July 2023 CENTRE FOR CLIMATE CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION Teaching climate change and sustainability A survey of teachers in England
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank the teachers and head teachers who participated in this research. We are grateful to many colleagues at IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, for contributing to the development of the questionnaire and this report, in particular: Nicola Bretscher, Janet Davies, Justin Dillon, David Godfrey, Rebecca Hale, Jeremy Hodgen, Dima Khazem, Jeff Marks, David Mitchell, John Morgan, Marian Mulcahy, Michael Reiss, Michael Riley, Hans Svennevig, Becky Taylor and Tessa Willy. We are also grateful for the input of Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) students, teacher educators, and teachers who participated in the pilot studies. The survey was made possible with funding from the University College London IOE Strategic Investment Fund. To cite this report: Greer, K., Sheldrake, R., Rushton, E., Kitson, A., Hargreaves, E., Walshe, N. (2023). Teaching climate change and sustainability: A survey of teachers in England. University College London. London, UK. The report can be accessed at: www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/departments-and-centres/centres/uclcentre-climate-change-and-sustainability-education
Acknowledgements 2 Summary of findings 4 1. Introduction 6 1.1 Research aims 6 1.2 Research context 7 2. Methods 10 2.1 The questionnaire 10 2.2 Data analysis 10 2.3 The respondents 11 3. Results 13 3.1 Teachers’ practice 13 3.2 Teachers’ professional development 27 4. Reflection: Opportunities for enhancing climate change and sustainability teaching in England 33 4.1 M oving teacher professional development beyond ‘self-taught’ 33 4.2 T he untapped potential of initial teacher education 34 4.3 E xtending teachers’ practice outside the classroom 36 4.4 Empowering school leaders 37 4.5 Building on the National Curriculum 37 5.Concluding remarks 39 6. References 40 Contents
4 Summary of findings This report shares detailed findings as to the current state of climate change and sustainability education in England in 2022-23, with a particular focus on teachers’ practice and professional development. The results reveal both strengths and gaps in the provision of climate change and sustainability education in England. The report serves as an evidence base for researchers, policymakers and practitioners who seek to support teachers to fulfil their important roles in society’s transformation to a sustainable future. UCL’s Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education (CCCSE) conducted a survey of teachers in England entitled ‘What do climate change and sustainability education have to do with me?’. Between October and December 2022, teachers were invited to respond to an online questionnaire about their views and experiences. Teachers were recruited through email lists, professional networks, social media and via the CCCSE website. The questionnaire investigated their teaching practice, professional development, and sense of confidence and preparedness to incorporate climate change and sustainability into their teaching. It included a range of question types and generated quantitative and qualitative data. The survey gathered 870 responses, with over two thirds (70.7%) teaching at secondary level, and geography (41.3%) and science (37.2%) being the most frequently reported subjects taught. Those who responded represented a wide range of teaching experience, from one year to 20+ years, with university-led PGCE programmes the most commonly reported route into teaching (87.2%). The significant majority of respondents were female (73.9%) and from white backgrounds (90.5%).
5 Professional development • L ess than half of the respondents (44.9%) reported participating in formal professional development related to climate change and sustainability. • L ess than 13% of respondents reported that their Initial Teacher Education (ITE) included a focus on climate change and sustainability. • O f those who have participated in climate change and sustainability focused professional development, the most frequently reported type was ‘self-taught’. These findings highlight significant gaps in professional development related to climate change and sustainability education. Access to high quality professional development for teachers of all subjects and at all levels should be a priority for enhancing climate change and sustainability education in schools. Curriculum • T eaching related to climate change and sustainability was most prevalent in geography and in science, and at secondary level. • T eaching related to climate change and sustainability was included to a lesser extent in subjects such as citizenship, art and design, business studies, design and technology, English/literacy and personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE). • T he majority of respondents said that it was a priority for climate change and sustainability to feature more strongly in the National Curriculum. This was particularly the case for those teaching at primary level and for those, whether at primary or secondary level, teaching subjects other than geography or science. These findings highlight the potential to establish and/or extend practice in all subjects in order to enhance school-based climate change and sustainability education across the curriculum. Outside the classroom • S chool buildings, their grounds and other outdoor settings were not frequently used by respondents to support their climate change and sustainability teaching; this was particularly the case in secondary schools. • H owever, respondents recognise the potential of these settings for supporting climate change and sustainability teaching in schools. • T he three outside the classroom activities most frequently reported by teachers to support their teaching related to climate change and sustainability were: encouraging students to take their learning home; students participating in projects to improve school sustainability or environment; and students participating in school decision-making around sustainability. These findings indicate that whilst outside the classroom settings and activities can provide a strong foundation for enhancing the engagement of the school community in climate change and sustainability education, their potential is not always realised.
