How to teach about climate change in schools
Smash! The sound of glass breaking into a hundred pieces. A gleeful cackle. Is there something devilish afoot? Nope, it's the unallayed joy of a child chucking a glass jar into a bottle bank and hearing it shatter. Imagine being able to get older children and teens (never mind adults) that invested in things like recycling or any of the other little lifestyle changes we need to embrace in order to combat climate change. Unfortunately there's more to it than the undoubted pleasure of wilful destruction. But there's still something we can take away from that.
Talking about recycling or emissions reduction to older children is bound to elicit an acknowledgement that whilst it's very important, it's not always particularly interesting. We've written about the importance of teaching about climate change in schools, but not really about the how. It's a subject that does receive pretty widespread coverage in schools, but we feel like that it's sometimes lacking one essential element; the thing that makes Billy Bottlesmasher or Greta Glassbreaker squeal with delight — fun.
What's fun for primary school children is a little bit different to what secondary school students enjoy. Learning is fun whatever your age, but as we get older how we derive that fun changes. Are younger children able to absorb lots of technical information about the science of climate change? If it's presented in the right way, then yes, more than you might think. A better approach, however, is to introduce them to nature in a more practical, hands-on way so that, especially for those in urban areas, it's not some far-away concept and the idea of protecting it isn't totally alien. ecoACTIVE's Forest School programs are one example of that approach in action and it's also at the heart of our Eco workshops for schools.
But what about how to teach climate change to secondary school students? With exams and higher education to think about, the approach has to be more focussed with an emphasis on information acquisition and understanding. So, does it have to become bone-dry? If the students are yawning, does that mean you're doing it right? No! It still needs to be really, really engaging if you don't want students to switch-off. We've come up with a few pointers about how to tackle the pretty sizeable task of teaching about climate change in secondary schools.
Teaching climate change in secondary schools
It's not a job which should fall to any one teacher. That's why schools need to agree on an inter-departmental approach. Sure, science and geography teachers play an important role in understanding the physical nature of climate change, but English, History and Citizenship classes all help students understand its wider implications, put it into context and provide them some of the tools needed to face its challenges.
“But Miss, Mister Williams told us all about this earlier,” is going to be a pretty common refrain if the topic isn't handled correctly. Reinforcing learning is definitely important, but rehashing the same elements again and again is the surest way for students to shut-down. Again, it goes to show the importance of co-ordination between departments.
We spoke to one English and Citizenship teacher, Sophie McDonald, with a keen interest in environmental matters, on her top practical tips for teaching students about, not just climate change, but other environmental challenges, like biodiversity loss and waste, currently facing society.
“A cross-curricular approach is key,” she said, “to reinforce the topic to students. That's the most important thing.”
Some of her other points on how to teach about the environment in schools include the following:
Ensure that scientific explanations are age-appropriate and not overcomplicated.
Use concrete examples of human actions which impact the climate.
Documentaries and podcasts are your friend. They are affecting.
Don't scare them, but don't sugar-coat it either.
Before and after images (especially of the poles) are extremely impactful.
Balance micro and macro solutions in your school. For example, the micro might include providing more recycling bins or setting-up a cycle to school club. The macro could include encouraging them to write to their MPs about the importance of green policies to them as young people.
Give them meaningful tasks with tangible results they can do such as wildflower planting or litter picking. It stops the environment being some abstract far-away concept.
That last point is one which is very close to our hearts here at ecoACTIVE with things like our Access to Nature project at Daubeney Fields and aforementioned Forest School programs which both contribute to their communities in ways far beyond environmental science. If teachers still feel a little bit in the dark, there are tons of resources out there for teaching students about the topic from age 5 upwards.
What can schools do to reduce climate change?
It starts with putting like-minded heads together. Among students and teachers, the will to do more to both learn about and tackle climate change is there. Beyond that, schools can do things like:
Installing recycling and composting bins.
Eliminating bottled water.
Changing how food for lunches is purchased to reduce waste.
Switching to a greener energy provider.
Setting up a cycle-bus
Going paper-free
Doing things like that underscores the fact for students that every individual as well as every institution has a part to play in tackling climate change.
How can ecoACTIVE help?
Whether it's playful primary school kids or serious secondary students, we know all about how to bring that one essential element — fun — into classrooms and schools. Our mission is to not just educate but to inspire students to get involved and take action on climate change and other issues facing our planet.
Why not get in touch with us and book a session for your school?
