Climate Education in Teacher Education: pedagogy and planning for learning across K-12
This workshop explores Climate Change and Climate Change Education as they relate to the local context of SD#57. This workshop focuses on pedagogy and planning for learning across K-12, in relation to climate change, climate justice and climate change/justice education. While the workshop is a 'stand alone' session, it is also part of a four-part series on Climate Education in Teacher Education. You can find out more about other workshops and the CETE research project here: (link to be sent shortly)
This workshop aims to respond to the following questions:
What are opportunities for Climate Change Education in the BC Curriculum?
How might climate change and climate justice education intersect with learning outcomes through various domains: cognitive, affective, psychomotor, cultural?
How might climate change and climate justice education be woven into the local community and traditional ways of knowing?
What must teachers to able to do to engage learners in climate change and climate justice through climate change education?
The 90-minute session will be active and engaging, and is based on the following conjectures:
- incorporate local/Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing
- consider scientific knowledge about climate change from diverse perspectives
- understand feelings, beliefs and values about climate change from diverse perspectives, disciplines and local communities
- take an inquiry stance, focus on pedagogical approaches & disciplinary/thematic approaches
- explore pathways to personal and collective action inspired by urgency and agency [grounded in hope]
- feel supported by diverse communities (TC; educators; Indigenous communities; non-Indigenous, local communities
Target Audience
Any
Sessions
Presenters
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School of Education, University of Northern British Columbia
Hartley Banack
The world’s climate is changing, affecting numerous aspects of our environment. Moreover, Canada's northern regions are particularly vulnerable to climate change. Research on school education in northern British Columbia (B.C.) has yet to comprehensively consider how teachers approach learning about climate change or even address this complex issue in their practice. A unique demographic of teachers are teacher candidates, pre-service teachers preparing to be certified B.C. teachers. This project aims to explore attitudes and ways of knowing/understanding climate change from the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) Teacher Candidates, and then engage and expose UNBC Teacher Candidates to Canadian climate education resources. Specifically, the research question asked in this study is: How are climate education strategies, developed across Canada to support novice teachers teaching climate education to their students, being implemented into practice by UNBC pre-service teachers in northern B.C.? Using an Educational Design-Based Research methodology (Collins, 1992), the project will follow UNBC Teacher Candidates through their first year of teacher education program and then into their early years of practice. The project is focused on northern B.C. school districts and teachers. Key partners include: Institute for Environmental Learning (IEL) and Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF), each a key stakeholder in developing climate education resources for Canadian teachers.
Research Question: How are climate education strategies, developed across Canada to support novice teachers teaching climate education to their students, being implemented into practice by UNBC pre-service teachers (Teacher Candidates) in northern B.C.?
The 4-part workshop series was designed to support participants in the research project to approach and implement climate change education. The workshops were designed to be public-facing and freely available to anyone who wishes to partake. You will not know who is a participant and who is from the public in the workshops and no data will be collected from workshop sessions. More information can be found on the CETE webpage.
Please, reach out if you have questions and wish to talk.
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David Litz
Dr. Litz has an EdD in Educational Leadership from The University of Calgary, Canada. His current research utilizes mixed methods to investigate the cross-cultural applicability of Western leadership models within global/international K-12 school contexts and the links between emotional intelligence and leadership practices. Some of his other research interests and expertise include globalization and education, comparative education, cross-cultural understandings of leadership and management, leadership preparation, educational equity and social justice, international educational development, and educational policy.
Before joining UNBC, Dr. Litz taught in various K-12 contexts in Ontario, British Columbia, and international schools. He has also worked as a faculty member at several higher educational institutions in South Korea and the Middle East. In addition, Dr. Litz has been involved with several government-funded and UNESCO educational projects in the Middle East / North Africa (MENA) region and Azerbaijan on curriculum improvement and innovation, program assessment, school leader performance standards, teacher licensure, educational policy implementation, and capacity-building and quality assurance within K-12 and higher education sectors.