Education and Climate Change: The Role of Universities (International Explorations in Outdoor and Environmental Education)

This open access volume draws on a multidimensional model of educational change, the book reviews the field of climate change education and identifies some of the areas in which past efforts have fallen short in supporting effective pedagogical change at scale. It then formulates an approach to engage university students and faculty in partnering with schools and adult education institutions and directly contribute innovative curricula on climate change. The approach is illustrated with several case studies which present curricula developed to support school-based innovation in the Middle East and in Guatemala, and adult education in Haiti and Pakistan, and educators preparation at the university level. The approach followed to develop innovative curriculum follows five steps: 1) What are the specific impacts of climate change in this jurisdiction? How do they impact various human populations? 2) What knowledge, dispositions and behaviors could mitigate the impact of climate change and are there ways in which changes in the behaviors of populations in this jurisdiction could slow down climate change? 3) What are the means of delivery to reach each of the specific populations in this jurisdiction who needs to be educated on climate change? 4) What curriculum can help educate each population? 5) What role can the institution we are collaborating with play in advancing climate change education in that jurisdiction? The various chapters of the book present the conceptual foundation of these programs and illustrate how these programs respond to specific characteristics of local contexts. These programs focus in schools, non-formal settings and educator preparation institutions. The chapters offer examples of general value beyond the specific contexts for which they were designed, as they illustrate how in order to be optimally useful climate change education needs to be firmly grounded in the specifics of a context and responsive to that context. Series Editors’ Foreword 6 References 11 Contents 13 Chapter 1: The Role of Universities Building an Ecosystem of Climate Change Education 14 1.1 Introduction. The Paradox of Climate Change and Education 14 1.2 Climate Is Changing Faster Than Attitudes and Behaviors About Human-Environmental Interactions, and Knowledge Is Not Enough to Cause People to Adapt or Mitigate 18 1.3 Climate Change Education 26 1.4 The Limitations of Current Climate Change Education Efforts 37 1.5 The Need for New Strategies for Climate Change Education 43 1.6 The Need for Systemic, Multilevel and Multidimensional Perspectives In Climate Change Education 45 1.7 A Role for Universities Developing and Implementing Contextually Appropriate Strategies for Climate Change Education 46 1.8 Development of the Approaches to Climate Change Education in This Book 50 References 53 Chapter 2: Learn to Lead: Developing Curricula that Foster Climate Change Leaders 58 2.1 Introduction 58 2.2 Analysis of Climate Change Curricula 60 2.2.1 The Problem with Climate Change Curricula in Israel, Jordan, and Palestine 60 2.2.2 Learning from Tertiary Level Climate Change Pedagogy in the Region 62 2.2.3 Effective High School Climate Change Education Resources 63 2.2.3.1 Paleontological Research Institution: The Teacher-Friendly Guide to Climate Change 64 2.2.3.2 Climate Interactive 64 2.2.3.3 Project Look Sharp: Media Literacy 65 2.3 Climate Change Leadership Curriculum 66 2.3.1 Rationale of the Curriculum 66 2.3.1.1 Anchor Skills 67 2.3.1.2 Process-Based Skills 67 2.3.1.3 Disciplinary Tools and Concepts 69 2.3.1.4 Resources Guiding the Educator 70 2.4 Implementation and Program Theory 72 2.5 Conclusion 73 Appendices 74 Appendix A: Climate Change Leadership Curriculum 74 Appendix B: Climate Change Leadership Project – Student Version 91 References 94 Chapter 3: Creating a Culture of Shared Responsibility for Climate Action in Guatemala Through Education 97 3.1 Introduction 97 3.2 Impact of Climate Change on Guatemala 98 3.3 The State of Climate Change Education in Guatemala and Opportunities for Improvement 100 3.4 What Are the Major Gaps in Climate Change Education in Guatemala? 100 3.4.1 Lack of Adequate Bilingual Education 100 3.4.2 Out-of-School Youth 101 3.4.3 Lack of Coherence and Alignment Between Different Components of the School System and Climate Change Education 102 3.5 Moving Forward with a Solution 103 3.6 Preparing a Whole-School-Centered Guidebook for Schools 104 3.7 School Leadership 107 3.8 Community Partnerships 109 3.9 Curriculum 112 3.10 Teacher Professional Development 115 3.11 Conclusion 118 Appendix 118 References 121 Chapter 4: Rezistans Klimatik: Building Climate Change Resilience in Haiti through Educational Radio Programming. 