Designing a series of environmental education programmes at Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve for the new senior secondary curriculum of Hong Kong

Abstract

In recent decades, environmental education has gradually gained importance in raising people’s awareness to various environmental problems. It is also an essential tool to encourage the public to take actions actively to solve the environmental problems we now face. In Hong Kong, environmental education is carried out at school and is also provided by different government departments and many different environmental NGOs. Being one of the few local NGOs that focus on butterfly conservation, Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve also provides a butterfly-oriented environmental education programme for students and the public. Nevertheless, the programme has its weaknesses. Its content is not specific. The programme has been operated for years without review. And, it may not fit the learning needs of today’s students. Another weakness identified is the lack of choice of programme offered by the Reserve. With its unique role in conservation of local butterfly fauna, it is believed that the Reserve has the potential to enhance its role in environmental education. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a diverse series of environmental education programmes that could be implemented in the Reserve in the future. A number of things were done to facilitate the design of these new programmes. Environmental education programmes in local and overseas context were reviewed, particularly those which focus on butterfly and its conservation. These programmes provided examples of programme structures, possible themes and contents, as well as learning activities to be included in the new programmes. Most of them included significant outdoor learning time, with various activities to provide interactive and hands-on experience for participants. These activities include wildlife observation and survey, role-play, game, discussion, and etc. Apart from this, the syllabuses of Biology, Geography and Liberal Studies of the current New Senior Secondary Curriculum of Hong Kong were also reviewed so as to identify the education niche where Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve could potentially fit in. In addition, a questionnaire interview was conducted with school teachers, understanding what themes, contents and learning activities they would expect in the new programme, as well as to what extent should the new programmes match with the school curriculum. In the study, five new programmes were developed. Three of them are targeted at senior secondary school students of Biology, Geography and Liberal Studies. A less specific programme is proposed for junior secondary students, whose learning needs are easier to fulfil than that of senior ones. Finally, it is proposed to keep the current programme with slight level of modification, for audiences like the general public and primary school students. Last but not least, this study also revealed that there is a lack of environmental education programmes in Hong Kong, particularly those which focused on butterfly. On the other hand, the demand for these programmes is relatively great. This would be a strong support for Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve to revamp its education strategies and satisfy the observed excessive demand. Finally, further suggestions are also given for the Reserve’s advancement in environmental education.