A Curriculum Planning Tool For Teaching Climate Change

Sue Lyle outlines a curriculum planning tool for organising an approach to teaching and learning around environmental damage, the loss of bio=diversity and the forces in play in creating, and the obstacles to stopping, climate change

If Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship is to be embedded across the curriculum we need a plan. Since I began writing curriculum materials in 1985, I have researched and developed a curriculum planning tool that has proved helpful to teachers.

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      string(321) "... ecosystems is frightening and is a direct threat to biodiversity and human well-being. In this issue we pick up some of the links between climate change and biodiversity. What Can We Do About It?The good news is we have the technologies and capacity to change direction and prevent ..."
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      string(5672) "only 30% of birds are wild, the rest (70%) are farmed poultry. We know that animal farming is responsible for at least 18% of the world’s climate changing gases. What is less well known is the health risks associated with intensive animal farming, for example, salmonellosis, avian flu, swine flu, bovine spongiform encephalopathy and foot-and-mouth disease. These diseases are part and parcel of the ecological breakdown crisis. Factory farming of animals in particular is a cause for concern. Industrial methods of farming using antibiotics to promote growth and prevent disease in animals and fish means much antimicrobial waste is released into the environment through water courses. The NHS is concerned that agricultural antibiotic use is driving up levels of antibiotic resistance leading to new ‘superbugs’. Clear links have been established between antibiotic use in food production and resistance in humans. The extent to which we are causing the shrinking, deteriorating or vanishing of ecosystems is frightening and is a direct threat to biodiversity and human well-being. In this issue we pick up some of the links between climate change and biodiversity. What Can We Do About It?The good news is we have the technologies and capacity to change direction and prevent this catastrophe. In schools our job is to promote a holistic understanding of the visible connections between human, other animals and the biodiversity of the Earth so students can understand what is happening, why and what we can do about it. The Planning Tool is deigned to help us foster a sense of awe and wonder for the natural world and use the arts to express this through Aesthetic Understanding. Closely related to this is understanding of the world’s ecosystems and how they work through Ecological Understanding. Once children feel connected to nature and wildlife and have some understanding of ecosystems they can address the three core questions: ‘What is Happening?’ ‘Why is it happening?’ and ‘What can we do about it?’ .A theme running through this issue is our relationship with animals and the natural world. It is important that the Foundation Phase and Key Stage 1 have the chance to gain direct experience of looking after animals and in that process develop an understanding of their life cycles. Whether it is a guinea-pig, a stick insect or chickens in the garden, proximity to animals and concern for their well-being is a vital experience for young children. The ActivitiesIn the first activity, OK/Not OK, young children are asked to consider how humans use animals for work. Considering the lives of some of the sentient beings that share this planet with us and our relationship with them is an important moral issue that helps children to think about what we owe ethically to other animals. Children in Lower KS2 are invited to visit a woodland, to experience this ecosystem through their senses to help them feel a part of not apart from the natural world. A woodland or even some trees in a park or the school grounds can help children understand the inter relatedness and interdependence of all living things on the planet. In a follow-up activity they gain Ecological Understanding of a broadleaved forest as they learn about the relationship between the sun, the soil, green plants, bacteria, fungi, insects, invertebrates, birds and mammals and see how all are connected in the woodland ecosystem. Teachers of Upper KS2 are introduced to the topic of Plastics in the Ocean and its impact on ecosystems and animals. Key information about what is happening and why is it happening is included with activities to promote Aesthetic Understanding and to explore What we can do about it. We also refer you to a previous edition of CTL, Vol.2.2, P. 56-71 where you will find a range of activities to support children’s Ecological Understanding of Ocean Environments. We are also preparing guidelines for carrying out a field study of a beach which will be on the website. In the Council of All Beings we give children and young people the opportunity to foster compassion for all living beings on the planet and develop awareness of the difficulties and dangers they face. Beginning with a story –‘The Lorax’, the activity is excellent for growing Ecological Understanding as it brings a sense of solidarity with all life and awareness of the damage caused by our own human species and through making masks, they develop Aesthetic Understanding. Continuing our theme related to ecological breakdown KS3 are given a mystery to solve regarding our production and consumption of intensively reared animals and ask: Should we change our animal rearing and/or meat-eating habits? The second part of Dragon’s Den considers how we use the land and suggests three more solutions to climate change and ecological breakdown. Finally, KS4 consider who should take responsibility for carbon emissions – the consumer or producer? Teachers should bring holistic thinking to this activity and remind students of the processes of resource extraction necessary for the production of our everyday goods. Digging minerals, metals and hydrocarbons from the ground disrupts the landscape. Extraction brings roads, power transmission and facilities for workers and waste disposal from the mining and other human activities. Such operations often use hazardous chemicals that enter our ecosystems and contaminate water, land and air, impacting on animals in the food chain and whole ecosystems. It is a ‘take,"
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Climate Curriculum

