Environmental/Climate Change Education
Environmental/ Climate Change Education
In this time of uncertainly regarding our climate and increasing negative environmental issues (in my learned experience) children want to know what they can do to help? They are confused about why more is not being done by adults- especially those in power. Increasing mental health and well-being issues are visible, compounded by COVID 19 and climate anxiety. This is the most important issue/challenge that we face and I feel passionately that we must engage and empower our children with knowledge as they develop into the adults of tomorrow who will inherit responsibility for our planet.
Strategies to begin to address/de-mystify the issues in school.
At our junior school in East Yorkshire, we are working hard to provide opportunities to support our pupils in actively recycling, leading a more sustainable/cyclical lifestyle and learning about relevant issues in their own locality. We use ‘Picture News’, an excellent assembly resource, to highlight current issues- including climate change. This was how they were introduced to Greta Thunberg. Activities encourage discussion about their opinions, including associated vocabulary and extension tasks in class. In addition, we use assemblies to talk about specific days such as ‘World Ocean Day’ so to raise awareness further amongst pupils.
The BBC Teach live lessons are such a great resource for schools-well researched and written in collaboration with science education experts. The Regenerators, as well as other BBC Teach lessons, have been enjoyed right across the age range at our school. These lessons include work for the children to undertake which is well thought out, links to the National Curriculum and is very engaging.
Activities undertaken at our school over recent years have included: writing to the Prime Minister; President Donald Trump; our local supermarket and the BBC about reducing, reusing and recycling. One of my previous Y6 classes were absolutely staggered to learn that cleaning/baby wipes contained plastic after having watched the BBC programme ‘War on Plastic with Hugh and Anita’. They subsequently worked to spread this information across school and beyond, sharing their knowledge and concerns through Twitter during the ‘Great Science Share for Schools’ (2019). Indeed, in my NQT year (2013) the pupils in my class (at my previous teaching position) were really engaged about deforestation. They all wrote to the then Environment Minister of Brazil, voicing concerns and pleading for change- I posted their letters to her. In 2014/16 my ‘Digital Champions’ Club, encouraged pupils- in a low social-economic, culturally diverse, urban area- to engage with IT and they shared learning with the wider education community in Hull as part of global awareness education. They created a short film in with support from National Lottery funding attained. Engaging with rural farming was also a joy to witness as these children from inner-city Hull were completely engrossed in learning about country life and the logistics of running a farm/country estate through a link developed with Dalton Estate in Hotham, East Yorkshire.
In Bridlington, living by the coast means beach cleaning is a relevant activity which our pupils have taken part in with family members on weekends- in conjunction with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. ‘Eco Club’ litter pick around school; they have also investigated how we can cut down our carbon footprint (including checking classrooms are not being wasteful with energy, laminating usage, use of colour printing etc). Gardening and Nature Club develop a love of nature- vital for future adults and potential leaders of the planet. At Maker Education Club our pupils are learning more about making- using their creativity, repurposing of materials and developing key transferable skills (inspired by Dr Alison Buxton/Maker Futures and the University of Sheffield). They really enjoy environmental learning.
Creating links with environmentally friendly and aware organisations is so helpful and a great way to raise awareness amongst pupils. Hull and East Yorkshire (HEY) Childrens University (a charitable organisation) has supported trips including ‘Be a Marine Biologist for the Day’ which gave groups of children an opportunity to visit the coast and have access to tutors. They have also provided the opportunity for pupils to visit Ron Dearing University Technical College to challenge stereotypical views regarding women in STEM- a key issue in addressing the STEM skills gap and ensuring the future workforce of STEM related professionals.
In his community engagement leadership role, Ross O’Brien, IMechE Young Engineer of the Year 2018, visited us to encourage pupils to plan and design something which would help to make our town ‘cleaner and greener’. They worked well together and designed such prototypes as self-cleaning tyres that would clean the streets as they travelled along them, amongst many other great ideas. As discussed by Professor Louise Archer (YESTEM), equity and social justice are so important and sewing these seeds of understanding in our young pupils is vital. Please see the link below for further details of her ‘Equity Compass’. Having a purpose when learning is such a strong driver in helping pupils to understand why they are undertaking that particular learning.
We have been working with Farmer Time over the last two years. This is an excellent incentive which has enabled our pupils access to ‘Farmer Colin’ in Argyle in Scotland. This ingenious style of learning, initiated before the pandemic began, can easily be differentiated and tailored to any particular subject or learning need. It also means our pupils can say they know a real farmer! They absolutely love it.
Another excellent example was when one of our students found a fossilized mammoth tooth on the beach in our town. It was verified as a ‘one and a half million years old’. We tweeted about it, shared with the whole school and ‘Skype(d) a Scientist’- Dr Bence Viola at the University of Toronto. It was a fascinating event and a great opportunity to talk about our planets history and why we need to look after it. It also enhanced the confidence of that particular student immensely.
We have been working with SEERIH at the University of Manchester by introducing Engineering to our pupils, from Y3 through to Y6, over the last few years. This is supporting development of their key transferable skills, communication, adaptability, creativity and further ‘Engineering Habits of Mind’- this is key if we are to fully arm our children to be able to participate actively and fully in tackling the climate emergency. They need skills to adapt, engage, create and problem solve.
Nature Friendly Schools is a brilliant government incentive which our school has been taking part in for the last two years; developing a love of nature amongst our students. This started by developing our pond area and has grown into a whole programme of study and support for vulnerable pupils and across school. My colleague Matt Clark has driven this forward with the support of a team of dedicated staff at school. The children love it- so important in these days of climate anxiety and lost learning due to COVID. Tree, hedge and bulb planting, as well as creating a school meadow to add to the already existing recycled plastic bottle greenhouse, have been just some of the activities undertaken by our pupils. A digital weather station will also ensure our pupils can monitor the climate during their studies at school as well as all-weather outdoor gear. 30 Days Wild is another project at our school- details to be found to some of these activities appearing via a further link at the end of this blog to our school blog. Indeed, I was proud and honoured to be one of the key-note speakers in the ‘Brenda Keogh Lecture’ at the ASE Conference in 2021- the subject being ‘Outdoor Learning’ where I discussed our school’s journey in this regard.
