GCS ARTICLES

Posted on February 20th 2023

Books for climate change by sixth class

Peer learning and climate education

“The world is reaching the tipping point beyond which climate change may become irreversible. If this happens, we risk denying present and future generations the right to a healthy and sustainable planet – the whole of humanity stands to lose”.

Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of UN

In a world that is characterised by the speed at which the climate crisis is ripping through the world, it becomes ever clearer that traditional, didactic means of teaching may not be appropriate to the needs of our young learners. In studying the effects of climate change on the world and more importantly how to mitigate these changes, it is necessary to explore different approaches for responding to the challenges of climate change. Active and engaging teaching methods may be the way to

“ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development” (UN General Assembly, 2015: 17) This suggests a call for transformational educational change.

With its emphasis on emerging knowledge, experience which is contextualised locally and nationally, peer learning can be viewed as a valuable methodology for sustainability education. It also has the potential for learners to make the leap from learning to acting.

The teacher is not omniscient and as the tipping points are reached sooner than anticipated across the world, the need for teachers to relinquish control over pedagogical practices and allow our learners to engage in teaching their peers has more than a degree of validity to it. Drawing as it does on elements of Freirean pedagogy, it can be transformative learning and can impact strongly on both learner and educator in clear and demonstrative ways.

Our 2nd National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development emphasises the need to empower young people to be agents of change and to provide opportunities for peer to peer learning. This is a form of learning in which we have been engaged for several years in our school.

We have used elements of peer learning through our Buddy reading system and through Green- Schools and student council initiatives in promoting social and environmental education.

But it was as part of an Erasmus plus project on Climate Change for Climate Action (CC4CA), that we consolidated and reinforced this way of learning.

Sixth class led the way with initial surveys asking, “What do second class know about climate change?” They asked second class to draw pictures or write one or two words to capture initial impressions and to use as a pre-assessment tool. They concluded from this initial survey that second class did not know very much about this topic. They also noted that they seemed to be confused about weather and climate.

After much discussion in the form of walking debates and ranking exercises, they summarised the knowledge which second class need to know as the following statements:

· The earth is overheating rapidly.

· Carbon dioxide and methane are damaging the atmosphere.

· Climate change is affecting everyone, everywhere.

· We need to act fast.

Once these ideas were crystallised, we then had to decide how this peer learning would “look”.

We talked about how we would best impart this knowledge. These were some of the suggestions:

· Mini lessons (5 minutes to explain each of the statements).

· Story books to explain the statements.

· Watching videos on the topics.

· Comic strips to explain the concepts.

We decided to make story books as these were considered the best way to approach the topic and would also be sustainable.

After timetabling and discussion with teachers, we decided to pilot these books with second class during our Climate Action week.

The students of sixth class paired with a child from second class over a period of three days. Following the reading of the book, second class were asked questions by sixth class to gauge their understanding of climate change as well as their enjoyment of the books.

It was deemed to be a success as all the second-class children said they learned something which they had not known before.

“I did not know how quickly the earth was heating up”

“I know now that we have to act really fast so that we can make a difference”.

“Everything we do, even if it is just walking to school, can help”.

While this was a small-scale study, its effectiveness in teaching basic concepts of climate change through peer learning was significant and it is a methodology which we will continue to embed in our plans and curricula.

Paula Galvin

Our Lady Queen of the Apostles N.S

Clondalkin, Dublin 22

Global Citizenship School Steering Committee

paulafrancesgalvin@gmail.com

________________________________

References

Department of Education (2022) “2nd National Strategy on Education for Sustainable Development - ESD to 2030” https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/8c8bb-esd-to-2030-second-national-strategy-on-education-for-sustainable-development (accessed 13 February 2023)

United Nations (2015) RES/70/1: Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, UN General Assembly available: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57b6e3e44.html (accessed 12 February 2023).

United Nations (2020) World Social Report 2020: The challenge of inequality in a rapidly changing world, available: https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2020/02/World-Social-Report2020-FullReport.pdf (accessed 10 February 2023)

Global Citizenship Education: a challenge to complacency?

by Paula Galvin May 2022

“The world is in a state of chassis” ; these oft quoted words of Sean O Casey can be applied to the world of 2022; a world sickened and weakened by the virus , Covid 19, where the marginalised and weak are “manipulated” coerced or ignored, where buffoons and bullies spout “ misinformation” and “fake news”. ( Monbiot, G). It is a world where histories are rewritten and the forces of violence roll on untrammelled in the Ukraine, in Syria, in South Sudan, in Yemen and in Afghanistan. It is a world devastated and destroyed by human excess and arrogance in its attempt to use the natural world to its own unnatural ,man-made ends.

