Want to teach your learners about climate change, but not sure where to start? With such an important topic that will impact the lives of our students for years to come, your climate change teaching can be both engaging and effective — and we’re here to help. Check out our top tips for expanding your skills around teaching climate topics!
1 — Seek specialized support. When it comes to STEM topics, and especially climate change, not all professional development is created equal. EiE is proud to offer climate change-specific resources for educators looking to teach about the topic, developed by our experts with your success in mind. Whether you use our units or not, be sure to seek out professional learning opportunities that offer on-demand educator support to utilize whenever you have questions.
2 — Use real world examples. Ask your learners to think of how they interact with the climate around them. Imagine and discuss how those interactions might be different if the climate around you changed — climate topics are a great way to get your students thinking about the tangible ways they can impact the world around them directly.
3 — Get hands-on. Topics like climate change can often feel abstract or too conceptual for young students, so try breaking down an example small enough to wrap their hands around it. Learners of all ages can scale up (or down) an activity based on cleaning up a polluted river, like in Tehya’s Pollution Solution.
4 — Try new technology. Since climate science is evolving so rapidly, textbooks can easily become outdated and lack the latest revelations in the field. Digital educational resources like EiE x Pear Deck’s climate change overview offer web-based applications based on the latest science, where students can explore how our actions affect the environment, and how they can leverage this knowledge to make a positive difference in the world.
5 — Look toward the future. Climate change isn’t just happening at this moment, our actions today are creating ripples to be felt for years to come. With that in mind, be solutions-focused when covering climate change subjects and feel empowered to focus on the many possibilities for positive innovation as we address our climate concerns.
Research has shown again and again that educators who feel more confident in the subjects they are teaching are better able to deliver effective lessons. Please reach out to us if you would like support taking your climate change— and other STEM topics —teaching to the next level.