Through an opportunity on Twitter- where you will find an amazing Primary Science Education community- we became involved with IMechE, Dream Networks, Yorkshire Water, STEM Learning and STEM Ambassadors- Philip Ashcroft and Allan Hunt. Our children took part in a brilliant opportunity to have their views shared at the COP 26 conference last year. Relevant, due to the location of Bridlington on the East Coast, they used their creativity to work and learn about flooding and possible ways it could be managed in the future. They used creativity to plan, design and create models which showed their ideas of how to reducing flooding. This was an awesome day which was shared via Twitter, and in the press as well as at the COP 26 Conference. We are so proud of our young people and their developing sense of citizenship and global responsibility, as well as actions they are taking at school and on an individual basis.
Further information about our journey can be found in articles written for the Association of Science Education (ASE) Primary Science Journal- A Coastal View of a Global Problem and in the ASE Journal of Emergent Science. (See links below)
The ASE is a wealth of information including Climate Education; login/membership required to view in many instances which is well worth the subscription cost.
In my recent Masters in Education Study (2018-20), the dissertation for which focused on STEM Careers Learning in Y6, and the STEM Skills Gap, I researched/worked over three months to inform children of possible future STEM careers and how they are going to be really beneficial for the future of the planet. They also learned about different routes in education and local availability/need for certain professions / workforce. Our school subsequently took part in the ‘Primary Careers Mark’ which further developed their understanding as well as challenging stereotypical misconceptions and supporting equity. Being in a low socio-economic area it is so important to ensure social and cultural capital- everyone deserves the same chances in life no matter where or what their background. I feel that so passionately.
The STEM skills gap means that encouraging more girls into science and introducing science in a more rounded representation, including various ethnicities and not exclusively white men, is going to be pivotal. A fascinating read in relation to this study can be found in a report by the OECD, ‘Dream Jobs 2020’- see link below.
Children Challenging Industry (CIEC) is an excellent opportunity to engage children in science/STEM work in industry. Our pupils are participating for the second time this year due to the fantastic way it helps them to understand the important role of STEM in all of our lives, as they get hands on with the science and communicating with professionals in the field. This is so important and I am now a proud member of the CCI Advisory Board.
We are currently undertaking PSQM Outreach at our school; I am so proud to have participated in webinars and been a session facilitator for the ASE, Explorify (previously Welcome Trust), STEM Learning and PSQM as well as working to raise awareness of and engage with, Farmer Time and The Great Science Share. PSQM is a wonderful organisation dedicated to developing Science in Primary Schools so to ensure all staff/pupils receive quality science knowledge in the best possible way- again, working to ensure the future Scientists are at the forefront of tackling climate change for generations to come.
To find out more, please join myself and a fantastic panel on the BBC live webinar on Tuesday evening-by following the link below.
BBC Teach live discussion
How do we Teach Children about Climate Change?
Tuesday 25th January 8pm
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/live-discussion-how-do-we-teach-children-about-climate-change/ztfgr2p
Thank you for reading and I hope to see you there.
Kate
Articles written by myself on the subjects discussed here.
https://www.ase.org.uk/system/files/Sutton.pdfA coastal view of a global problem Kate Sutton Primary Science Journal Issue 162 (Mar 2020)
https://www.ase.org.uk/resources/primary-science/issue-162- Login/membership required
Recommended Resources
ASE- https://www.ase.org.uk/news/ase-welcomes-government-pledge-further-embed-climate-science-curriculum
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/live-lessons/climate-change-for-children/z77wvk7
Regenerators (BBC Teach live lessons)
Bulbs4Kids- https://uk.bulbs4kids.com
Children Challenging Industry https://www.york.ac.uk/ciec/cci/
Explorify
https://explorify.uk/en/activities/odd-one-out/warming-effects
Farmer Time- https://leaf.eco/farmertime/home
Fun Moments or Consequential Experiences Professor Louise Archer RAEng 2021 https://www.raeng.org.uk/education/webinar-series/previous-webinars/fun-moments-or-consequential-experiences
Great Science Sshare for Schools- https://www.greatscienceshare.org/
HEY Childrens University https://hullchildrensuniversity.com
Maker Education/ Maker Futures. https://makerfutures.org Dream Jobs. Career Aspiration and the Future of Work (OECD, 2020) https://www.oecd.org/education/dream-jobs-teenagers-career-aspirations-and-the-future-of-work.htm
PSTT PSEC resources
https://pstt.org.uk/resources/curriculum-materials/climate-science
Practical Action resources -STEM Learning/Oxfam
https://www.oxfam.org.uk/education/classroom-resources/climate-challenge/
https://www.stem.org.uk/climate-change-educational-partnership
Picture News- https://www.picture-news.co.uk
Primary Science Teaching Trust (PSTT)- https://pstt.org.uk/resources/curriculum-materials
Ron Dearing University Technical College, Hull https://www.rondearingutc.com
Science and Engineering Education Research and Innovation Hub (SEERIH) https://seerih-innovations.org
Skype a Scientist https://www.skypeascientist.com
Twinkl https://www.twinkl.co.uk
War on Plastic with Hugh and Anita
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0005xh7
WWT- Introduction to Climate Change 7-11 years
https://www.wwf.org.uk/get-involved/schools/resources/primary-school-resources
World Ocean Day- https://worldoceanday.org/
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