This paper identifies characteristics of the effective language teacher (ELT) as perceived by both language teachers and students in the Israeli educational system. Subjects consisted of two randomly selected groups. The first included 200 foreign language teachers of English, French, Arabic, and Hebrew, while the second included 406 ninth grade high school students from ten heterogeneous schools. The data were collected by means of a questionnaire and interviews. Various characteristics associated with the ELT were identified, such as the teacher's command of the target language; his or her ability to organize, explain, and clarify; and his or her ability to arouse and sustain interest and motivation. The more we know about ELT characteristics, the more likely we are to develop language teacher preparation models that incorporate aspects of relevant language teaching as well as help in establishing standards for evaluating language instruction.

Perceived Characteristics of the Effective Language Teacher

Free‐choice learning and, derivatively, free‐choice environmental learning emerges as a powerful vehicle for supporting diversity in learning styles (Falk & Dierking, 2002). In this article, I argue that free‐choice environmental learning holds great potential for enabling us to understand what is at stake in environmental learning and thus help us build a sustainable future. I examine the different informal learning contexts for children, home (family and play), museums, zoos, nature parks and wilderness, among many others, and offer an explanation for how learning occurs in these settings, and how such domains or sectors can contribute to free‐choice environmental learning. This article also examines the nature of environmental learning in free choice settings to establish a connection with stages of childhood development. In the final section of this article, I draw on these examples to discuss research issues that emerge within various free‐choice settings.

Free‐choice environmental education: understanding where children learn outside of school

The purpose of this paper is to report our findings from a qualitative study intended to develop our understandings of: what high‐poverty urban children understand and believe about food and food systems; and how such children transform and use that knowledge in their everyday lives (i.e. how do they express their scientific literacies including content understandings, process understandings, habits of mind in these content areas). This qualitative study is part of a larger study focused on understanding and developing science and nutritional literacies among high‐poverty urban fourth‐grade through sixth‐grade students and their teachers and caregivers.

From Global Sustainability to Inclusive Education: Understanding urban children’s ideas about the food system

The results of a large scale (N=1001) cross-sectional (Years 6, 8 and 10) study of students' ideas about the composition of unpolluted air, the nature of air pollution, the biological consequences of air pollution, and about acid rain and the Greenhouse Effect are reported. A range of persistent alternative conceptions were identified, in some instances with increasing frequency across grades. Students' attitudes towards education, obligation, legislation or taxation as a way of reducing air pollution were determined; the first two were the most favoured. Increased attention to particular gas and air pollution concepts is recommended; other pedagogical implications are discussed.

Students’ ideas and attitudes about air quality

Integration of environmental education throughout the curriculum provides the range of perspectives and knowledge necessary for environmental understanding but creates other problems. One suggestion for alleviating these difficulties at the secondary level is to create distinct environmental education courses, possibly as part of the science curriculum. Although such courses may reduce the difficulties inherent in an integrated approach, other complications may arise. The author conducted case studies of selected environmental courses, taught by seven teachers in six Illinois secondary schools. The findings indicate some similarities and differences in environmental education programs at the secondary school level and suggest some directions for similar courses.

Case Studies of Selected High School Environmental Education Classes

Education and the environment

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Education and the environment