EVS Pedagogy (Concept of EVS) - CTET & State TET MCQ

The environment generally refers to the surroundings of an individual, including social and the natural environment, for example, culture, school, family, land, water, air, etc. 

• At the primary level, children must be taught through an integrated approach rather than teaching in parts. At the primary level, we shouldn't teach students the concepts in isolation.
• We should teach them concepts and processes in an integrated manner to explore the other aspects of a specific subject matter and find the connection among them.

Key Points

Environmental studies:

• It includes the study of the relationship of humans with other aspects affecting their life
• It also studies how humans can contribute positively to bring the desired changes in our environment.
• It emphasizes the development of a scientific attitude so that students can develop their own concepts of the environment.
•  It is more concerned with the scientific attitude to explore, investigate, and develop an understanding of our naturally occurring environment.
• Social Studies and Social Science together constitute the Environmental Studies which are generally taught at the primary level through integrated and thematic approaches.

Hint

Therefore, it is concluded that environmental studies deal with the interrelationships of human beings with their environment and include their contribution to bringing desirable changes in their surroundings.

The syllabus for EVS (classes III-V) is thematic in approach rather than being structured around individual topic/s (as it used to be in the earlier years). It is woven around six common themes – Family and friends, Food, Shelter, Water, Travel, and Things we make and do.

Key Points

•  These themes provide real-life links to the children’s daily experiences.
• Thematic organization of content in EVS helps dissolve the conventional subject boundaries created in the formal education system.
• It also encourages the learner to realize the linkages between the various subjects.
• Thematic structuring of the contents in EVS cuts across the boundaries of several disciplines such as social sciences, sciences, languages, history, geography, civics, etc., developing in children an interdisciplinary perspective (contributions of various disciplines) to understanding environment and environmental problems and their solutions because this is related to our lives and lifestyles.
• EVS, thus, is an interdisciplinary study of how humans interact with their environment – physical, biological, social, and cultural.

Thus, it is concluded that A, B, and C are the correct options.

The word environment is derived from the French word “environner” which means to encircle or surround.

Key Points

Environmental Studies at the primary level possess some special characteristics that other subjects do not possess. It is somewhat different from other subjects in the following manner:

• EVS is a Composite Area: EVS at the primary stage is a single study area. It is visualized as a composite study area drawing learning experiences/contents from physical, biological, chemical, social, cultural, and other dimensions of study.
• EVS is Contextual: The context for EVS is the environment. EVS orients children to this. Since the environment differs from place to place, the examples, events, and practices used to teach environmental understanding will differ.
• EVS is Learner Centered: EVS is Learner-centred and not teacher-centered. It means that children’s learning forms the core of the classroom transaction rather than teaching.
• No Right, No Wrong: It is also important for a teacher to help your learners understand that there are no absolute ‘rights and wrongs’ in EVS and that an ‘action’ that seems very positive today may be discovered to be very environment-unfriendly in a different place, location, and context.
• ‘Values’ are an Integral Component of EVS: Respect for all life forms, appreciation of diversity (biological, social, cultural and religious, etc.), accepting differences, openness to multiple viewpoints, peace, compassion, tolerance, etc. are the values integral to EVS.

Hence, the environment is teacher-centered is a wrong statement.

A syllabus is a kind of instructive tool that sets a standard of what is expected to be achieved by the students during the complete course in a specified period of time.

• A syllabus actually serves as the contract between the students and the teachers which contain functions and ideas that are used for the assessment of the student's performance.

Key Points

•  This syllabus web has been developed within a child-centered perspective of themes that provide a common interface of issues in social studies, sciences, and environmental education.
• The National Curriculum Framework 2005 has re-emphasized the recommendation of NCF 2000 that Environmental Studies should be taught as an integrated course for the entire primary stage.  
• It is important for a teacher to be acquainted with the organization of the syllabus in order to better understand and use the textbooks.
• Environmental Studies at the primary stage is perceived as an approach to learning about the environment in its totality without being burdened by any disciplinary considerations.
• The NCERT syllabus attempts to reflect the above realization and understanding in a number of ways:
  • The syllabus is organized not as a list of “topics” but as “themes”. And, each theme has a few sub-themes.
  • The sub-themes are organized in a spiral and progressive manner with an emphasis on integration.
  • The sub-themes allow for a connected and interrelated understanding to develop.
  • The themes in the syllabus do not begin by listing key concepts, or rather key questions which allow each child to think, apply, and develop his/her own understanding and articulate their own learnings and ideas.
  • The thematic approach helps to bring in perspectives from different subjects and disciplines.
  • The activities are only suggestive and can be easily adapted to suit the local situations.