Teaching The Climate Emergency and Ecological Breakdown

12 Nov 2020

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      string(5660) "CreativeApproaches44Volume6.1nCreativeTeaching&LearningHave you solvedthe mystery ofliteracy across thecurriculum?Literacy across thecurriculum has been thesubject of increasingdiscussion since thegovernment white paperin 20111,with all teachers,no matter their specialistsubject area, now havingthe responsibility to embedliteracy in their schemes ofwork. Planning activities toconvey subject content yetpromote literacy is thereforean important skill all teachersneed to develop.One powerful tool forpromoting literacy acrossdifferent subject areas isMysteries – a collaborativelearning activity devisedby the Thinking ThroughGeography group in the 1990s.Mysteries recently enjoyedIt’s the role of all teachers to developliteracy, no matter their subject area. Couldlongstanding collaborative learning tool,Mysteries, be the solution? Sue Lyle exploresthe potential for developing listening, speaking,reading and writing with a Mystery for KS3science and geography.45Volume6.1nCreativeTeaching&LearningCreativeApproachesa digital upgrade, but the paper version isstill a valuable activity for any classroom,presenting opportunities for pupils to extendand consolidate their literacy skills whilestudying the content of subjects other thanEnglish.Mysteries can provide real cognitivechallenge to small collaborative groups, buttheir effectiveness relies on thorough planningand careful preparation of information for thestudents to sort.2 The Mystery featured in thisarticle has been carefully prepared to supportteachers in exploring the impact of intensiveanimal farming on climate change, and can belifted straight from the page to the Key Stage3 geography or science classroom.But first, what makes a Mystery, and howwill using it with your pupils help to strengthentheir higher-order literacy and learning skills?How do Mysteries improveliteracy?In Mysteries, pupils are given an open question,then a series of paper slips presentingstatements related to the overarching topic.These statements may be irrelevant, misleadingor contradictory, or they may provide valuableinformation – it’s up to the pupils to rank andreconcile the statements in order to come toa final, personal judgement.Skills of listening, speaking, reading andwriting are naturally built into Mysteries.For example, as the students work withthe statements, they have to listen to eachother and take account of others’ opinions.They must also talk together to suggestdifferent ways of organising and presentingthe information to support their response tothe Mystery’s question.Statement sorting of this kind is also a verygood way to promote reading. The languagewe associate with scientific or academicwriting often uses the third person and passivevoice – a style students often find difficult toaccess. Presenting the information in ‘bite-size’chunks on individual slips of paper helps tomake the text more accessible. Pupils shouldbe encouraged to support each other with thereading in order to make sense of it.The activity also requires pupils to makeinferences, and compare and contraststatements in order to classify them – vitalreading skills to develop, especially ahead ofGCSEs. Furthermore, as students read and re-read the statements to classify, find evidenceand identify connections and comparisons,they will come to see the different waysreading allows them to interpret information.This will help them to see how literacy can getthings done.During the sorting process, pupils shouldbe encouraged to make notes to help themorganise and develop their thinking. They willalso need to learn how to structure a logicalargument. At the end of the session, whenthey are called upon to effectively explain howthey came to their conclusion and support thiswith relevant evidence, how well the studentsdo will depend directly on how well they havegrouped and organised the paper slips.Developing higher-order thinkingskillsIn the process of listening, speaking, readingand writing, the students are also engaged ina wide range of higher order thinking skills.These include:n classificationn analysis of problems, events and argumentsn testing of hypothesesn speculationn inductive and deductive reasoningn the establishment of cause and effect.Mysteries always have a strong narrativethread linking the cognitive with the affectiveto engage students and enable them to exploreattitudes and values. As students considerissues from the different perspectives ofinterested parties represented through thestatements, they realise that evidence can beCreativeApproaches46Volume6.1nCreativeTeaching&Learningsubjected to different interpretations.Overall, Mysteries provide opportunities forexploring key issues in a way that promotespupil thinking, brings the content of real-world issues alive, and improves literacy.Furthermore, they can help pupils becomemore curious and reflective about importantissues facing society and also promotecollaborative learning.A Mystery for KS3 geography orscienceThe Mystery provided here examines modernfarming practices in animal rearing and itsimpact on the climate. Global warming is animportant environmental issue, which pupilshave most likely heard discussed in the media.It’s also a very controversial issue, whichwill no doubt increase their motivation andengagement.The activity links to the science curriculumfor 11 to 14-year-olds, which states that pupilsshould learn about the ‘production of carbondioxide by human activity and the impact onclimate’. It can also be used as part of thegeography curriculum related to economicactivity"
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Creative Teaching & Learning

Have you solved the mystery of literacy across the curriculum?

