We asked our Member organisations to send up some updates on what they’re currently working on. There’s some great work going on, so we wanted to shout about it.
OASES
Throughout the year OASES work with partner organisations and sponsors to run special events to educate, inspire and engage different audiences with the great outdoors and global sustainability education.
In June 2020 they are holding two major one day conferences to explore the wider benefits, to both pupils and staff, of learning and spending more time outside. These are the Learning for a Healthy Future Conferences.
The conferences have been developed though a collaboration between Education Durham (Health, EYFS and PE), OASES, Public Health and Durham SEND & Inclusion. We believe it to be a first for school and setting leaders and practitioners to learn from leading experts on the beneficial physical, mental and achievement impacts of ensuring young people (and staff) engage with and utilize effectively their local outside spaces.
WWF
WWF’s global event, Earth Hour, will this year take place on the 28th of March; people across the world get involved, switching off the lights for one hour at 8pm.
There are lots of ways schools can get involved and our primary and secondary resources include educational and creative ideas linked to this year’s themes of connecting and restoring nature. An assembly presentation is also available as well as certificates and Earth Hour sew on badges.
Action for Conservation
Do you know a young person who’s ready for an adventure of a lifetime?
Action for Conservation is recruiting young people aged 12-16 for their FREE conservation camps in national parks across the country this summer. Young people will connect with nature, learn how to protect it alongside other young people and return motivated and ready to drive change in their community. You can help spread the message to as many young people as possible, before the May 3rd deadline, by sharing the opportunity with the young people you work with and encouraging them to download the camp information pack on our website.
Please note that the information packs will be uploaded onto the website on Monday the 2nd of March 2020.
TEESNet
The Teacher Education for Equity and Sustainability Network has announced the theme for this year’s annual conference. Education as a Pedagogy of Hope and Possibility: The Role of Teacher Education in Leading Narratives of Change will take place on Thursday
The 12th annual conference will provoke exploration of, and address responses to, global challenges and the ways in which these challenges suggest different approaches or narratives.
For some, there is an urgent need to recognise these challenges in terms of crisis and catastrophe, and to prepare for significant uncertainty, change and ‘deep adaptation’. For others, the emphasis is on cultivating a sense of hope and empowerment, especially amongst young people. Between these two is growing recognition of the need to shift from individual to collective responses, engage critically with our responsibilities towards each other and the planet, and foster creativity in imagining and adapting to new possibilities for human existence.
TEESNet 2020 seeks to address the pivotal role of teacher education in promoting collective, critical and creative responses.
Urban Science
The Urban Science project is creating a suite of ten learning modules to deliver practical science linked to sustainable cities and climate change. They offer teaching across the GCSE range and integrate with curriculum targets.
The first modules are now available. The modules start with an introduction to climate change and sustainability. They then cover the topics of UV light (In the Shade) and Biodiversity (Grow Wild). Each module is packed with activities that develop the competence to discover, explore and reach conclusions through Working Scientifically. Each is linked with the curriculum and supports the delivery of a GCSE ‘Required Practical’. Activities linking them together, demonstrating the city as an interconnected system accompany the learning modules.
Association for Science Education – All Change: Climate Science Education Project
Thanks to new funding from National Association for Environmental Education (NAEE) Woodcraft Folk and partners will be looking to engage ASE members in a range of opportunities, including:
- New educational resources – Climate Action Now! It’s jam packed with activities for children and young people to learn about and take action on the Climate Emergency! To be published in March.
- Climate Science Fun – an interactive workshop, delivered in partnership with Perimeter Institute, to explore how to engage and inspire young people to learn about climate science. 2pm Thursday March 12th at Angel Square, Manchester.
- Climate Science Youth training – a residential experience for teachers and youth workers led by young people. This short stay in an AONB will give individuals an opportunity to live off-grid and access a full days training delivered by young people. The young educators will share their concerns for the environment and a number of interactive sessions to inspire you to take participative learning into the classroom. 5pm Tuesday 7th April – 10am Thursday 9th April at Biblins Youth Campsite (optional training in environmental education available on Tuesday 7th).
The ‘All Change’ project will be linking up with Friends of the Earth to co-ordinate a symposium looking at how educators can support the emotional wellbeing of young people as they learn about and take on action on climate emergency.
The ‘All Change’ project will also seek to share resources and it’s learning at ASE Teach Meets and the Annual Conference in 2021.
Learning Outside the Classroom: Tools to make your Teaching Active
New research has found that children who spend lots of time sitting still are more likely to develop depression by the age of 18. Learning outside the classroom offers immediate opportunities to help children move around as part of their usual day.
Taking learning beyond the classroom makes learning active with pupils walking, stretching, pulling, pushing, climbing, jumping and running whilst taking part in lesson activities. The research found that those children who did an additional hour of light activity each day had fewer depressive symptoms when they reached adulthood. By embedding learning outside the classroom throughout the curriculum and across all ages, schools can make a valuable and significant contribution to helping students to achieve that hour a day of movement.
