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Incorporating Climate Pedagogy
Originally published in April 2024
As Earth Day 2024 approaches, universities must consider how they are preparing our youth for a climate-impacted and environmentally uncertain future. Laurier plays a pivotal role here, including ensuring that students have access to knowledge from Western and Indigenous science; that they are engaging in climate research and problem-based class projects with community partners; and that they learn the applied strategies and develop the personal confidence to take action – both within and outside of our institution.
Particularly since the 40th anniversary of Earth Day in 2000, Laurier leaders have laid critical pillars for climate education in terms of new courses and programs, at the same time that Laurier’s Sustainability Office has sought to “green” institutional operations. Our next step needs to be a broadening and deepening of climate education and action across all faculties, disciplines and programs, using a variety of pedagogies. This is a difficult undertaking, given that many of us may lack basic training in terms of the climate change phenomenon. We may also find it difficult to operate across disciplinary boundaries to access the tools needed to understand and consider climate mitigation and adaptation strategies in our courses.
Teaching Excellence and Innovation, through our Climate Pedagogy Community of Practice (CPCoP), provides a forum for full- and part-time faculty and librarians to share experiences and support each other as they take first steps toward integrating climate issues and activities into their courses, or deepen student engagement in climate education through more systemic thinking informed by interdisciplinary and equity-based approaches.
Incorporating Climate Pedagogy into Your Teaching
Integrating climate pedagogy into your teaching presents educators with both possibilities and challenges. There is often a feeling of uncertainty about where to start, especially given the technical nature of climate information: you’re not alone! As Karen Costa offers in her Climate Action Pedagogy podcast “all courses are climate courses.” Climate pedagogy is a practice that “examines how educators and learners can effectively engage with climate change through themes of environmental, economic, political and social justice issues in their teaching and learning practice” (Lakehead University, n.d.).
The following considerations can help you think through ways of incorporating climate pedagogies into your course:
- Grow your own knowledge: start small! Like any journey, begin where you are. Some key tools to help initiate your own learning include the Climate Atlas of Canada, which maps climate impacts using both Indigenous and Western Knowledges, Climate Clock and NASA’s Global Climate Change hub. The interdisciplinary InTeGrate group provides activities and ideas for teaching about sustainability.
- Support students in evaluating existing ideas and new information. Students may already be aware of climate change issues from a variety of places, but not all sources will be credible. Consider where and how your students will be engaging with climate change information by using evaluative tools and in-class activities
- Use diagnostic tools to evaluate pre-existing knowledge, values and perspectives on climate change (Clickers, MyLS survey, Exit Ticket, Zoom Poll).
- Build students’ critical evaluation and analysis skills to interpret accurate information about climate change and evaluate claims about climate action.
- Incorporate frameworks like Two-Eyed Seeing to encourage students to value and apply both Indigenous Science/Knowledges and Western Science in their assessments.
- Prepare activities to encourage discussion – such as jigsaw exercises or a think-pair-share – to provide opportunities for collaborative research and divergent thinking.
- Recognize that your students may be very fearful about the future – provide supports for eco-anxiety and be solution-oriented.
- Locate your course in the curricular path to scaffold learning. Begin conversations with colleagues in your department about the climate content they are engaging with in their courses, and where your course and climate content fits with theirs and across the program. This will ensure students are being exposed to content that grows their capacity and knowledge. Seek out places and spaces across Laurier where these conversations are happening!