3 Dec 2015

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compilation of websites to support you and your pupils in an exploration
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      string(366) "... see page 72), these websites will support you in your journey. If not,you will nevertheless find a great many tools and resources to bolsteryour teaching of such topics as energy, waste, water, sustainability,climate change, urban development and more.e-learning80Volume6.2nCreativeTeaching&LearningIt’s hard to know where to ..."
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      string(5708) "Volume6.2nCreativeTeaching&Learning79e-learningThe future is justa click awayAs populations grow and the effects of climate change worsen, it’s vital citiestake action and evolve into cleaner, greener environments. We provide acompilation of websites to support you and your pupils in an explorationof the future of urban life in relation to renewable energy, sustainability andcitizenship.Fifty per cent of the world’s population crams itself into cities,and that number looks set to increase, with a predictedthree out of four of us living in urban areas by 2050. Citiescan be wonderful places, but metropolitan planning doesthrow up a number of important problems that challenge eventhe most accomplished thinkers. Many of these are environmentalissues, but the key concern is, of course, energy and the potentiallydevastating impact of our production of it. Air pollution is alreadyhazardous in many cities, sea levels are rising dangerously, as aretemperatures, and there’s no longer any denying that our ongoing,unrestricted burning of fossil fuels is the cause. The search is on,then, for a sustainable energy source that is relatively economical,won’t harm the environment and will successfully meet the risingdemands of the world’s expanding cities.Investigating possible solutions to this with children and youngpeople – as well as exploring wider issues related to our future –gives them a useful opportunity to develop important learninghabits, namely creative thinking, logical reasoning and problem-solving. The curriculum links are endless, and hopefully, seeingthe real-world applications of what they’re learning in science,engineering, geography and more will spark enthusiasm for thesubjects and encourage pupils to pursue careers in these areas.But having children dream up creative solutions to suchchallenges isn’t just a theoretical exercise. They are, after all, thenext generation of scientists, engineers and politicians. Who knowswhere their ideas may go?With this in mind, we have put together a compilation of usefulwebsites to explore the future of our world – and how pupils canchange it. If you are taking part in the Shell Bright Ideas Challenge(see page 72), these websites will support you in your journey. If not,you will nevertheless find a great many tools and resources to bolsteryour teaching of such topics as energy, waste, water, sustainability,climate change, urban development and more.e-learning80Volume6.2nCreativeTeaching&LearningIt’s hard to know where to begin with the Pod by EDFEnergy – it’s a huge site, with seemingly endless resourcesand exciting things to get involved with! New users, however,should begin by registering. The Pod will need to verify thatyou are eligible to join, which can take a day or two, but onceyou are registered, you will be able to access the site’s manyresources. These fall into a range of curriculum areas – mainlyscience, geography and maths – and cover a number of topics,including energy, water, waste and transport. There are lessonplans, videos, assembly presentations, posters, games andmuch more. It’s a bit overwhelming at first, but the searchfunction is very effective, and it’s well worth a browse.A unique aspect of this site is its community spirit, which canhelp you and your pupils feel part of something bigger. Makea pledge as a class to reduce waste, save energy or protectdiversity, or use the map to find potential Pod partners in theUK and abroad. Registered teachers can also blog about theirclassroom activities, as can their pupils – a great feature, as weknow blogging improves children’s literacy, and the possibilityof a global audience can help elevate their work to greaterlevels. The teacher blogs vary in quality, but these, along with aselection of school case studies, are a great place to get ideasand inspiration for your own sustainability projects.You may also like to get involved in some of the Pod’scampaigns – perhaps their annual Energy Month inNovember, or the upcoming Waste Week in March. A numberof campaigns run all year too. Of particular interest to me was‘What’s under your feet?’, a real-life science experiment thatgets pupils examining soil samples, counting invertebratesand surveying birds to help the British Trust for Ornithologyinvestigate the impact of climate change on British birds. Theexperiment has already begun, but schools can still take part.A visual and attractive site, Earth Day Network’s Green CitiesCampaign explores the need for cities to become moreactively environmentally friendly as populations grow andclimate change worsens. The aim of the campaign is for allcities to go 100 per cent renewable by 2050, and the siteexplores what the everyday person (or child) can do to achievethat. 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Creative Teaching & Learning