6 Education, including formal schooling, is widely understood to be central to the development of the knowledge and skills that children and young people need to live sustainable lives and respond to the challenges of climate change. The teaching they have access to is crucial for that development. Teachers and their professional development are, therefore, central to effective climate change and sustainability education. Initial teacher education (ITE) and continuous professional development (CPD) related to climate change and sustainability can enhance teachers’ capabilities to support education’s role in the large-scale change that is needed to transform people and cultures to more environmentally and socially sustainable ways of being. However, to maximise the effectiveness of ITE and CPD, it is first important to understand current perspectives and practice in relation to climate change and sustainability education. This report examines the views and experiences of teachers in England, and highlights opportunities to enhance climate change and sustainability focused professional development at all stages of teachers’ careers. It is structured as follows: following the Introduction, Section 2 summarises the research methods, including the survey design process and the methods of analysis; Section 3 presents the analysis; and Section 4 discusses key issues relevant to climate change and sustainability education in schools. 1.1Research aims The purpose of the survey was to generate new insight into the state of climate change and sustainability education in England. It was guided by the following questions: 1. W ho is engaged in school-based teaching related to climate change and sustainability in England? 2. H ow are climate change and sustainability incorporated into current teaching practice in schools in England? 3. W hat is the nature of professional development related to climate change and sustainability for teachers in England? 4. W hat opportunities exist to enhance climate change and sustainability education in schools in England? 1. Introduction “To disrupt the current pace of environmental destruction and climate change, we cannot continue to do the same things that we’ve been doing; we cannot continue to be the same people; and, we cannot continue to be the same teachers.” (Jickling & Blenkinsop, 2020, p. 122)
7 1.2 Research context 1.2.1 Climate change education and sustainability education Climate change education and sustainability education aim to generate understanding of the wide-ranging, interconnected, environmental and social issues that define our time, and support people’s capabilities for acting in response to those issues. They can be understood as broad, pluralistic approaches to education. Climate change education is described in the research literature as a range of approaches that differ between countries and contexts, between schools and across disciplines. However, in a systematic review of 49 studies that considered the efficacy of climate change education programmes, Monroe et al. (2019) found that most programmes focused on improving students’ knowledge about climate change through formal education. Their synthesis identified two overarching strategies for increasing the efficacy of climate change education programmes: (1) a focus on personally relevant and meaningful climate change information and, (2) use of student-centred, active, and engaging teaching methods. Rousell and CutterMackenzie-Knowles (2020) identified a similarly strong emphasis on scientific knowledge in their systematic review of 220 research papers published between 1993 and 2014. They found that nearly half of the studies specifically referred to increasing scientific knowledge as the primary framing, and that school-based science education was the dominant context. Yet, there is a need to move beyond an over-emphasis on learning the science of climate change not least because this focus does not necessarily translate into pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours (e.g., Brownlee et al., 2013). These reviews, alongside other research, emphasise the need for holistic, participatory, and creative approaches to climate change education that foreground concerns for justice and advocacy for the environment and that draws on multiple disciplines. Sustainability education can be understood as education that supports citizens of today to live in ways that do not cause environmental harm, rather to live environmentally restorative lives that maximise opportunities for life on a healthy planet now and in the future. Like climate change education, sustainability education is understood and enacted variously. It can be construed as transformative, by seeking to challenge the unsustainable structures and values that govern institutions and individuals (e.g., Lotz-Sisitka et al., 2015). Often, it is framed in terms of whole-school approaches (e.g., Wals & Mathie, 2022) that involve actions across a range of dimensions such as: • governance and leadership which can include vision statements, policies and strategies that communicate and actively support sustainability across the school;
