Climate change : The challenges of climate education
In a research and development project at PH Zurich, Petra Breitenmoser investigates why prospective teachers are reluctant to address the topic of climate change despite its social relevance and interest among pupils. Previous studies, including those from other countries, show that primary school teachers often do not feel competent enough to teach the subject in an age-appropriate manner. They often shy away from possible controversy and tend to avoid the subject.
Petra Breitenmoser, you and Manuela Keller-Schneider are leading a research project on the topic “Teaching climate change”. What challenges exist in this area?
Dealing with climate change is one of the central themes of sustainable development and therefore a key educational concern. However, the question arises as to how teachers can be empowered to teach this complex and controversial subject at the appropriate level. Future primary teachers face a variety of challenges when it comes to sustainable development, including the complexity of the subject, socially contradictory attitudes, the lack of specific curriculum guidelines, lack of awareness of teaching and learning materials, a shortage of teaching time and insufficient technical and subject-specific educational knowledge. Added to this are individual factors, such as a lack of self-confidence or the perception of inadequate support from schools and authorities.
What new findings have you arrived at so far in the study?
The prospective primary teachers that were interviewed avoid the subject, are insecure, want to please everybody and perceive it as a very touchy subject. They often attribute their reticence to technical uncertainties or personal attitudes. Many students also equate climate education with teaching one-sided scientific knowledge, such as the greenhouse effect, or education in environmentally conscious behaviour, such as waste separation, frequently leaving out the societal or political perspective. A small number of students also express doubts on the state of research, despite the fact that we now know that the state of climate research is just as broadly supported and well-established as other research topics. Schools, and indeed society as a whole, need a reference system of knowledge and reflected values that teachers are able to relate to.
What do teachers need in order to teach the subject, despite its complexity?
A suitable approach for basic climate education takes into account pupils’ perceptions, individual reference points, interests, questions and current events in their world. At the same time, it is important to note that teachers do not have to educate students on the entirety of the climate crisis. In my training and further education I often pick up on the students’ ideas and misconceptions. Teachers must be very well equipped in order to not convey misinformation or false causalities themselves, which are unfortunately all too common in public discourse on this subject. It is also essential that teachers impart evaluation skills to enable their pupils to relate scientific facts to values. Prospective primary teachers must learn to accept the complexity and controversy surrounding such issues and cope with the uncertainties associated with them.
At which grades should this topic be taught?
In cycles one and two, i.e., in kindergarten and primary school, the subject is not explicitly mentioned in the Nature, Humans and Society (NMG) Lehrplan 21 curriculum. However, relationships between nature, human uses, observable changes in the climate system, the consequences of climate change and possible climate protection measures can easily be included in this subject. Possible connections include the weather, energy, environmental changes, relationships between humans and nature, or different realities of human lives. There are also many connections to interdisciplinary issues such as the natural environment and resources, global development and peace, economics and consumerism, and politics, democracy and human rights. The “Lehrplan 21” subject dossier contains appropriate teaching materials, learning media and teaching examples for all levels. At the lower secondary level, climate change is a compulsory subject. However, in view of the great relevance of this issue in our society, I consider it crucial that the children’s current questions, the contradictory aspects and the associated uncertainties are picked up and discussed in society at an early age.
Academic article
The two PHZH researchers published a technical article about the project “Teaching climate change: knowledge, attitudes and challenges of prospective primary teachers” in the journal Progress in Science Education.