Self-assessment of environmental culture for sustainable development through indicators agreed upon in a workshop. (Review)

Abstract

The critical study carried out about the present state of the environmental culture for the sustainable development and the preparation to pass it to student, revealed that the improvement of this situation demands to pay attention to the poor personal implication of the students and teaching staff in the critical study and the solution of environmental problems, possible to solve in the university, school and community context. Due to this situation a system of indicators was elaborated to facilitate the self-evaluation of the development of the environmental culture for the sustainable development of teaching staff and students, as one of the ways to encourage protagonist and personal implication, civic and professional responsibility in the construction of knowledge, ethical foundations and environmental behaviors. The proposed indicators were agreed upon in a workshop before proceeding to the reflexive self-evaluation and critical view of the current state of each participant's environmental culture. It was evidenced that this procedure contributes to the environmental formation, since it allows to complete diverse didactic and educational functions. It has been implemented in the initial formation of educational, in the initial professional training, as well as in the activity of cultural extension; with great acceptance of students, professors and teachers, for it favors the development of the environmental culture and its teaching. This tends to happen in conditions of intense group activity and communication, combined with the evaluative personal reflection.