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Many TDSB educators take the climate crisis seriously and are already finding ways to integrate climate learning into the programs that they teach. Here are just a few examples:
Vanessa Mo, Science & Math
I’m a grade 9-12 sciences/maths teacher who is currently teaching biology, environmental science, and maths. I’ve been with the TDSB for 18 years and have developed a philosophy that centres sustainability, the value of contributions from historically marginalized and under-represented groups to sciences, and focuses on allowing students to explore topics in conservation and their role in protecting our environment.
I believe that students need to see themselves in the material they use to learn, and also be allowed to choose learning that inspires them to change how they think and act. Watching documentaries, writing letters, researching initiatives that push the evolution of practices have all formed an important part of how I share my passion for zero-waste sustainability and affordability with my classes.
Paul Hackl, Geography
Every major climate related issue is made up of many small decisions and events. It is critical for any climate action teacher to let students know that all the little things we all do can make a positive difference. It is the power of many that creates change.
Having taught high school geography for over 25 years I hear back from students who are making those changes because of what they have learned in my classes. They are out there working as tree planters, low energy house builders, environmental engineers, community climate action team members and implementing sustainable business practices. Our students want to safeguard the future, they are willing and able to make it happen. Teachers need to support them and show them the way. I promote this to my students in every class by getting them to consider their energy use habits, their purchasing choices, their transportation choices, by teaching them to be the change they want to see in the world. By showing them how to make changes around their homes and in their community, they become agents of positive change.
Stefanie Hall, Science, Geography and Outdoor Education
Before landing in the Outdoor Education Department of the TDSB, I had been teaching Geography and Science. Since I began my career, climate change and environmental justice has been integral to my programs. The Canadian and World Studies curriculum is ripe with opportunities to examine and analyze social movements, and support students to better understand the deeper power structures that are at play.
Biodiversity and ecological resilience have been powerful entry points for learning. I have always believed that fostering a love of self and a love of the web of interconnection that supports life is a powerful way to encourage youth to not only see themselves reflected in the issues that are discussed, but understand that human life is not all that is at stake.
My teaching practice has always been experiential, and building inquiries and making memories in the outdoors is so impactful on the deeper understanding of the environment. I am continually learning how to integrate multiple worldviews of nature and environmental sustainability into my practice, and looking to diverse voices is part of my process. The pace, scale and inequity that is so glaring within the current anthropogenic climate crisis can help students find their voice, and thus point out opportunities for systemic change. It is up to the individual student to decide what journey works best for them.
Colin O’Connor, Technological Education
I am a former photojournalist and have been a technological education teacher in the TDSB for the past 6 years.
I remember the absolute freedom I felt as a child riding my bicycle with friends, pushing ourselves to go further and further afield. The bicycle was our passport to adventure. Many years later, I still feel like that kid every time I jump on my bike during my commutes to
and from school.
At work, I use the bicycle as the ideal teaching tool. I first developed a bicycle repair unit for grade 9 Exploring Technology students at Don Mills C.I., focusing on everything from fixing flat tires to overhauling bottom brackets, hubs, and headsets. Immediately, I could see the spark ignited in students through the satisfaction of using their hands and minds to maintain a machine relevant to their daily lives.
At Northern S.S., I worked with the Environmental Sustainability Committee to create a Bike Hub where students and staff could gather to fix and maintain their bicycles. We purchased five sets of professional bike tools thanks to funding from our School Council and a Community Connection Experiential Learning Grant. The bicycle quickly became a conduit for building community.
At George Harvey C.I., I developed a grade 11 technological design course called Bike Tech. Along with maintenance and road safety, the bicycle became a conduit for other fields of study and critical inquiry. We learned about the evolution of bicycle design, the history of the bicycle in the emancipation movement, the inspiring story of Major Taylor (track cycling’s first Black 1899 world champion), the physics of wheel tension and torque, the politics of bike lanes and urban planning, and how the bicycle is an important part of the puzzle in our fight against climate change.
The bicycle is one of the inventions for which we should be very proud. It’s good for our health, good for our communities, and good for the planet. Bike Tech deserves a place in our high schools.
Esther Collier, Science & Technology
I have been a Science and Technology teacher in the TDSB for over 30 years. With my ear to the science field, the urgency of the climate crisis is a piercing shriek and is a reality that has to be communicated to the students, not only as part of the curriculum but also so they are prepared for the future they will face. Learning about this climate future can be stressful for young teens.
I realized I could reduce this stress by enabling them to act for change and engage their communities in change, and so I started giving students a passion project, where they could design an action to apply knowledge they learned in science or social studies/history/geography. The projects were varied and messy and some didn’t work, but the students were very engaged and excited and felt powerful.
Eventually, we began planning and hosting a community networking event on climate action. This provided them with an audience to share their passions and gave them skills in communication, creativity, collaboration, leadership, global citizenship, critical thinking and problem solving. These are all global competencies in the TDSB’s Vision for Learning to “enable all students to reach high levels of achievement and to acquire the knowledge, skills, and values they need to become responsible members of a democratic society”.
It is possible to teach reality and empower rather than stress the students you teach. And engaged students pose far fewer management problems! For more detail on Esther’s climate action work with her students click here. Check out Esther’s suggested list of basic info teachers might find useful.
Virginia Dawe, Science Teacher
I teach grade 9 and 10 science and the grade 11 environmental science course at Malvern Collegiate. We are lucky to have a small ravine walking distance from our school. In the spring and fall I always take our classes there to find invasive species, tree identification, soil analysis, complete small scale stream studies and to teach them about stewardship of the environment. I believe it is important that students think about how their community will change as a result of a changing climate. What trees are here now, what trees will be affected by climate change and how will this space look in 25, 50,100 years?
I am always very careful to stay away from the doom and gloom of climate change, preferring to empower the students to make changes in their daily lives and to think about their personal impact on the environment when making choices such as needs vs wants or examining the benefits of organic and fair trade items. The high impact activities that really stay with the students are the times when we have participated in the Great Canadian Shoreline Clean-up and my favorite activity, growing food! Students can plant lettuce, radishes, strawberries and a variety of herbs and enjoy the harvest before school is out!
One year our class teamed up with an elementary class and together we created an herb garden at their school. Taking the concept of buying local one step further – grow your own. Did I mention the vermi-composter we have in our classroom? Perfect receptacle for those half eaten apples after lunch!
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