8 • operations including actions that improve the sustainability of school buildings and grounds, energy, waste, water, biodiversity, transport, and procurement; • teaching and learning that involves teachers and teaching teams, supported by school leadership, to develop content and pedagogy to integrate sustainability across the curriculum; and • community engagement and partnerships to support learning about and contributing to sustainability through incursions or excursions, community projects, or engaging parent communities in schoolground improvements (examples in England include SEEd1, GreenSchools Project2 and EcoSchools3). Elsewhere, sustainability education can be viewed in terms of developing competencies or, in policy discourse, in terms of ‘green skills’ (e.g. Department for Education [DfE], 2022). Subject-based approaches are also an important part of climate change and sustainability education. Disciplinary-knowledge rooted in a subject-based curriculum has the potential to provide a range of distinctive perspectives which collectively equip young people to think critically, empathetically and imaginatively about the challenges of climate change and sustainability. Whilst wider research underlines the value of whole-curriculum approaches, in England4 the organisation of the secondary curriculum lends itself to a more subject-based approach. Although opportunities for cross-curricular and holistic approaches have tended to be more apparent in the primary and Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) contexts, primary schools are also expected to have strong disciplinary focus with Ofsted evaluating the extent to which the ‘curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced towards cumulatively sufficient knowledge and skills for future learning and employment’ (Ofsted, 2022, no page). Therefore, in England, recognising and supporting quality subject-based approaches is key to enhancing climate change and sustainability education in schools. 1.2.2 Policy context in England Currently, in England, the National Curriculum includes climate change and sustainability in secondary geography and science (Dawson et al., 2022) and, in principle, it affords teachers flexibility to incorporate related content across their teaching (DfE, 2014) (discussed further in Section 4). In addition to the curriculum, the UK Government’s Sustainability and climate change strategy for the education and children’s services system (DfE, 2022) sets out priorities for England across five action areas (Climate Education, Green Skills and Careers, Education Estate and Digital Infrastructures, Operations and Supply Chains, International) and three key initiatives (National Education Nature Park, Climate Action Awards, Sustainability Leadership). Amongst the action areas and initiatives, and of key interest for this survey, is the strategy’s commitment to provide ‘additional support to teachers of all levels’ in relation to climate change and sustainability education (ibid., no page). 1 https://se-ed.org.uk/our-work/whole-institution-school-approach-sustainability/ 2 https://www.greenschoolsproject.org.uk/ 3 https://www.eco-schools.org.uk/ 4 In England, schooling is organised in levels and stages: early years foundation stage (3 – 5-year-olds); primary school includes Key Stage 1 (5 – 7-year-olds) and Key Stage 2 (7 – 9-year-olds); secondary school includes Key Stage 3 (12 – 14-year-olds), Key Stage 4 (14 – 16-year-olds) and Key Stage 5 (16 – 18-year-olds). Key Stage 5 is a term used to describe Year 12 and Year 13, although it is not formally used in the National Curriculum.
9 1.2.3 Teachers’ views and experiences of climate change and sustainability education Recent polling in England has identified an appetite amongst students and teachers to enhance the provision of climate change and sustainability education in schools and has highlighted that teachers would like access to more support and training (SOS-UK, 2021; YouGov, 2019). However, these polls do not provide a detailed picture of the current state of teachers’ related practice or their professional development experiences. Research by Howard-Jones and colleagues (2021) offers further insight; their survey of teachers in England (n = 626), found that most teachers (73.7%) were already discussing climate change with their students and that teachers are ‘ready and willing to move forward with radical, action-oriented climate change education’ (ibid, 2021, p. 1675). Whilst more than half of the teachers were encouraged by their schools to teach or discuss climate change with their students, only 32% of the teachers outside of science and geography felt sufficiently resourced to do so. Thus, whilst under-resourcing in a general sense appears to be constraining teachers’ practice, little is known about the opportunities for professional development related to climate change and sustainability education in England that could help to alleviate that resourcing need. 1.2.4 Summary Climate change and sustainability education are variously understood, but there is widespread recognition that whole-school approaches are important. In England, climate change and sustainability education frequently occur as part of a subject-based curriculum with an emphasis on scientific knowledge. However, support is needed for all teachers to develop subject-based content and pedagogy so they can contribute to effective holistic, whole-curriculum, climate change and sustainability education. The calls from teachers and students to enhance climate change and sustainability education in schools, and for the necessary resources, are reflected in recent policy activity in England. Therefore, this survey is timely as it captures current practices and needs of teachers in England, which can inform policy implementation and ongoing policy development in this area, especially in relation to teacher professional development.