The future is just a click away

11 Feb 2016

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      string(5771) "37June/July 2008    Managing Schools Today   National CurriculumOn 15 February the Times Educational Supplementled with the news that the Government maysoon require schools to assess and measure theirpupils’ creativity and thinking skills, and that this areamay become subject to inspection. What lies behind thisforecast is the new National Curriculum. In this article wewill examine in depth at some implications of the newcurriculum, for pupils and for staff. We will look at a practicalcompetency framework which staff may use to prepareschools for a transformed climate for thinking and creativitydevelopment (a full version of the framework can be foundon the MST website at www.teachingtimes.co.uk/images/IM/competencies_national_curriculum.doc).The new National Curriculum is much more than a changeof what we teach: it’s a wholesale reform in why, how, when,where, to whom, from whom and in what context. But mostof us are only starting to see the fuller implications of the newcurriculum: a foundation for school provision for many yearsahead covering both teaching and pastoral activity. We needto make long-term plans now, covering the whole schoolexperience from a student’s perspective.Competenciesand the newNational CurriculumAs schools gear up for thenew National Curriculum,Jason Cauchi explores thepotential of competencyframeworks for preparationand developmentopportunities38National CurriculumManaging Schools Today    June/July 2008To teach this curriculum, we need to do some thingsdifferently and to teach and interact with students insome new ways. Most of us don’t know how, exactly – sowe need to find out. Very few of us, if any, are completelyready to meet every requirement today. The concerns thatthis raises could become barriers to the implementation ofthe new curriculum. Or, if identified and handled positively,they could become development opportunities that wecan meet, enriching our lives as teachers and the lives ofour students. Introducing something as significant as thenew curriculum is best handled as a change managementprogramme, using the varied tools and skills that areavailable for organisational and cultural change.A useful tool for handling this process is to involve staffand students in creating and using a set of competencies, inaddition to national standards for teachers that we all need.Schools can use a competency framework for manypurposes. Stephen Chamberlain, headteacher of Burnt MillSchool in Harlow, is enthusiastic about the opportunitiesoffered by the new National Curriculum. “We already usecompetencies through having an exciting competency-based curriculum for our younger students,” he says. “Thishas had a real impact on their learning and their confidenceto face new challenges. Developing staff competenciesis a standard tool for organisation development. Weaim to involve staff fully in innovative new curriculumdevelopment to transform learning. We plan to exploredifferent ways of using a staff competency framework andreadiness assessment as part of that involvement.”Competencies could aid the transition and use of thenew curriculum. These could be used developmentally ina variety of ways, accepting that meeting every standardat a high level is not always possible, even for highlyskilled teachers and pastoral staff. Figure 1 gives someexamples.A competency framework for these purposes needs tobe based on the new curriculum’s demands on staff andwhat staff need to know and do to meet them. These aresummarised in the questions shown in figure 2. A projectteam asking and answering these questions will need toinvolve the staff to a considerable extent and to invite atleast some contributions from students.Figure 1 – Some uses of a staff competency framework for the new National CurriculumEarly on To gauge how ready an individual or team is to plan and introduce the new curriculumTo plan the pace and sequencing of implementationTo plan individual and team CPD, help to undertake training needs analysisTo plan sourcing of outside help, eg between departments, from outside schoolTo identify barriers and plan together to overcome themDuringimplementationTo ensure that practice of all competencies occurs and teams have as manycompetencies  as possible present in themTo identify development needs as implementation experience is gainedOnce the curriculumis establishedTo use as a basis for further competency planning, to raise standards further andmeet new needsTo improve recruitment, selection and induction of new staffTo plan ongoing individual and team CPD, team building, etc.39June/July 2008    Managing Schools Today   National CurriculumFigure 2: Questions for a project team to develop a staff competency frameworkQuestion CommentWhat do we need to do as a school/department/pastoral team? Who needs todo what?A good starting point could be use of figure 4 at the website (“What’snew? What do we need to know and do differently? Some examplequestions in response to the new National Curriculum”)Discussion of a school draft response to the new requirements, alongwith the key documents on which the school’s response would bebased, e.g. on ECM. Figure 4 tries to give some key answers as a startingpoint for discussion to the questions of what, why, how, when, where,to whom, from whom and in what context. For senior team discussionand whenever possible, use a highly interactive discussion space andinteractive software if possible, to stimulate creativity. Ensure that stafffeel free to contribute. They need to ask some fundamental questionsabout how we work"
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Leadership

Competencies and the new National Curriculum

14 Jul 2008