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Proceedings of International Conference on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for the Sustainable Development Goals : Policy and Practice 27-29 June 2016 at the Sirindhorn International Environmental Park, Cha-am, Phetchaburi, Thailand

“the  impact  of  individual’s  actions  on  natural  world  is  influenced  by  the  knowledge  about  (and/experience)  the  individual  have  which  will affect  the  attitudes  towards  natural  world”. V.  CONCLUSION The  elements  of  biodiversity  are  integrated  either  directly  or  indirectly  in  the  subjects  taught  in  secondary  school  curriculum  in  Malaysia  especially  in  Science  and  Geography. Only  in  Form  2  Science  and  Form  4  Biology  have  a  specific  topic  on  biodiversity,  whereas  Science  and  Geography  syllabus  in  other  Form discuss  elements  of  the  biodiversity  without  the term  ‘biodiversity’.  Although  there  are  no  specific  theme  or  topic  that  discuss  element  related  to  biodiversity  in  other  subjects  such  Languages  and  Mathematics,  it  can  be  infused  in  some  activities  as  suggested  in  the  Teacher’s Guide  Book  on  Environmental  Education  across  the  Curriculum  for  Secondary  School.  The  biodiversity  elements  in  the  syllabus  meet  the  three  types  such  as  diversity,  species  diversity  and  ecosystem  diversity.   The  curriculum  emphasises  on  inquiry,  discovery  learning  through  experience  and  problem  solving  processes  that  utilised  scientific  and  thinking  skills.  The  curriculum  also  emphasised on  active  learning  approaches  that  meet  the  widely  accepted  approach  in  sustainability  education.  It  is  hoped  that  the  new  curriculum  that  will  be  implemented  in  2017  will  emphasis  on  current  issues  related  to  biodiversity  and  to  focus  on  action  learning,  experiential  learning,  problem  based  learning  with  values  education,  futures  and  critical  reflective  thinking  which  will  provide  students  with  are  not  only  knowledgeable  about  biodiversity  but  also  able to  take  the  necessary  action  to  ensure  the  preservation  of  biodiversity  for  their  well-being in  the  future. and  thinking  skills  are  utilised  (Ministry  of  Education,  2002a;  2002b).  The  syllabus  emphasised  on  active  learning  approaches  (such  as  discussion;  gather  information  from  magazines,  books  and  internet;  collect  and  interpret  data;  experiments, role  play,  mind  map,  forum,  project,  draw  a  picture,  game,  campaign  or  competition,  scrap  book,  field  trips)  and  seek  to  engage  the  students  in  thinking  critically  (such  as  attributing, comparing  and  contrasting,  grouping  and  classifying,  sequencing,  prioritising,  analysing,  detecting  bias,  evaluating, making  conclusions) and  creatively  (generating  ideas,  relating,  making  inferences,  predicting,  making  generalisations  visualising,  synthesising,  making  hypotheses,  and  making  analogies)  about  key  issues  associated  with  biodiversity.  Science  process  skills  such  as  observing,  classifying,  measuring  and  using  numbers,  making  inferences,  predicting  using  space-time  relationship,  interpreting  data,  defining  operationally,  controlling  variables,  making  hypothesis,  experimenting  and  communicating  also  been  emphasized.  The  syllabus  also  suggested  to  conduct  a  field  study  for  some  topics  which  in  hands  on  approach  that  meet  outdoor  learning  and  experiential  learning  strategies.  These  strategies  fulfil  teaching  and  learning  approaches  and  strategies  widely  accepted  in  sustainability  education.  East  Lothian  Council  (no  date)  emphasised  that  a  principal  element  of  teaching  biodiversity  is  getting  children  outside-the  hands  on  approach.  According  to  National  Science  Board (1991:  27),  student  will  be  able  to  appreciate  and  understand  the  natural  world  if  they  have  the  chance  to  work  directly  with  natural  resources  by  using  their  sense  to  observe  and  with  the  help  of  learning  instrument  to  extend  the  ability  of  their  senses.  John  Muir  (in  Goralnik  and  Nelson,  2011)  asserted  that  if  the people  have  exposure  to  the  natural  world,  they  will  act  on  behalf  of  it.  In  line  with  this,  Goralnik  and  Nelson  (2011:4)  expressed  that  Proceedings  of  the  International  Conference  on  Climate  Change,  Biodiversity  and  Ecosystem  Services  for  the 187 Sustainable  Development  Goals  (SDGs):  Policy  and  Practice  27-29  June  2016,  Cha-am,  Phetchaburi,  Thailand


Proceedings of International Conference on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for the Sustainable Development Goals : Policy and Practice 27-29 June 2016 at the Sirindhorn International Environmental Park, Cha-am, Phetchaburi, Thailand
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