The contribution of cooperative learning approach to the awareness of environment in Geography

Abstract

In the 21st century, one of the most important environment problems caused by mankind is waste and storage of it. The waste directly exposed to the nature has adverse effects on both physical and human environment. People, considering themselves the most valuable of all creatures, leave the waste on behalf of controlling the nature not only destroy it but also the human health and economy. The single solution of this artificial deterioration is hidden in the intervention of human himself. Although there are some broadcasts by some press associations, humans' being less consciousness on this issue prevents the complete success. The reasons why people cannot predictor even refuse to accept the negative effects of the waste they leave haphazardly to the environment is due to the lack of enough environmental conscious. We should certainly make everyone conscious of the environment to have a livable geographical milieu. Only the conscious people have the capacity to envisage a future dimension of a step. This research has aimed to make pre-service teachers conscious of the issues such as waste, recycling and recovery. Waste and recycling subject in Environment education course has been conducted in a cooperative approach to the students of social sciences teaching program of Necatibey Education Faculty of Balikesir University and students have been asked to make some activities and finally they have been taken for an observation to rubbish dump parse institution in Balikesir city. With the observation it has been aimed to give the pre service teachers the consciousness on the issues by the experts and laid the groundwork for their understanding of the different aspects of the problem. As a result it has been understood that there was a significant difference between pre and post attitudes of the students and also they have declared to have some positive behavior changes during and after their courses. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of The 2nd International Geography Symposium-Mediterranean Environment