of their Environmental Education. Some misconduct was observed by the teacher in relation with his students´ sexual behavior. Three girls, age 12 each, have a boyfriend from higher grades. It was also relevant the careless way they wear their school uniform, and how they tight their uniforms in such a way that their blouses and shirts are almost always out of their skirts and pants. Whenever the teacher got inside the classroom he devoted some time to cleaning and organizing the classroom before beginning the lesson and at times the teacher offered himself to help them update their classroom bulletin board for it lacks esthetic. The teacher could also observe the way his students behave while crossing the streets, what clearly matches with the absence of pedestrian education for accident prevention, another important dimension of their Environmental Education. All these negative attitudes towards the environment motivated the teacher to carry out a survey to find out what his students really know about Environmental Education. The survey (Appendix 3) was made up of 6 questions in which in some cases they had to tick certain information and in others they had to express their own knowledge about the subject. For its analysis the two previous dimensions were also taken into consideration. First of all, the cognitive dimension showed that 52.7% of the students agreed that the Environment only means to them the relations with nature (plants and animals), while 41.6% considers it as a process in which the human beings interact with 22.

(27) nature and society as well. The rest, 2 students, 5.5% gave no answer to the first question. The majority of the students are in line with the present local environmental problems as they identified water pollution (29); littering (17); air pollution (5). All the students (100%) considered that speaking aloud, making noise, listening to loud music are not good environmental practices. Nevertheless, students were not able to identify other environmental problems in their communities like noise pollution, communication and care about social property. The attitudinal dimension confirmed that when the students were asked whether they consider necessary to have EE, 63.8% answered affirmatively; 25% of the students expressed that it was not necessary, meanwhile the 4 left students (11.1%) ticked the ―I don´t know‖ choice. Contradictory in relation to the above question, 33.3% of the surveyed students confirmed they are environmentally educated. In a very honest way, 13.8% stated that they are not environmentally educated and 52.7% of the sample marked the ―I don´t know‖ item. The last question in the survey was aimed at finding out how often they get involved in the solution of the environmental problems in their neighborhood. In this regard, 41.6% confirmed they always get involved in such solutions; 25.6% of the surveyed students expressed they frequently do it; another 13.8% of them stated that they almost never do it, and 19.4% of the students declared they never get involved in the solution of the environmental problems in their neighborhood. Summarizing, the survey showed that just a few students considered the environment as a process in which the human beings interact with nature and society as well, referred to EE as necessary nowadays, viewed themselves as not totally well-educated in that aspect, identified some local environmental problems, expressed they frequently get involved in the solution of the environmental problems in their neighborhood, and finally identified bad environmental practices. An interview (Appendix 4) applied to the students helped to corroborate the potentialities and deficiencies already mentioned and described in the previous instruments. The results of the cognitive dimension shows: 23.

(28)  Limited knowledge about the environment  Identification of local environmental problems  Acknowledgement of the importance of EE nowadays. Meanwhile the attitudinal dimension confirms:  Acceptable participation in the solution of some local environmental problems  Identification of bad environmental practices  Concern about not being totally environmentally educated 2.2.1 Regularities of the diagnosis Taking into account the results previously achieved and analyzed through the application of different instruments during the diagnosis stage, the following regularities were stated:  Students‘ lack of Environmental Education as well as limited knowledge on environmental issues.  The students are able to identify some of the local environmental problems.  They identify attitudes that are not considered as good environmental practices.  The students agreed that Environmental Education is necessary nowadays.  The students view themselves as not totally environmentally educated.  They admitted that they frequently take part in solving environmental issues. Taking into account the results of the different methods administered and in line with the deficiencies found through its analysis the researcher decides to design a system of communicative activities to strengthen students´ EEfSD in the class where he conducts his practicum, which is described in the next chapter.. 24.