Hence, the syllabus of EVS based on the NCF 2005 is designed to provide an integrated perspective that draws upon insights from sciences, social sciences, and environmental education.

EVS is a multidimensional subject which covers important principles from various academic fields.

• NCF recommends both integrated and thematic approaches for EVS learning at the primary level to nurture the curiosity and creativity of the child, particularly with the natural environment.

Key Points

In primary level, Environmental Studies is integrated with Social Studies and Science because at early childhood:

• children look at their environment in a holistic manner.

• children couldn't compartmentalize any topic into 'science' and 'social science'.

• children are not mature enough to interpret the aspects of science and social science in a graded manner.

Important Points

• Integrated approach:
  • EVS in the primary level is visualized as an integrated approach as the EVS syllabus has been made in an integrated manner including science, and social studies as well.
  • It helps children to explore and connect to their surroundings.

• Thematic approach:
  • EVS in the primary level is visualized as a thematic approach as the entire EVS syllabus is connected and integrated within a theme.
  • It makes learning more natural and comprehensible for a better understanding of children. 

So, from the above-mentioned points, we conclude that in primary level, Environmental Studies is integrated with Social Studies and Science.

Environment refers to the conditions or surroundings in which a person, animal, or plant resides or operates. The environment is a combination of natural and human-made phenomena. While the natural environment refers to both biotic and abiotic conditions existing on the earth. 

Key Points Environment comprises various types of forces such as physical, intellectual, economic, political, cultural, social, moral, and emotional. The environment is the sum total of all the external forces, influences, and conditions, which affect life, nature, behavior, and the growth, development, and maturation of living organisms. 

• The environment is physical, geographical, and biological. It includes both living and non-living components.
• The environment has been expanding and changing over time. In the earliest times, the environment was limited to the biological communities found in the air, water, and land on the planted ground. As time passed, man enlarged his environment through his social, economic, and political functions.
• There are several connections between the environment and the economy, including the fact that it acts as a sink for pollution and waste.
• The political environment includes political conditions such as overall stability and peace in the country.

The environment is made up of physical, biological, and cultural components that are connected in a variety of ways both individually and collectively. These components can be described as follows:  

1. Physical elements: Space, landscapes, water bodies, climate, soils, rocks, and minerals are examples of physical elements. They determine the irregular nature of the human environment, as well as its possibilities and limitations.
2. Biological components: The biosphere is made up of biological components like plants, animals, microbes, and people.
3. Cultural components: The economic, social, and political components that makeup culture are essentially man-made aspects.

Hence, from the above-mentioned points, we can conclude that A, B, C, and D are correct. 

National Curriculum Framework (NCF), 2005 provides a guideline with which teachers and schools can choose and plan experiences that they think children should have. 

Important PointsThe NCF 2005 endorses the scope of EVS by emphasizing that it has

• to raise awareness and understanding of children about their environment,
• to be taught as a composite area of study in classes I to V
• building capacities to develop a holistic vision and participate in its protection and management his assertion gains importance as the world is increasingly moving towards protection and conservation of the environment

Key Points

EVS is a Composite Area : EVS at the primary stage is a single study area. It is visualized as a composite study area drawing learning experiences/contents from physical, biological, chemical, social, cultural, and other dimensions of study.

• The contents are organized around curricular themes like Food, Shelter, Water, Travel, etc. This thematic organization is intended to correlate two or more disciplines of study or school subjects.
• This helps children to develop an inter-related and connected understanding of the subject studied rather than a fragmented view of it.
• For each theme, a web of possible connections of concepts and skills are suggested, which are to be developed over the period of primary grades. 

Hint

To achieve the above objectives, EVS is organized around three broad principles-

• Learning about the environment
• Learning through the environment
• Learning for the environment

Hence, we can conclude that EVS to be taught as a composite area of study in classes I to V is correct regarding EVS is in accordance with NCF-2005.

