Why we can't just 'teach' climate change
When it comes to talking about the climate & nature crisis in schools, how we teach is as important as what we teach.
Climate change is not just another lesson to be slotted into a timetable following double French and just before lunch, with a handy quiz at the end. It is an exploration of what it means to be human; of what lies ahead for our species (and so many other species) on this rapidly changing planet, and of what impacts our daily actions can and will have on the potential extinction of life on earth. It is therefore not something we can address in the same way that we would, say, teaching algebra on a Wednesday afternoon.
The climate crisis is a crisis of human emotion.
Whilst sharing knowledge about why climates are changing and what we can do to mitigate biodiversity collapse is essential, equally essential is recognising – and supporting - the emotional resonance of us all as we learn ever more about our futures in a rapidly changing world. Emotional resilience and empowerment matter as much (arguably more so) than learning the facts about climate change, and the relationships created in the classroom space for these conversations and this sort of learning to happen matter greatly.
Here are a few thoughts to help us get started:
Emotions are a huge part of climate education - whether we like it or not.
Let’s welcome thoughts and feelings
The climate and nature crisis will directly affect everything in the current and future lives of young people across the world and will shape the world they will inherit and the way they we will all live. Whilst facts and figures about the growing crisis need to be shared, it is not enough to stop here (in fact it can be incredibly detrimental to simply share facts and figures.) These issues are big, tricky and uncomfortable - as well as frightening and overwhelming - and they need to be discussed, explored, reflected upon and processed together.
As adults and caregivers, we need to offer young people a space to ask questions, to share thoughts and feelings, to talk about uncertainties or anxieties and to move from a position of overwhelm to a space of empowerment. This does not – and will not - happen simply by memorising or absorbing facts and figures. This is a process of learning, unlearning, empowering and activation in a safe and supportive space where they can share their own responses and have their voices heard: a space where thoughts and their feelings are warmly welcomed.Let’s rethink the role of the teacher.
Learning about climate collapse, species extinction, increased flooding, drought, climate migration – these are overwhelmingly emotive issues which may cause us to feel fear, doubt, uncertainty, anxiety, frustration, helplessness or a myriad other emotions. And when I say ‘us’ I mean teachers, parents, children, all humans in this space – none of us are immune to the emotional grief, fear and uncertainty that come when consciously living through the sixth mass extinction. Therefore, empowering teachers, educators, parents with the confidence to talk about tricky issues and hold the emotional resilience to be dealing with their own grief, uncertainty, anxiety and otherwise (whilst also holding space for the young people in their care) is essential.
None of us are expected to be ‘experts’ when it comes to this stuff, but we can become ‘expert’ in holding courageous conversations. There are tools we can welcome into the classroom to hold space for big conversations and to support ourselves in the process (all of which we share in our Courageous Conversations training).
Yes, there are important facts about the climate and nature crisis which can be taught to young people, but there are also many ‘unknown’ elements of learning and grey spaces to explore when teaching about climate change. One of the most crucial roles we can hold is shining a light on 'what is possible, what is happening to create a healthier future and the millions of people right across the world doing something about the mess we are in.
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” Fred RogersLet’s nurture healthy relationships and a sense of being ‘in this together’
Children naturally attune to the behaviours, moods, attitudes etc. of their primary caregivers (teachers being one of these) meaning that we – as adults – need to develop our own emotional resilience (think ‘oxygen masks first’) so that when we are talking or teaching about these issues, our own sense of resilience can be transferred to the students.
In so many traditional models of education, the teacher has a collection of knowledge, skills and information to impart to their students who will absorb and thus learn from this teaching. This is not the case here, for many reasons:This is big, scary stuff
There are no quick-fix or simple solutions
We can’t ‘fix’ what has already happened
We can’t necessary make children’s fears go away
Emotional resilience and empowerment matters as much (arguably more so) than learning the facts about climate change.
Traditional classroom spaces – with a teacher perhaps standing at the front of a room and students sitting in rows – offers no autonomy to anyone but the teacher. This also inadvertently places authority, ownership and responsibility of knowledge straight onto the teacher which can be a very uncomfortable responsibility. A teacher is neither able to ‘fix’ these nested crisis for their students, nor hold ready solutions for how to do so – they will most likely have just as many questions as the young people in their care. What a teacher can do, however, is shine a light on what is possible, what we can all do to shift our communities towards healthier futures, and to simply hold space for young people to share their thoughts and feelings.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Our classroom spaces need to welcome this space for children to feel safe, feel heard and feel empowered:
Physically, the space needs to be set up so the teacher can also be an active learner in discussions – ideally a circular formation with everyone seeing each other, and on one level.
Emotionally, the space needs to be safe to allow everyone to share their thoughts and feelings.
Courageously, this space needs to be a brave space to explore some of these big issues together.
5.Let’s normalise the conversation.
Whilst it would be most convenient if one teacher or one department could just take on climate change as an additional subject, this cannot - nor must not - be the case. This is going to affect us all and is all of our responsibility to respond - it is for the whole school to take action. Everyone is going to be (if not already) affected, and everyone is in it together - so let’s create that sense of ‘togetherness’ to support the whole community, and stop anyone from feeling alone.
One of the biggest invitations for schools is to create places and spaces for the community to be active in ‘doing something’ - showing that teachers care, that the community cares and that people are stepping up to make a change. Normalising climate conversations and climate action in schools is a hugely positive catalyst for creating a healthy culture of learning and thriving together in a rapidly changing world.
We simply need to be brave enough to make the spaces for this to happen.
Three ways to shift from overwhelm to empowerment:
Learn with us
Join a Courageous Conversations training and explore our toolkit for teachers, parents and anyone working with young people to feel empowered talking about the climate crisis with children:Explore with young people
Download our free, award winning Changing Climates curriculum – a discussion-based programme for 5-18 years, exploring the science and the emotions of climate change and supporting young people on a journey from anxiety to empowerment.Connect with our partners
Explore the free INSET video made by many of our partners, with thoughts, ideas and tips from over 30 individuals from across the UK - including teachers, students and representatives from various organisations.
ThoughtBox is working both at school level and policy level to help transform education for thriving futures for people and planet. We offer a range of trainings and learning resources to help develop a culture of Triple WellBeing by strengthening personal, social and environmental wellbeing. Let’s talk.
Rachel Musson | Director of ThoughtBox Education