(29) III-. SYSTEM. OF. ACTIVITIES. TO. STRENGTHEN. ENVIRONMENTAL. EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN 7TH GRADE STUDENTS THROUGH. THE. TEACHING-LEARNING. PROCESS. OF. THE. ENGLISH. SUBJECT After the analysis of the results of the diagnosis, it became reasonable to set forth a system of activities to strengthen Environmental Education for Sustainable Development in 7th 1 students from José Ramón León Acosta Junior High School. Consequently, diverse concepts of system are considered as follows. It is an arranged and coherent whole of rules, norms or principles related to certain matter. Organized whole of things, means, and ideas that contributes to a same goal. (Grijalbo‘s Dictionary) The Oxford Student´s Dictionary gives the definition for system as a set of connected parts that form a whole or work together, an organized scheme or method. Webster‘s Dictionary defines system as a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole. According to Encarta Encyclopedia (2014), it is a combination of related parts organized into a complex whole; a scheme of ideas or principles by which something is organized; a set of procedures for achieving something. Von Bertalanaffy quoted by Rodríguez, A. (2010) gives his own definition of system as a whole of interrelated elements. According to Lorences (2003), behind the diversity of the existing definitions, the authors‘ orientations, and the terms used, there exists an agreement in pointing out that a system is a form of existence of the objective reality, that can be studied and represented by human beings, undertaking some general laws, conformed by a group of elements that are distinguished by a certain order, where its limits are relative. Its elements are only separated and limited for the sake of their studies with certain purposes, belonging to a system of a bigger size. The system as a pedagogical scientific result is defined by Lorences, J. (2003) as ‗‘an analytic construction somehow theoretical that tries to modify the structure of a 25.

(30) given real pedagogical system and/or the creation of a new one, and its goal is to obtain superior results in a given activity‘‘. The characteristics that a system as a pedagogical scientific result should have are: intentionality (aimed at a definite purpose), degree of determination (defines the criteria that determine the optional and necessary components taking into account its goals), referential capacity (given by the dependency that it has with regards to the social system in which it is inserted), degree of amplification(the limits that defines it as a system should be explicitly established),analytic approximation to the object (the system should be able to represent analytically the material object to be created and the real possibility of its creation should exist), flexibility (it should have the capacity to include the changes that take place in reality). Moreover, educational activities comprise those that are planned and guided to fulfil objectives of an instructive and educational nature and carried on at a school with the students and allows the rational use of their free time, it includes revolutionary acts, works in the community and in the classroom, among others. Following the previous given perceptions on system, the author of this paper definitely agrees with the one given by Lorences, (2003), in which it is stated that a system emphasizes on the static and structural aspects of the object of study without altering its dynamic aspect. The proposal of activities meets the pedagogical and scientific principles considered in the definition given above, since it aims at strengthening students´ environmental education, which will consequently improve the students' learning, all based on the scientific and theoretical principles of Pedagogy in general, as well as those principles and psychological processes of communication inherent to Communicative Language Teaching in particular. 3.1 Foundation of the proposal Based on a dialectic and materialistic position and in direct agreement with the object under study and the field of action, the researcher decided to follow the Vigostkian postulates and his Socio-Cultural school as he points out that the school 26.

(31) plays an important role, as a socializing institution, in the transmission of the relevant products of culture. According to his point of view there is no learning without a certain level of previous development and there is no development without learning. Development and learning constitute a dialectical unit in which both receive a mutual influence. The proposal takes into account L. S. Vygotsky‘s psycho-pedagogical foundations whose theoretical and methodological bases praise on the students´ learning possibilities more than on their weaknesses. Vygotsky sees the individual as possessing two levels of development: the zone of actual development and the zone of potential development in the mid of which there is a zone called zone of proximal development, defined as the distance between the zone of actual development, characterized by the possibility of the students to solve learning problems under an adults‘ guidance and the interaction with peers who may be at their own or a higher level; the potential level is the next level of development that learners must reach. Learning must always be a step forward in the development. Vygotsky considers learning as a social process in which teachers can make emphasis on the students´ strengths and the abilities they have reached, more than on their weaknesses (Richard-Amato, P, 1996). Pedagogically, this research is backed up by the Socialist Pedagogy. This pedagogy claims the need of an active and conscious involvement of the students in the teaching-learning process so that the students become not only the object of education but its subject. This kind of participation occurs when there is the need that encourages the students to learn as every human action is determined, motivated, and influenced by the need to accomplish a goal. The activities of the present research are backed up on the principles of the Communicative Approach to the teaching- learning process of foreign languages. The proposal is grounded on Marxist-Leninist philosophy which summarizes and enriches prior knowledge taking in positive aspects and deleting negative ones, considering practice as the evaluative criterion of truth as one of its main components. In the system proposed, the students are given as much communicative practice as possible. The system of activities is enriched and 27.