Environmental education describes the interrelationships among organisms, the environment and all the factors, which influence life on earth, including atmospheric conditions, food chains, the water cycle, etc. It is a basic science about our earth and its daily activities, and therefore, this science is important for everyone. 

Key Points

Objectives of Environmental Education at Primary Level

• To know and understand the true aspects of the environment in general.
• To know and understand the interaction between mammals, between human and their environment and interaction between the various elements and components of the environment.
• Build understanding, awareness and sensitivity towards causes and efforts of the class that continuously take place in society the world around us.
• To build and develop skills in thinking, reasoning, enquiring, evaluating and making decisions concerning human and the world around them.
• Inculcate the attitude in using the knowledge and skills towards solving problem and issues related to individuals, society and the environment. 
• To build the values and attitudes towards the need and necessity to live together in harmony in the context of the heterogeneous society

Objectives of Environmental Education at Secondary Level 

• To emphasize the relevance of science to daily life.
• To develop a scientific attitude in student.
• To create an environment conducive to greater reliance on the use of principles and practices of science.
• To acquaint the students with various natural phenomena.
• To develop an outlook that emphasizes the method employed in different disciplines of science. 

Confusion Points

It should be noted that understanding interrelationships of human with the rest of the world is not the objective of EVS education, because EVS aims to develop sensitivity of surrounding, while understanding 'rest of the world' is too vast term to use. 

Hence, we conclude that understanding the interrelationship of humans with the rest of the world is not the objective of environmental education.

Environmental studies or EVS is the study of the environment in the context of earth and living things. It is more concerned with the scientific attitude to explore, investigate, and develop an understanding of our natural, human, social and cultural dimensions of local and wider environments. At the primary level, children must be taught through an integrated approach rather than teaching in parts. At the primary level, we shouldn't teach students the concepts in isolation. We should teach them concepts and processes in an integrated manner so that they could explore the other aspects of a specific subject matter and could find the connection among them.
Key Points

• At the primary level, social studies and social science are taught in an integrated manner as  Environmental Studies (EVS) which includes six themes: family and friends, food, shelter, water, travel, things we make and do.​​​
• The textbook of environmental studies at the primary level is based on these themes which refer to the thematic approach. It is also known as a multi-disciplinary approach where many concepts/topics are being taught in a collective manner. 
• The primary level students must be taught about their immediate surroundings first (family, school, neighborhood) and then about their wider surroundings (society, community).
• If we teach them social studies and social science separately, they will not be able to develop the inter-related understanding that is needed to develop an insight over a specified concept which may include various components of the environment.
• So, in order to develop divergent thinking and to understand each and every component of a particular matter students need to be taught in an integrated manner.

So, "transport" is not the main theme of the thematically designed curriculum of EVS at the primary level.

Constructivism is centered on the idea that human knowledge and learning are actively constructed by the learner, not passively received from the environment. Knowledge is always someone's knowledge. It is created or constructed by the experiencing individual. It is not impersonal or absolute. 

Key Points

•  The contents of EVS are organized thematically. 
• Topics of both social studies and science are integrated.
• A teacher needs to combine two or more subject areas into one lesson like integrate the concepts and issues of science, social science, environmental education to teach EVS in an integrated manner.
• The syllabus of EVS for class 3rd and 5th integrates the concepts and issues of science, environmental education, and social science because children look at their environment in a holistic manner and couldn't differentiate any topic between 'environment studies', 'science', and 'social science'.
• Transacting EVS (integrated themes) requires teachers to move beyond the individual boundaries of disciplines (their own subject specializations) and plan appropriate learning experiences to help children synthesize multiple perspectives and develop integrated concepts.
• Considering the dynamic nature of children’s learning, the NCF, 2005 has emphasized the concept of dynamic assessment. This is yet another challenge, as it demands teachers to gather more knowledge about how children think, understand, and relate to the environment, what difficulties they encounter, how they carry out EVS activities and projects, etc. 

Hence, we conclude that as a constructivist teacher preparing a lesson plan integrated with science, social science and environmental studies constructively is the best plan for integrated EVS.