10 2.1 The questionnaire The questionnaire gathered teachers’ views on climate change and sustainability, their experience of incorporating climate change and sustainability in their teaching, and their related professional development experience. The research was conducted with approval from the UCL Research Ethics Committee (REC 1627), and data were managed in accordance with the UK GDPR and DPA 2018. The questionnaire design and content were informed by existing research (Howard-Jones et al., 2021; Jie Li et al., 2021; Teacher Tapp, 2019; UK Government, 2018). A variety of question types were used to facilitate engagement throughout the questionnaire and to maximise insight. The question types encompassed selecting options, selecting extents of agreement or disagreement for various statements, selecting frequencies of applying various aspects of teaching, and open text fields for sharing views and experiences. The questionnaire was accessed using the Qualtrics online platform. Responses were sought from teachers in England working across all subject areas and levels of schooling, between October and December 2022. Participants were recruited through a range of networks, social media channels and distribution lists, including the IOE, subject associations, and the DfE. Incentives were offered in the form of two randomly drawn cash prizes (£100 each) that could be used to purchase climate change and sustainability teaching resources. Efforts were made to gather responses from teachers with varied experiences of climate change and sustainability education; nevertheless, it is more likely that those who are already engaged in teaching related to climate change and sustainability responded to the survey and so the results should be construed as representative of the sample, rather than representative of teachers in England as a whole. 2.2 Data analysis This report shares findings from the first phase of analysis which focused on the quantitative aspects of the questionnaire responses. The analysis quantified overall responses and explored similarities or differences in views and experiences of those teaching or not teaching subjects and levels; for example, views from those currently teaching geography were compared to views from those not teaching geography, and views from those currently teaching at secondary level were compared to views from those not teaching at secondary level. For questions that sought responses across Likert scales, analysis involved considering extents (including via 1-5 scales where 1 reflected ‘strongly disagree’ and 5 reflected ‘strongly agree’) and considering proportions (including via percentages of those selecting ‘agree’ or ‘strongly agree’ and percentages of those selecting ‘often’ or ‘very often’). The analysis explored differences in responses through cross-tabulations, and differences in averages through independent-samples tests (without assuming equal variances across the groups of respondents being considered). Magnitudes of difference were quantified through Cohen’s D values, which are often interpreted as values below 0.20 reflecting minimal differences, values from 0.20 to 0.50 reflecting small differences, values from 0.50 to 0.80 reflecting moderate differences, and values above 0.80 reflecting large differences (Cohen, 1988). Statistical significance was shown through p values, which broadly convey the extent of statistical uncertainty. The standard threshold for ‘statistical significance’ is a p value below 0.05. For the most part, statistically significant results have been included in this report. 2. Methods
11 2.3 The respondents Responses were received from 870 teachers and headteachers across England. Respondents were not required to answer every question, with lower response rates in latter sections. The final set of questions, which investigated personal backgrounds and characteristics, were answered by between 508 and 528 respondents. 2.3.1 Demographics The questionnaire was completed by 388 respondents identifying as female (73.9%), 131 as male (25.0%), and 6 non-binary and gender diverse people (1.1%). The remaining respondents did not provide this information. The higher proportion of females follows a similar trend to the teacher workforce in state-funded schools in England (75.5% female) (UK Government, 2022). In terms of ethnicity, 467 respondents (90.5%) identified themselves as being from white backgrounds, 21 from Asian / Asian British backgrounds (4.1%), 18 from mixed backgrounds (3.5%), 4 from Black / Black British backgrounds (0.8%), and 6 from other backgrounds (1.2%). The remaining teachers did not provide this information. These proportions are also comparable to the workforce in state-funded schools in England where 90.3% of all identified as white, 5.1% as Asian and 2.4% identified as Black (UK Government, 2022).
