This month, the Great Science Share for Schools had the pleasure to speak with Professor Leigh Hoath from Leeds Trinity University. She takes a lead in bringing colleagues across sector to discuss how the DfE’s ‘Sustainability and Climate Change: a strategy for the education and children’s services systems and we wanted to find out more.
This timely report states that, ‘children and young people are worried about climate change and want to know more about; the impact it is having now; [and] how it will impact their future lives.’
Leigh explained that it’s vital to stop and think about the children we work with in our classrooms and that one size won’t fit all when embedding sustainability and climate change education into the curriculum.
“You have to start with the people in front of you…what I would have done when I started teaching at a school in the most disadvantaged part of Leeds is not identical to that which may happen in a different school context a few miles away.”
Leigh stressed that teachers have the professional knowledge about how best to engage their pupils, and they will have cultural and contextual awareness to relate global issues to their lived experience. Her message to us all is to really consider the school’s individual circumstances and to use this as the point of reference when devising approaches so that themed teaching related to these issues will be ‘woven into’ rather than ‘mapped onto’ existing practice.
Sustainability and climate change should be addressed separately
We asked Leigh what the key differences were between sustainability and climate change education. She explained that the two cannot be disentangled, yet it is helpful to support children to understand the concepts separately. She described how sustainability is a term that embodies social, economic and environmental elements. Climate change on the other hand is in the strictest sense an environmental phenomenon, and education around this will require us to consider how we introduce learning about things such as carbon, that are not currently in the primary National Curriculum for Science, yet are important for children know more about/have more knowledge of.
GSSfS and sustainability and climate change
Over the past few years, GSSfS has embraced Climate Emergency and Climate Action themes. We have seen children increasingly taking interest and asking questions about how they can take more responsibility. Whether this be investigating how global temperatures rise as a result of more carbon dioxide in the air, observing waste and energy use over time in their schools or exploring how they can improve biodiversity, GSSfS is an ideal platform for children to ask, investigate and share their scientific questions and interests.
Leigh pointed out that whilst the highlight of the great Science Share for Schools is often an event or a public exhibition, GSSfS can spur on a much longer lasting impact:
“GSSfS can start something that isn’t just for today, it can be the leap pad for starting a sustainability or climate change theme journey throughout a school year”.
Working parties across the country are currently convening to further develop a response to the DfE report. The aim is not to publish a set of resources for whole-scale use, but to encourage teachers to draw on the issues that face children in their own contexts initially. In her final words with us, Leigh stressed that climate education, “is not about creating activists” but “it’s about them being able to be critical thinkers.” The Great Science Share for Schools support her view that school leaders need to be supported and encouraged to provide additional guidance to teachers, in order to develop approaches to sustainability and climate education that go beyond doing one-off superficial activities, and to adopt an increasingly embedded and systematic approach to curriculum change.
Be inspired
Take a look at the Great Science Ideas and enquiries here. Early in 2023, we will launch four new science enquiries with a sustainability theme to inspire your children to ask, investigate and share with new audiences. Register now to hear first!
We look forward to seeing the impact of the sector collaborations that Leigh is chairing and thank her for her time to speak with us at the Great Science Share for Schools.
