Special Needs Students Need Environmental Education

Article by rosy - Published on Dec 27, 2008

The environment is the surrounding in which one lives. Environmental education is an essential part of education for special needs students and will help provide an awareness of the environmental aspect of school, community and natural surroundings in creating effective learning environments.
Importance of Environmental Education for Special Students
Environmental education is important because it helps special needs students understand the beauty of nature and the importance of other learning environments in enhancing their education. Special needs students can understand the things around them with the help of environmental education. In an open environment, special needs students will be able to express themselves freely and apply their learning in the academic classroom.
With environmental education programs, students can be taught the following about the world in which they live:

The importance of growing trees and the ozone layer.
The different types of trees, such as fruit trees and evergreen
How trees improve the air quality of our environment.
How trees control erosion on the planet.
How to grow new trees in different geographic locations.
The importance of trees in human and animal life.
Importance of plant growth in sustaining life.

It is important to encourage special needs children to plant and care for a tree of their own as one example of understanding the importance of environmental impacts. When they are caring for their trees, they will learn to interact with other children, teachers and adults in the outside world. They will become more confident in the classroom and will become more aware of the things around them and the impact of the environment in their lives.
The Role of Teachers in Environmental Education
Teachers play an important role in helping special needs students learn about their environment. Teachers can plan environmental awareness programs in the school for special needs children. Teachers can also arrange for their special needs classes to visit related programs somewhere else such as a wetlands or natural forest area.
Teachers can take their students on nature walks, during which they can explain what the different parts of a plant are. Teachers should tell them that plants give us oxygen which is essential for human and animal life. They can help students observe different birds and their nests and talk about how the birds hatch their eggs and bring up their young ones and how this impacts the human circle of life.
Teachers can also take special children to a zoo. At the zoo, teachers can show them different animals, their young ones, their habitat, different adaptations the animals have made, etc and how animals are part of the life cycle.
Thus, environmental education can help special needs students to be mentally and physically healthier and better adjusted in understanding their own place on the planet. Environmental education can help special needs students understand their surroundings in a more effective environmentally friendly way.