12 2.3.2 Education and teaching experience More than half the respondents reported a bachelor’s degree as their highest qualification (274 respondents, 52.2%) and just under half reported a masters or a doctorate as their highest qualification (219, 41.7%). The majority of respondents (325, 62.0%) reported that they entered teaching via a PGCE programme in England, and through a university-led (306, 87.2%), rather than school-led, programme. Teachers reported a wide range of years of teaching experience since completing teacher education. The largest proportion reported 1-5 years of experience (157 respondents, 30.3%), 86 reported 6-10 years (16.6%), 85 reported 11-15 years (16.4%), 64 reported 16-20 years (12.4%), and 126 reported 20+ years (24.3%). 2.3.3 Current teaching (stage and level) The most frequently reported subjects taught were geography (210 teachers, which was 41.3% of those who answered the associated questions), science (189, 37.2%), and personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) including in tutor and/or form time (179, 35.2%). Just over one third of teachers (176, 34.6% of those who answered the associated questions) taught at early years and primary level; more than two thirds (359, 70.7%) taught at secondary level and a smaller proportion (27, 5.3%) taught at both primary and secondary levels.
13 3. Results The results are presented in two parts – Teachers’ practice, and Teachers’ professional development – which are divided into sub-sections and include key findings. The results should be viewed as representing the views and experiences of a subset of teachers in England, rather than the broader teaching workforce. 3.1 Teachers’ practice 3.1.1 Inclusion of climate change and sustainability in teaching KEY FINDINGS • A significant majority of survey respondents reported including content related to climate change and sustainability into their teaching ‘sometimes’, ‘often’, or ‘very often’; less than one fifth reported they ‘never’ or ‘almost never’ include this content. • Climate change and/or sustainability are most commonly included in geography teaching, followed by science teaching. • Respondents teaching at the secondary level reported more frequent inclusion of climate change and sustainability content. • There is a strong positive correlation between those whose ITE included a focus on climate change and sustainability and those who ‘often’ or ‘very often’ incorporated related content in their teaching. The survey investigated the extent to which teachers incorporated climate change and sustainability into their teaching. Overall, the largest proportion of respondents reported that they ‘sometimes’ included climate change (37.0%) and sustainability (35.9%) in their teaching, whereas a smaller, but still significant, proportion reported that they ‘often’ or ‘very often’ included climate change or sustainability content (Table 1).
14 Table 1: Reported inclusion of climate change and sustainability in teaching.5 Never Almost never Sometimes Often Very Often Responses I include content related to climate change in my teaching 8.6% 9.9% 37.0% 24.2% 20.3% 627 I include content related to sustainability in my teaching 7.9% 11.3% 35.9% 24.8% 20.3% 622 I am encouraged by school leaders to discuss climate change/sustainability in the classroom 16.3% 23.8% 31.6% 19.1% 9.3% 614 My students bring up climate change/ sustainability in the classroom 6.3% 15.8% 44.9% 25.3% 7.7% 608 I plan my climate change/ sustainability teaching with colleagues 27.6% 22.1% 27.9% 15.2% 7.2% 612 There is progression in teaching related to climate change and/or sustainability in my school 21.0% 21.0% 32.5% 18.7% 6.7% 609 Differences in inclusion of climate change and sustainability by current teaching (subject and level) Respondents currently teaching geography at any level of schooling reported more frequent inclusion of climate change and sustainability content in their teaching compared with those not teaching geography. Specifically, respondents who teach geography were more likely to report that they ‘often’ or ‘very often’ incorporated climate change and sustainability content in their teaching, received encouragement by school leaders to do so, experienced their students raising climate change/sustainability in the classroom, and planned climate change/sustainability teaching with colleagues (Table 2). Respondents who reported currently teaching science in any level of schooling reported similar frequencies of including climate change content compared to those not teaching science. 5 The table shows the percentage of responses for each of the categories that could be selected for each questionnaire item, and the number of responses for each questionnaire item. Higher percentages of responses per category are given darker shading.
