EXPANSION OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION THROUGH FIELD TRIPS. SCHOOL OF THE WILD

The most serious problems focused on the protection and quality of the environment at the national and international levels impose the need for urgent changes in educational systems in many countries. In the universities pre-service elementary teachers were educated to develop environmental awareness and how to teach environmental issues. School of the Wild is an important organisation that offers accredited environmental school offering immersion programs involving direct participation and observation in the natural world. In addition to students attending the School of the Wild pre-service elementary teachers also participated and their reflections on the course have important implications for the future teaching. Therefore this study investigates the experiences of the pre-service elementary teachers in USA during their participation in the School of the Wild. Of the 22 course participants, after the purposeful sampling, 5 pre-service teachers were selected and interviewed about their field trip and experiences. Data were collected through reflection papers about their experience in the school of the wild. The US pre-service elementary teachers reported that every day was full of many exciting activities, the students had a good time, were able to have fun and learn a lot at the same time.