Brian Cameron: Critical Review of "Jane Sayers (2006). The Start of Something Big: Environmental education in China. Green Teacher,(80), 6-11."

Jane Sayers looks at the difficulties encountered teaching environmentalism in China. She looks at 5 different methods of promoting environmentalism in Chinese classrooms. The first involved tree planting on ‘National Tree Planting Day’. It was met with mixed success, and Sayer argues that it was more effective as a publicity stunt for the government than as an awareness tool. Sayer believes that this sent the wrong message to children. She then looks at examples that work in China. The first example is that of the ‘Earth Village’, wherein students create a recycling programme at school. Next, she examines the ‘Antelope Car’ programme, sponsored by ‘Friends of Nature’, an NGO. Activities provided by FON focus on environmental issues, and include role plays, observations, and problem solving activities. Sayer then looks at university groups, examining environmentalism in universities. Environmental activities here range from recycling and bird watching, to tree planting in Mongolia. Lastly, Sayer looks at the WWF and its’ involvement in water education in school. The WWF has provided lesson plans involving role-plays, visits to local reservoirs, and meetings with local officials in order to promote awareness of the water cycle. Through examples like these, Sayer argues that educators in China can promote active, critical thinkers through a connection to real life examples. We can use these methods of environmental education to promote active, critical thinkers here in Canada as well, and with less of a problem with funding.