The Case for Global Learning – DERC, along with over 30 educational organisations from across the UK, has written an advocacy paper calledThe Case for Global Learning. This is intended as a call to arms, setting out the facts and urging wide support for the schooling community to address the issues facing our planet in a concerted and structured way. It calls for a national strategy on Global Learning. You can register to join the online launch on Thursday 18th July 1700 to 1800 to find out more.
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Picture of Disrepair – One of Teach the Future’s projects is Fund the Future. This specifically focuses on the need to repair and decarbonise the education estate to make it suitable for today and tomorrow’s students to learn in. They are asking teachers and students to send in photos of the disrepair seen around schools to build an irrefutable bank of evidence to present to the new government and all MPs, proving the need for significantly more investment into school buildings. Please send pics to hello@teachthefuture.uk
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Elephant Times – A reminder that the latest (and maybe last) edition of Elephant Times is still available.
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Inter-generational Dialogue – The March 2024 edition of the Journal of Moral Education (pages 1–13) explores Elizabeth Rushton’s article on the ways in which inter-generational dialogue can support teacher educators in the context of climate change and sustainability education: Responding to the moral complexities of climate change education through intergenerational dialogue in teacher education.
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Mapping Resistances – A recent special issue of Research in Education (May 2024) examines the complex resistances at play in climate inaction and maps possibilities for education to produce better futures in a world with a rapidly changing climate: Climate Change and Educational Research: Mapping Resistances and Futurities.
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Nature’s Classroom – Professor Pete Higgins from The University of Edinburgh and Learning for Sustainability Scotland shares his thoughts on Learning for Sustainability in Scotland’s schools in the Spring edition of the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s magazine: Nature’s Classroom: tackling the climate and nature crises through Scotland’s schools.
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Beyond Silos – A special issue of the Journal of Environmental Education will focus on curriculum and pedagogy for climate change education. This issue will aim to go beyond disciplinary silos and encourage contributions that offer empirically based, grounded and critical contributions to effective change, going beyond the often-descriptive ideals of possible implementation. The deadline for articles is November 30th .
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Schools and Parliament – The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee, a cross-party group of peers, appointed to environmental and climate change, is offering 14–18 schools and colleges the opportunity to work with the Committee and advise on the issues it should look at and the questions it might ask, as part of a youth engagement panel. Successful schools and colleges will be expected to commit to the youth engagement programme from September 2024 to July 2025. You can apply here, and find out more about work in previous years here. NB, free resource packs are available to schools about UK Parliament Week.
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A New Era of Education – On the SEEd website you’ll find an article: Are We on the Cusp of a New Era of Education? by Dr Morgan Phillips from Global Action Plan.
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Celebrating Nature – There is an end of year celebration webinar with staff and students who have been following the Nature Park process in their schools. There will also be a live Q+A with staff from across the Nature Park partnership: the Natural History Museum, Royal Horticultural Society and Department for Education. It’s on July 17th 1615 to 1700. You can register here.
You can also take part in a pollinator count with the Nature Park’s first biodiversity survey. By counting pollinators in your grounds, you’ll get an idea of which insects are currently using your site and establish a baseline that you can compare to in the future when you’ve made some changes to boost biodiversity.
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IB Critiqued – You can now watch a video of last month’s webinar with Elisabeth Barratt Hacking (University of Bath) exploring and critiquing the International Baccalaureate’s concept of ‘International Mindedness,’ one of many contemporary forms of global education. Watch here.
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November in Pittsburgh – NAAEE invites us to join it in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for its 2024 Annual Conference and Research Symposium, November 5–9, 2024. This year’s events draw inspiration from Pittsburgh’s iconic bridges, celebrating their symbolic significance as it addresses challenges and successes in the environmental education landscape. Environmental educators play a pivotal role in working collaboratively across borders, dismantling barriers in communities, nurturing innovative partnerships, and amplifying program impact. The gathering will focus on bridging gaps across borders, disciplines, and ideas, and explore how we foster mutual understanding and discover common ground. You can learn more and register here.
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From Citizen Zoo – The latest newsletter from Citizen Zoo reports that the White Stork Project at the Knepp Estate in Sussex has had its most successful white stork breeding year to date. 40 white storks have fledged (up from 26 last year), and some birds are now making the long migration to Morocco. The latest success of the project coincides with the 10-yearly European White Stork Census (the oldest regular monitoring programme in the world), which is currently being carried out in Romania to estimate global stork populations and trends. The breeding success at Knepp means that in the next 5-10 years, the site will reach its carrying capacity for the species and new homing grounds will need to be established.
In other UK nature recovery news: surprise rogue beavers have been discovered in Wolverhampton – click here. 100 water voles were released into catchments in South Cornwall – click here. A pair of rare Roseate terns have attempted to nest in Hampshire – click here. A project has reintroduced hundreds of marsh fritillaries to Wales – click here. Hazel dormice have been released to boost wild populations in Bedfordshire – click here.
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Legal Bindings – Eleanor Jane Milner-Gulland, University of Oxford and Nathalie Pettorelli, Zoological Society of London, say that a legally-binding requirement is needed if we are to reverse biodiversity loss at home and overseas. See The Conversation: The UK’s nature restoration plans have some big holes – here’s how to fill them.