(32) adapted to the communicative needs of the students, and are linked to their everyday activities in which they must aim at solving real, or similar-to real life communicative situations in English, in which they put into practice what they have learned. 3.2. Characteristics of the proposal The present proposal (Appendix 5) responds to a social interest of using the environmental theme as a means of linking the classroom to the world and describes some activities that teachers can use to integrate the study of the environment into English language lessons. The general objective of the proposal is:  To strengthen 7th graders´ Environmental Education for Sustainable Development through the teaching-learning process of the English subject The proposal is derived from the analysis of the syllabus, the contents of the units and their potentialities in favor of environmental education. The systems consist of 11 activities, one per unit, conceived from the simplest to the most complex ones. All the exercises were designed for controlled practice in which the students have to reproduce the communicative functions taught in the lessons and to practice the pronunciation of the vocabulary related to these communicative functions. Besides, at the end of almost all the activities designed the teacher leads his students to reflect on specific environmental issues and how they should show awareness, concern, skills, and action towards them. The activities are varied. They include individual, pair and group work as well as games, puzzles, the use of cards, printed materials, pictures and a quiz in order to strengthen students´ Environmental Education. Some of them are adapted from other contexts and others obey the teacher´s creativity. There are some activities that prepare the students to deal with environmental issues activating students‘ schemata. The components or dimensions of Environmental Education used in the system of activities are very wide since they comprise communication, living conditions,. 28.

(33) healthy habits, environmental status of their communities, recycling, migration, weather conditions, and personal appearance, among others. 3.3 Proposal of activities An example of one of the activities designed is presented as follows:. Unit # 8 What´s the weather like? Activity # 8 Title: Weather and Seasons Objective: Reproduce the communicative function “Describing the weather” through individual, pair and group work as they reflect on some environmental issues related to the weather. Type of activity: Individual, Pair and Group work Teaching aids: cards, pictures, black board, white chalk Description: The class should be divided into 4 teams. The teacher will give each team a set of cards and pictures and he/she will ask his/her students to match the weather words and pictures:. It´s raining It´s cloudy It´s stormy It´s cold It´s windy It´s hot It´s snowing It´s sunny. 29.

(34) The same process is repeated but this time students will match the weather to the seasons. Autumn. It’s very cold and it snows.. Summer. Winter. It’s rainy and wet. Trees and flowers start to grow.. It’s hot and sunny. People go to the beach.. Spring. It’s cold and foggy. Trees lose their leaves.. Later, the teacher will give a picture per pair and he/she will ask his/her students to practice describing the weather according to the picture they have, using the structure: What´s the weather like in your country? It´s…. Then, the students will change roles and they will describe the weather conditions in our country in the four seasons. They can use a map of the island if needed. At the end, the teacher will ask some questions so as to reflect on some environmental issues related to the weather nowadays: 1. Why is it too hot these days in April and May? 2. Why doesn‘t it rain too much nowadays? 3. What do we expect to happen with drinking water in the future? 4. Why are so many species dying at present? 5. Who is the main responsible of these environmental problems? 6. What can we do to mitigate this situation? Useful vocabulary: climate change / run out of drinking water / there will be a war for water / human being / take care of the environment / recycle / plant trees / water/air pollution. 30.

(35) 3.4 Evaluation of the system of activities by specialists. Finally, the researcher requested Specialists´ criteria (Appendix 6). This tool was applied as a goal to become aware of different assessments, suggestions and criteria about the system of communicative activities designed. The proposal was evaluated by five specialists, from the Foreign Language Department, at ―Félix Varela Morales‖ Pedagogical University. They were given a guide (Appendix 6) with the objective of evaluating the proposal designed to strengthen EEfSD in 7th1 students from José Ramón León Acosta Junior High School through the teaching-learning process of the English subject. In the analysis made by the specialists, (Appendix 7), all of them, representing 100%, agreed that the proposal was relevant, it had the required quality since it clearly revealed its scientific character. They also said that the proposal took into consideration the principles of the communicative language teaching and that the activities were in correspondence with the language level for 7 th graders because they were well-structured and could help the students of this level to strengthen their EEfSD. Some suggestions were given for the improvement of the proposal. All of them were taken into account. 3.5 Evaluation of the partial implementation of the proposal: Two activities from the proposal were put into practice in units 8 and 11 and for the evaluation of the results of their partial implementation the following empirical methods were used. Survey A second survey (Appendix 8) was administered to the sample as the proposal was put into practice. After applying the proposal it was observed that, in relation to the cognitive dimension, all the students showed satisfactory knowledge about EE since they identified that water pollution, littering, air and noise pollution are among the main environmental problems in their community nowadays and at the same time students could identify the main causes and consequences of these environmental problems. 31.

