The College of Education for Humanities Holds a Seminar on Environmental Awareness and Approaches to Integrating Environmental Issues into Natural Science Curricula
As part of the College of Education for Humanities’ commitment at Diyala University to building well-rounded students, the Department of Educational and Psychological Sciences held a scientific seminar on “Environmental Awareness and Approaches to Integrating Environmental Issues into Natural Science Curricula.” The seminar aimed to strengthen the role of education in instilling environmental values and achieving sustainability.The seminar, whose themes were discussed by Professor Dr. Hussam Yousef Saleh, emphasized that modern curricula are no longer limited to transmitting knowledge. They now aim to cultivate awareness, positive attitudes, and behaviors toward the environment by linking educational content to contemporary issues relevant to students. This contributes to preparing individuals who are aware of their environmental rights and responsibilities and capable of contributing to environmental protection and sustainability.The symposium explained that environmental awareness is based on three main dimensions: the cognitive dimension, which focuses on concepts and experiences; the affective dimension, which relates to values and attitudes; and the behavioral dimension, which translates knowledge and feelings into positive practices towards the environment, reflecting the integration of thought and behavior in building an environmentally conscious individual.The symposium also reviewed the most prominent approaches to incorporating environmental issues into curricula, including the integrated approach, which combines environmental concepts into various subjects; the modular approach, which dedicates separate units to environmental topics; the independent approach, which studies environmental education as a standalone subject; and the project-based approach, which relies on practical learning through purposeful activities that enhance students’ research and planning skills.This activity comes within the framework of achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) and Goal 13 (Climate Action), by promoting environmental awareness in educational curricula.
