The Glorious Twelfth – The DfE has said that should the easing of lockdown continue to go to plan, schools can resume educational day visits from the 12th of April. DfE stresses that visits must be conducted in line with relevant coronavirus (COVID-19) secure guidelines and the regulations in place at that time. This includes system of controls, such as keeping children within their consistent groups and the COVID-secure measures in place at the destination. More information here. This is welcome news for NAEE’s suspended Kenrick bursary scheme.
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A better Understanding of the World – Click here to read comments by teachers on the need for climate education. These come c/o Teach the Future and its recent research into teacher attitudes. Maria Hale, a geography teacher from Devon, puts the case well: “This is the world they are growing up in, and they will inherit the challenges that come with that world. Being educated early on the issues and the solutions gives them a better understanding of the reality of those issues, but also empowers them to get involved with current solutions.”
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Compulsory Nature Studies? – A recent feature in The Independent began like this: “The government is considering introducing compulsory nature studies lessons for all pupils as part of a David Attenborough-backed plan to protect the natural world. The Independent understands that the Department for Education (DfE) is actively looking at whether pupils could be made to take lessons focusing on biodiversity and ecology, after the step was recommended by a landmark government review published last month. Introducing such lessons at all levels of education from primary upwards was a key recommendation of the Dasgupta review …”. How likely this is to be the case depends on what the Rt Hon Nick Gibb MP, the School Standards minister, meant when he said that the government “will examine the review’s findings and respond formally in due course”.
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Would it Make a Difference? – In an article for The Conversation, Matthew Adams, Principal Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Brighton, argued that it’s time to make nature studies a compulsory school subject – before it’s too late. He explores whether such a course would make a difference, and concludes that there’s a good chance it would. He writes: “Take the idea of an extinction of experience, which refers to how each subsequent generation has less sensory contact with diverse natural environments. As meaningful connection disappears, our sense of what is normal is gradually redefined – the shifting baseline syndrome, to borrow a related concept. As standard experiences of nature become increasingly narrow and empty, the fear is that we also lose our ability to understand, care for and defend the natural world, and a rapid cycle of mutual decline is underway. Experience-based environmental education could be an important tool for reversing this shift. Recent research confirms common sense in this regard – repeated, positive (which does not mean unchallenging) experiences of natural environments in early childhood underpin a deep and lifelong attachment to nature into adulthood.
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School Grants – Learning Through Landscapes has announced that its Local Schools Nature Grants scheme is open for applications. These provide equipment up to the value of £500 and a two hour training session. Schools can choose from a range of items which best suit their learners and their setting. All schools in England, Scotland and Wales are welcome to apply with 625 grants on offer. You can apply here.
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Dirt is Good – Unilever and Global Action Plan are seeking an academic partner to help them achieve their ambition of empowering 10 million young citizens to have a positive impact in the world by 2030 as part of the Dirt Is Good Project. Last year research showed that most young people prioritise compassionate values and want to have a positive impact on people and planet but can feel alone in their concern. You can read about the research in “Generation Action: How to unleash the potential of children and young people to take positive action and create a better world for all“. The academic partner will have a background in evaluating environmental education programmes and an interest in positive digital interventions, and bring knowledge of the best existing knowledge of “what works” to ignite and support youth social and environmental action. Please get in touch with Natasha.parker@globalactionplan.org.uk if you are interested.
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Nature-friendly Farming – The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation has awarded a grant to SOS-UK to set up Farming for Carbon & Nature. This grant will provide the initial support needed to create and pilot a fiscal model, enabling farmers on university and college owned land to switch to more carbon and nature-friendly farming practices using university offset payments from unavoidable Scope 3 emissions. There’s more detail here.
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WildLIVE on Education – On March 31st [ 1900 to 2030], the Wildlife Trusts, are hosting a webinar on learning through nature in WildLIVE on Education. Panellists include Dr Amir Khan, GP and Ambassador for The Wildlife Trusts, Bobbi Benjamin-Wand from London Wildlife trust, Joe Brindle from ‘ Teach the Future’ and Niall O’Brien, a teacher helping to deliver ‘Nature Friendly Schools’. The event asks whether our education system is equipping future generations with the skills and knowledge they need to tackle the issues we face, and how providing access to nature is a key part in this. More details are here on how to join and submit questions. If you can’t make it – you can also register for later viewing.
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Connecting Classrooms – The British Council encourages schools to collaborate with institutions round the globe in order to open up a new world of learning opportunities for their students. Free support is available along with online training and resource packs.
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Life on Land – The British Council also has a set of resources that aim to promote the importance of life on land and encourage its protection. They have a focus on Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on land, and are suitable for English, science, geography, maths, citizenship and other subjects. A planning template has been provided to assist in delivering the unit, allowing adaptation to suit different age groups and contexts. This resource has been developed in collaboration with the University of Manchester.
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European Universities – A new report on integrating sustainability education into higher education comes from the European Universities Association’s Learning & Teaching Thematic Peer Group on the environmental sustainability of learning and teaching. De Montfort University and Cardiff University contributed from the UK. The report aims to promote and guide action across universities to on a holistic approach to sustainability in education by using the UN Sustainable Development Goals as a basis. It is available here.
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A Force for Environmental and Social Good – For Good is an online platform that provides students with opportunities to use their education as a force for environmental and social good. It is free to join and there are many placements, projects and research opportunities.
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A Laboratory of Ideas – UNESCO says that 2021 is a crucial year for biodiversity, during which new objectives and new commitments will be made for the coming decade. It goes on: “UNESCO, as a laboratory of ideas and a guardian organisation of knowledge and know-how respectful of biodiversity, has an important role to play in helping to shape and fuel a dialogue on environmental challenges and their implications, both ethical and for peace in the world.” The Biodiversity Forum was held last week. More detail here.
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Sustainability 13 – Paul Vare’s new paper in Sustainability explores the impacts of student‐led sustainability projects with secondary school students and teachers.