Each state-funded school in the North of Tyne Combined Authority area [ Newcastle city, North Tyneside and Northumberland ] will receive funding to train one member of staff as a United Nations accredited climate change teacher. The authority is working with the creators of the eduCCate Global Teacher Academy United Nations Climate Change (UNCC).
UNCC approached the authority asking for its support for the regional launch of their Climate Change Teacher Course, accredited by UN CC:Learn in partnership with Harwood Education.
Dr Meryl Batchelder from Corbridge Middle School in Northumberland, is leading the project. She said that students would become more climate conscious – and could come up with the green solutions of the future. She added:
“Having a UN accredited Climate Change Teacher in every state school means that all schoolchildren will be given accurate, relevant information on the causes and effects of global heating. Pupils also need to be aware of possible climate change mitigation strategies and adaptation measures. Completing the course will give teachers the confidence, both in their own understanding and in their position as an UN accredited authority, to teach children effectively.”
ChronicleLive has more information on the scheme.
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Here are further details of Harwood Education ‘s Climate Change Teacher Training Academy which we featured this in last week’s update. They now have 80 UK accredited climate change teachers in the UK, with some 2000 teachers working towards the qualification.
The online course takes 15-20 hours to complete and covers areas such as climate change science, adaptation planning, health, forests, climate change finance and international negotiations. In addition to the teacher training academy, other courses are available:
- children and climate change
- international legal regime
- cities and climate change
- human health and climate change
- gender and environment
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Kids need nature and nature needs kids, says the National Trust which has created a list of ‘50 things’ to encourage families to play in nature together and build a connection with wildlife. The Trust wants children to explore their senses in the wild, care for plants and creatures, and reflect on their feelings in different landscapes. It’s not just a case of getting outdoors or learning the names of different birds – it wants children to really explore the hooks, nooks and knobbles of nature in all different seasons, and build special memories to last. Research tells us these experiences of connecting with nature boost children’s physical, social and mental development. And it’s lots of fun too. Details here.
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The University of Bath has a Climate Visuals website that contains a library of photographs to provide inspiration and guidance for campaigners, picture editors and communications practitioners selecting imagery for communicating climate change. All images are captioned with an explanation of how they fit with the seven Climate Visuals principles, and why they work. Each image is linked to its original source and many are available to download for free under Creative Commons licenses for use in blogs, articles and campaigns. Go to How to use the Climate Visuals Website to get started.
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Here’s National Geographic’s running list of how President Trump is changing US environmental policy. His presidency has brought a flurry of changes—both realized and anticipated—to US environmental policy. Many of the actions roll back Obama-era policies that aimed to curb climate change and limit environmental pollution, while others threaten to limit federal funding for science and the environment. It’s a lot to keep track of, says National Geographic which will be maintaining an abbreviated timeline of the Trump Administration’s environmental actions and policy changes, as well as reactions to them. We will update this article as news develops.
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The UN has an SDG Bookclub. The UN says: “Education is also important to help us achieve many other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). How? Let’s look at some examples: When we get quality education we can more easily get ourselves out of poverty by finding a job that pays well. Education also helps to us to make better choices for our health, like eating more vegetables or drinking less sugary beverages. In countries where all children can go to school, boys and girls enjoy an equal place in society and the same rights. Our new reading lists cover many of these topics and we hope the stories will inspire you to take action for all children to get quality education.”
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The Early-Bird registration deadline for the NAAEE conference is August 23rd. There will be more than 1,000 environmental educators in Lexington, KY. The programme includes:
Research Symposium: October 15–16
Pre-conference workshops & field trips: October 16
Keynotes, plenaries, and 400+ sessions to choose from: October 16–19
The conference website is here.
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The keynote speakers at the CLOtC conference are:
- Phil Minns HMI, Ofsted, Specialist Adviser for Early Years and Primary will join us to talk about ‘Bringing an ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum to life – an Ofsted perspective.’
- Harry Bates, #iwill Ambassador and Member of Youth Parliament for Blackpool will share his thoughts on the value of learning outside the classroom.
- Paul Rose, adventurer, TV presenter and learning outside the classroom ambassador. Paul is former vice president of the Royal Geographical Society and is currently Expedition Leader for the National Geographic Pristine Seas Expeditions.
It takes place on November 7th [ 0930 to 1600 ] followed by a networking reception. You can book advanced tickers here.
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We have been asked about the picture that accompanies these weekly reports on the website. It is an inverted reflection of a woodland scene taken in a black mirror lake on a calm day in Ontario.
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