(36) There are still 16 students representing 44.4% who believed that Geography, Biology and Natural Sciences are the only subjects that strengthen students´ EE. Meanwhile, 55.5% of the students consider that there are some other subjects in the grade that tribute to the same purpose. Within this first dimension, 35 students representing 97.2% made sure that EE comprises some dimensions within its scope. Only one student, 2.7% considered false this item. Summarizing, 7th 1 students showed satisfactory knowledge about the environment at this stage, they were capable of identifying and understanding the main environmental problems in their communities as well as their main causes and consequences. According to the attitudinal dimension, all the students (100%) agreed that EE should guide humanity towards a more harmonious relation between man, society and nature, and they considered that to take care of the planet is to take care of our own house. In the same way, 94.4% of the students agreed that today´s environmental problems still have a solution even though 5.5% of them answered negatively. All the students agreed that even being teenagers they can contribute to save Planet Earth. Besides, there was a higher tendency in considering themselves as environmentally educated (58.3%), 3 students (8.3%) admitted they were not environmentally educated and 12 students representing 33.3% ticked the ―I don´t know‖ choice. Only 5 students representing 13.8% did not agree that EE should be a permanent task for governments and international organizations while 30.5% of them partially agreed with the same fact. Nevertheless, 20 students (55.5%) stated their total agreement in relation to this issue. In general, the attitudinal dimension confirmed a tendency in the students in showing responsible human and social values in terms of EE as well as critical reflections about these issues what matched with 63.8% of the students who expressed they get involved in the solution of the environmental problems in their communities. There were only 7 students (19.4%) who said they always did it. 32.

(37) Nevertheless, 11.1% and 5.5% of the students stated that they almost never or never, respectively, got involved in such solutions. Results of the participant observation of lessons The author observed all the lessons during the implementation of the proposal (Appendix 9). It can be stated that in all the lessons observed, all the students, representing 100% were motivated towards the subject and all of them raised their hands to participate in class voluntarily. They were able to do the exercises using different communicative functions in which the contents were related to environmental issues what showed they had acquired certain environmental knowledge and abilities to do the activities designed. It could also be observed how students identified some environmental problems like noise pollution, littering and water pollution through the contents of the communicative functions studied in classes and at the same time they were able to establish the main causes and consequences of these environmental problems. On the other hand, they still have some misbehavior conducts in relation to the cleanliness and organization of their classroom. The tendency to wearing their school uniform correctly is increasing, up to the point that only 3 students (8.3%) still have difficulties in this regard. Students were likely to show responsible behavior toward environmental issues within the classroom and even outside of it assuming very critical positions in relation to speaking aloud, making noise, listening to loud music, lack of good manners when relating to their peers, and even the use of obscene and violent language, considering all of them as bad environmental practices. In conclusion, with the partial implementation of the system of communicative activities designed, it could be declared that it was relevant and valuable and it constituted a feasible way to strengthen 7th1 student´s EE. So, the author of this research offered a proposal which contributed to the solution of the scientific problem stated.. 33.

(38) CONCLUSIONS. As a result of this research paper, the following conclusions were stated: 1- The theoretical and methodological foundations of Environmental Education. for Sustainable Development are supported by a comprehensive conception of environment, the notion of environmental education oriented towards sustainable development, and the use of the environmental theme as a means of linking the classroom to the world. 2- The methods and instruments used in the needs assessment allowed the. author to identify the students‘ strengths and weaknesses regarding Environmental Education for Sustainable Development in 7 th1 graders from José Ramón León Acosta Junior High School. Students showed to have limitations in the cognitive and attitudinal dimensions of Environmental Education for Sustainable Development. 3- The system of communicative activities was designed taking as a starting. point the results of the needs assessment. The activities are motivating and authentic, and they follow the principles of Communicative Language Teaching. 4- The specialists evaluated the proposal as appropriate, communicative and. creative. They considered that there is a correspondence between the proposal and the objective of the grade. They made some suggestions which were taken into consideration for its improvement. 5- The partial implementation of the system of activities proved to be effective. in practice, since the students not only increased their knowledge on environmental issues, but also showed to be committed to and enthusiastic about participating in their solution.. 34.

(39) SUGGESTIONS. 1- To continue working on this theme in order to enrich and improve the. proposal in relation to the constant changes on environmental issues nowadays. 2- To design systems of activities aimed at strengthening other dimensions. of Environmental Education for Sustainable Development.. 35.

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