125 4.1 Introduction 125 4.2 Analysis of Current and Anticipated Impacts of Climate Change in Haiti 127 4.2.1 Geography 127 4.2.2 Economy 127 4.2.3 Other Socioeconomic Factors 127 4.2.4 Climate Summary – Comparative Approach 128 4.2.5 Future Impacts 128 4.2.5.1 Agriculture 128 4.2.5.2 Health 128 4.2.5.3 Education 129 4.2.5.4 Economic Factors 129 4.2.5.5 Possible Domestic Solutions 129 4.3 Connecting Climate Change to Human Behavior 130 4.4 Exploring Different Alternatives of Delivering Climate Change Education 131 4.4.1 The Use of Education in Addressing Climate Change 131 4.4.2 Current Climate Change Curricula; Best Practices and Common Themes 132 4.4.3 Government Action 133 4.4.4 Informal Education 134 4.4.5 The Use of Radio in Sustainable & Community Development 135 4.5 Review of Current Education Policies and Programs to Address Climate Change in Haiti 136 4.6 Implications of Climate Change Education in Haiti 137 4.7 Overview of Media in Haiti 138 4.7.1 Radio Use and Stats 138 4.7.2 Radio and Learning in Haiti 139 4.8 Theory of Change 139 4.8.1 Audience and Impacts of Project 140 4.8.2 Measuring Outcomes 141 4.9 Implementation Plan/Curriculum 141 4.9.1 Stakeholders 141 4.9.2 Goal of Program 142 4.9.3 Topics Covered & Objectives 142 4.9.4 Strategy 143 4.9.5 Pathway for Delivery 144 4.10 Discussion 144 Appendixes 145 Appendix A 145 Appendix B 145 References 146 Chapter 5: Adaptation, Migration, Advocacy. A Climate Change Curriculum for Out-of-School Children in Badin, Sindh 149 5.1 Introduction 149 5.2 A Shifting Attitude Towards Climate Change 150 5.3 The Risks Faced by the Population in Badin 151 5.4 Educating Out-of-School Youth 152 5.5 Conclusion 157 Appendix: The Curriculum 157 Phase 1: Context 157 Phase 2: Adaptation 158 Phase 3: Migration 158 Phase 4: Advocacy 158 References 163 Chapter 6: Students as Partners. Implementation of Climate Change Education Within the Harvard Graduate School of Education 165 6.1 Beyond the Bottom-Up and Top-Down Debate on Climate Change Education 165 6.2 What to Consider When Integrating Climate Change Education (CCE) Within Schools of Education 167 6.2.1 A Cultural Perspective of a Student Led Curriculum of Climate Change 168 6.2.2 A Psychological Perspective of a Student Led Curriculum of Climate Change 168 6.2.3 A Professional Perspective of a Student Led Curriculum of Climate Change 169 6.2.4 An Institutional Perspective of a Student Led Curriculum of Climate Change 170 6.2.5 A Political Perspective of a Student Led Curriculum of Climate Change 170 6.3 A Case Study: Implementations of a Student Led Curriculum at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) 171 6.3.1 Methodology 171 6.4 Implications & Conclusion 180 Appendices 181 Appendix A. Syllabus 181 Appendix B. Prototype Lessons of a CCE Curriculum at HGSE 182 References 188 Chapter 7: Learning from Teaching Graduate Students How to Design Climate Change Education Programs 193 7.1 Introduction 193 7.2 Educating to Address Climate Change Is About Active Problem Solving, Not Contemplation 195 7.3 While Learning from Doing Is Valuable, to Advance the Field of Climate Change Education, it Is Necessary to Also Conceptualize and Theorize Practice 198 7.4 What Outcomes Matter in Climate Change Education 199 7.5 The Power of Contextually Situated Learning 203 7.6 A Pedagogy to Change Climate Through Education 205 7.7 Augmenting the Capacity for Climate Change Education Among Teachers and Schools 207 7.8 Blind Spots 208 7.9 Coda: Writing About the Role of Universities in Climate Change in Education During a Pandemic 210 References 212 Front Matter ....Pages i-xiii The Role of Universities Building an Ecosystem of Climate Change Education (Fernando M. Reimers)....Pages 1-44 Learn to Lead: Developing Curricula that Foster Climate Change Leaders (David Rhodes, Margaret Wang)....Pages 45-83 Creating a Culture of Shared Responsibility for Climate Action in Guatemala Through Education (Lina Lopez Lalinde, Carrie Maierhofer)....Pages 85-112 Rezistans Klimatik: Building Climate Change Resilience in Haiti through Educational Radio Programming. (Ashley Bazin, Christelle Saintis)....Pages 113-136 Adaptation, Migration, Advocacy. A Climate Change Curriculum for Out-of-School Children in Badin, Sindh (Natasha Japanwala)....Pages 137-152 Students as Partners. Implementation of Climate Change Education Within the Harvard Graduate School of Education (Annie Hyokyong Nam, Sueyoon Lee)....Pages 153-180 Learning from Teaching Graduate Students How to Design Climate Change Education Programs (Fernando M. Reimers)....Pages 181-201