Description
Global issues like climate change are becoming more and more urgent, and schools have an increasing responsibility towards students’ need for education about those topics.
But how should teachers really engage with those topics in classes? And how can they support their students to take effective action in the issues that matter to them, as well as to face new challenges?
This course adopts a global perspective on the themes of sustainable development, ecological footprints, global justice, and poverty, and how these influence and are influenced by climate change.
By adopting an interdisciplinary approach, this course recognizes the contributions of teachers of all subjects and ages to meaningful climate action.
In this course, participants will be engaged in learner-centered activities, such as group discussions, debates, case studies, and role-plays, which are suitable for use in the classroom with learners of different levels.
Each module will explore the root causes of global challenges, and build the knowledge, values, attitudes and skills teachers need to empower their students.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to integrate climate change and global citizenship into their lesson plans, and feel ready to lead whole-school action projects that engage the community and produce meaningful results.
Concept by: Global Action Plan Ireland
Learning outcomes
The course will help the participants to:
- Engage students in global citizenship themes such as justice, inequality, development, and climate;
- Connect climate and citizenship education to subject knowledge;
- Guide students to understand how personal actions are connected to the wider world;
- Devise practical strategies to teach students about carbon footprints, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and climate action;
- Use learner-centered activities, group work, and ICT to help students develop as global citizens;
- Lead effective climate action in their classrooms and schools, in ways which are meaningful for students.
Tentative schedule
Day 1 – Introduction to the course
- Introduction to the course, the school, and the external week activities;
- Icebreaker activities;
- Presentations of the participants’ schools.
Day 2 – Global Citizenship Education
- Identify central themes within Global Citizenship Education (GCE) and connect these to subject knowledge;
- Explore different definitions of development and connect this to local communities;
- Learn about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, how they are interconnected, and the consequences for own lives.
Day 3 – Climate change education
- Develop students’ knowledge of ecological footprints: learn practical strategies to introduce this topic into the classroom;
- Compare and contrast approaches to climate change education; creative, action-oriented, fact-based, effective;
- Identify the root causes of global issues with student-centered resources and tools.
Day 4 – Injustice, inequality, and poverty
- Continue the exploration central themes of GCE by investigating the notions of injustice, inequality, and poverty;
- Connect injustice, inequality, and poverty to climate change and development;
- Evaluate the concept of power, appraise its role in combating climate change, and role-play different ways that power can be exercised.
Day 5 – Creating your climate action
- Illustrate the themes of development, inequality, and climate through a case study set in the Global South;
- Appraise models of effective youth-led action to compare and criticize effective climate action projects;
- Use tools and resources to plan, develop, and enable a climate campaign or project at your schools.
Day 6 – Course closure and cultural activities
- Course evaluation: round-up of acquired competencies, feedback, and discussion;
- Awarding of the course Certificate of Attendance;
- Excursion and other external cultural activities.