An increasingly fractured, polarised, and divisive world can be viewed as a disappointingly hopeless society “People who live in unequal societies tend to be more frustrated, anxious, insecure and discontent with their lives” (Hickel, 2017). The pandemic, the climate crisis and recent events in the Ukraine and elsewhere have heightened these feelings of foreboding about a perilous future.

Creating hope in these uncertain times can be difficult. How can we as educators engender in learners a sense of hope as well as a sense of empowerment to “bring about positive change for a more just and equal world” (Irish Aid & Trocaire, 2006, p.6) James Trewby writing about citizen engagement with the global justice movement in the UK has suggested that there are three ways to do this.

The learner must

● understand the urgency of the problem

● have potential solutions to the problem

● be convinced that their efforts might matter

One way we can do this is by embedding Global Citizenship Education into our curriculum as a stated objective in the proposed new draft primary curriculum. It needs to occupy a central place in our new curriculum .According to UNESCO,

Global citizenship education aims to empower learners to engage and assume active roles both locally and globally to face and resolve global challenges and ultimately to become proactive contributors to a more just, peaceful, tolerant, inclusive, and sustainable world

Now more than ever, the importance of an education which has the power to challenge ‘false communiqués` from elites and eradicate the culture of silence`, to engender in learners the critical thinking skills and real-life problem-solving skills to effect real and lasting change in a world of crisis, chaos and catastrophe, cannot be overestimated.

In an increasingly fractured, disturbed, and disrupted world, the necessity of embedding values, skills and attitudes of global citizenship education becomes even more urgent. Empowering learners to give voice on personal perspectives on issues of global concern (the climate crisis, the pandemic, fighting terrorism and the refugee crisis exacerbated by war and climate crisis) a sense not of hopelessness but rather of radical hope to create a better world is a difficult and challenging one. Real life issues are contentious and problematic but through reflection and action on these issues, learners can be imbued with this sense of hope which is radical. It is not a wishy-washy quasi-religious hand wringing. It is not a faux outrage or a pretence at concern or empathy. It is an outpouring of rage against injustice, a righteous anger towards wrong-doers and manipulators. It is action in solidarity with those who are oppressed. It is a challenge to complacency and apathy. It is dynamic and determined

Real life examples of global injustice (human rights violations, hunger, poverty, gender-based discrimination, recruitment of child soldiers) can be explored and schools can demonstrate empathy with those marginalised as well as demonstrating very real and tangible solidarity through activism which is effective, long-lasting and life-enhancing. The education which has the potential to attain this is Global Citizenship Education. (GCE)

When teaching GCE, we must acknowledge that the subject matter can make children worried or afraid or anxious. Teachers themselves may feel uncomfortable about teaching these issues of global injustice. The necessity of creating a safe and nurturing space in which all these emotions and frequently conflicting feelings can be aired and listened to without prejudice is of paramount importance. Creating such a space where the voice of the child is heard and acknowledged is crucial. I have experienced children becoming really upset when we speak about the climate crisis or animals becoming extinct but when we talk about actions we can do to mitigate this or how we can adapt to change , they become reassured and a sense of empowerment can proceed with actions which are age appropriate and contextualised within the school community and the wider community. In a world beset with uncertainties, the necessity of an education which has at its core the potential to be transformative and emancipatory cannot be ignored.

Global Citizenship Education is real.

Global Citizenship Education is necessary.

Global Citizenship Education is urgent.

References

Jason Hickel (2017) Is global inequality getting better or worse? A critique of the World Bank’s convergence narrative, Third World Quarterly, 38:10, 2208-2222, DOI: 10.1080/01436597.2017.1333414 (accessed 25 February 2022)

Monbiot, G (2019) The Guardian How the media let malicious idiots take over, available ://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/22/political-monsters-media-jacob-rees-mogg-platforms (accessed 19 March 2022)

Trewby, J (2014) `Journeys to engagement with the UK Global Justice Movement: Life-stories of activist-educators, available : http://columbans.co.uk/download/144/ (accessed 23 March 2022)

UNESCO (2013) `Global Citizenship Education: an emerging perspective`, available: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002241/224115E.pdf, (accessed 3 March 2022)

Paula Galvin

Our Lady Queen of the Apostles N.S

Clondalkin

Dublin 22

Global Citizenship School Steering Committee

For further information on campaigns, lesson plans and useful advice go to Global Citizenship School