EDUCATOR RESOURCES

WHY IS CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION IMPORTANT?

At a time when feelings of hopelessness and grief related to the climate crisis are being experienced by young people across the world, the TDSB has an obligation to offer support and resources that will equip students with 21st century global competencies in both traditional and non-traditional instructional settings.


Through both EcoSchools and Toronto Outdoor Education Schools, the TDSB has been supporting climate change education and engagement for over twenty years . Effective and intentional climate change education in TDSB schools will help to foster an appreciation for the natural world and empower students to take action.


Climate change education is also central to furthering the TDSB’s commitment to truth and reconciliation. As stated in the Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (Vol, 6, 13):


Reconciliation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Canadians, from an Aboriginal perspective, also requires reconciliation with the natural world. If human beings resolve problems between themselves but continue to destroy the natural world, then reconciliation remains incomplete.


The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Vol, 6, 15 – 17) has identified 10 guiding principles of truth and reconciliation that will assist Canadians moving forward including:


  • #1. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is the framework for reconciliation at all levels and across all sectors of Canadian society.

  • #6. All Canadians, as Treaty peoples, share responsibility for establishing and maintaining mutually respectful relationships.

  • #7. The perspectives and understandings of Aboriginal Elders and Traditional Knowledge Keepers of the ethics, concepts, and practices of reconciliation are vital to long-term reconciliation.

  • #8. Supporting Aboriginal peoples’ cultural revitalization and integrating Indigenous knowledge systems, oral histories, laws, protocols, and connections to the land into the reconciliation process are essential.

Article 14 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) as well as the Truth & Reconciliation Calls to Action #43, 45 and 47 reflect the critical need to centre the TDSB’S Urban Indigenous Education Centre’s (UIEC) Elders Council in guiding the process with regards to Indigenous Knowledge Systems.

WHY SHOULD EDUCATORS ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE?

Actively supporting students in bringing climate education and action into learning spaces is an important step to commit to our own climate activism and provide time and space for students to explore critical issues about the world.


The climate crisis has been acknowledged by the City of Toronto and by the TDSB. Climate change is real, it’s effects are already being experienced in Toronto, and humans are the cause. Today’s youth are going to have to cope with this very uncertain climate future that previous generations have created, and schools need to help them prepare for it in a way that is empowering, not frightening. This may sound like a daunting task but there are existing opportunities to make this a lot easier to accomplish.


Climate activism is aligned with the TDSB Global Competencies, Citizen Education Framework (below) and easily fits into several curriculum areas. Students can examine the scientific aspects of climate change through the science curriculum or they can engage in activism and citizenship through the social studies curriculum. Math can be taught using climate statistics while literacy skills can be developed as students learn about climate change through reading, writing, and oral communication. On top of all this, climate change education and action encourages peer collaboration, teamwork, and critical thinking.


Across the curricula, climate change action projects can be created to connect with curriculum expectations in intentional ways. Partnering with community groups and activists can be a great stepping stone that not only ensures students are receiving an authentic experience, but also models what activism can look like. Additionally, hands-on activities about issues that are connected to students’ lives and communities are a great place to start because it gives them an opportunity to relate to the issues at hand.

BIG IDEAS FOR TEACHING CLIMATE CHANGE

Big ideas “go beyond discrete facts or skills to focus on larger concepts, principles, or processes.” (Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, Understanding by Design (1998), p. 10) Big Ideas of Sustainability are the important understandings that link the knowledge and skills from many areas of the curriculum and help students make sense of the world beyond the classroom. When Big Ideas are used in conjunction with enduring understandings and essential questions, educators can frame the learning, engage the learner, link to more inquiry, and guide the exploration and uncovering of important ideas.

Teaching about climate change is complex and challenging, however it is one of the most pressing issues we face today. We need to equip our students with the knowledge and skills they need to meet this challenge and build a healthy future for their communities and the planet. Using Big Ideas of Sustainability helps scaffold important concepts such as place, systems, interdependence and change over time all the while teaching age-appropriate curriculum and linking inquiry to students' lived experiences.

EXTRACURRICULAR CONNECTIONS

Many schools have EcoTeams that operate in the extracurricular space. These clubs can be powerful catalysts for climate action in a school and community. Clubs also offer students a safe space to take risks on projects that are not being assessed or evaluated. Many of these clubs and their activities are led by youth but teachers also play a crucial role in helping them to be successful.

For example, teachers can help:

  • Create and facilitate school clubs

  • Clubs connect with and partner with people and community organizations involved in climate change research and action

  • Facilitate field trips to places for students to observe and learn more about climate change issues and action, and participate in actions

  • Students with logistical matters, e.g. making or organizing phone calls, interviews, emails, writing calls to action, grants, contributing to the school newsletter, website

  • Ensure that school administration is informed of student climate action projects

  • Students connect with other teachers and classrooms to engage them in planned actions

  • Provide guidance for student-led communication campaigns in the school and/or wider community, helping them with messaging, strategies, media etc.

  • Facilitate spaces in the school for students to take action (i.e. waste diversion, air quality, different eco-events)

RESOURCES FOR EDUCATORS

There are numerous resources available to help educators integrate climate learning and action into their curriculum and help students take climate action.


Toronto District School Board


Ontario Ministry of Education


Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF)



The Sustainability and Education Policy Network (SEPN)

  • SEPN is engaged in research and providing information about climate change education globally and in Canada. The

report Responding to Climate Change: A Primer for K-12 Education may be of interest to educators.


Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) - University of Toronto Educational Activism website


Others:

Doris Marshall Institute: What is Popular Education? | Teaching Democracy

Yes Magazine: 100 Things You Can Do to Help in the Climate Crisis