15 Table 2: Reported inclusion of climate change and sustainability in teaching, across different subjects at any level of schooling.6 Questionnaire item All responses Art and design English / literacy Geography History Mathematics / numeracy PSHE including tutor time Science I include content related to climate change in my teaching 44.5% [-] 37.1% [-] 27.2% [+] 59.0% [-] 32.1% [-] 25.3% [-] 37.4% 45.0% I include content related to sustainability in my teaching 45.0% 38.9% [-] 25.9% [+] 57.9% [-] 30.9% [-] 25.5% [-] 35.8% 40.2% I am encouraged by school leaders to discuss climate change/sustainability in the classroom 28.3% 30.6% 31.0% [+] 34.1% 33.6% 28.0% 32.8% 29.8% My students bring up climate change/sustainability in the classroom 33.1% 27.7% [-] 25.2% [+] 48.1% 32.1% [-] 20.8% 29.9% [-] 26.6% I plan my climate change/ sustainability teaching with colleagues 22.4% 21.0% [-] 16.1% [+] 33.7% 20.1% [-] 15.4% 20.3% 20.2% There is progression in teaching related to climate change and/or sustainability in my school 25.5% 20.5% [-] 19.4% [+] 33.2% 20.1% [-] 18.8% 23.2% 25.5% The inclusion of content related to climate change and sustainability was more frequently reported by respondents teaching at secondary level, where 48.5% reported that they ‘often’ or ‘very often’ include content related to climate change and 48.3% reported that they ‘often’ or ‘very often’ include content related to sustainability (Table 3). Respondents who teach subjects other than science and geography less commonly reported inclusion of this content; for example, only 37.1% of those teaching art and design at any level of schooling ‘often’ or ‘very often’ include content related to climate change; 27.2% of those teaching English/literacy; 32.1% of those teaching history; 25.3% of those teaching mathematics/numeracy; and 37.4% of those teaching PSHE. 6 The table shows the percentage of those who selected ‘often’ of ‘very often’ for each questionnaire item. It shows responses across all levels and across those teaching particular subjects: art and design (159 respondents), English / literacy (158 respondents), geography (210 respondents), history (137 respondents), mathematics / numeracy (155 respondents), PSHE including tutor time (179 respondents), and science (189 respondents). Respondents may have reported teaching multiple subjects and may not have answered every questionnaire item. [+/-] indicators show statistically significant differences (p < .05) across those reporting teaching the subject compared to those not teaching the subject. An indicator of ‘[-]’ shows where those teaching the subject reported lower compared to those not teaching the subject, and an indicator of ‘[+]’ shows where those teaching the subject report higher compared to those not teaching the subject.
16 Table 3: Reported inclusion of climate change and sustainability in teaching, across teaching in different subjects at secondary level.7 Questionnaire item All responses Art and design English / literacy Geography History Mathematics / numeracy PSHE including tutor time Science I include content related to climate change in my teaching 48.5% 47.1% [-] 18.2%[+] 86.4% 32.3% [-] 10.3% 45.1% [+] 58.3% I include content related to sustainability in my teaching 48.3% 61.8% [-] 15.9%[+] 84.5%[-] 29.0% [-] 12.8% 42.3% 48.8% I am encouraged by school leaders to discuss climate change/sustainability in the classroom 25.3% 20.6% 19.0% [+] 33.0% 26.7% [-] 8.1% 25.7% 23.8% My students bring up climate change/ sustainability in the classroom 34.4% 30.3% [-] 19.0%[+] 68.6% 43.3% [-] 2.8% 32.9% 26.2% I plan my climate change/sustainability teaching with colleagues 22.5% 23.5% [-] 7.1% [+] 47.6% 16.7% [-] 5.6% 20.0% 19.0% There is progression in teaching related to climate change and/ or sustainability in my school 27.8% 20.6% 19.0% [+] 44.7%[-] 13.3% [-] 13.9% 25.7% 29.8% 7 The table shows the percentage of those who selected ‘often’ or ‘very often’ for each questionnaire item. It shows responses from those teaching at secondary level (359 respondents) and those teaching particular subjects at secondary level: art and design (34 respondents), English / literacy (44 respondents), geography (103 respondents), history (31 respondents), mathematics / numeracy (39 respondents), PSHE including tutor time (71 respondents), and science (84 respondents). Respondents may have reported teaching multiple subjects, and may not have answered every questionnaire item. [+/-] indicators show statistically significant differences (p < .05) across those reporting teaching the subject compared to those not teaching the subject. An indicator of ‘[-]’ shows where those teaching the subject reported lower compared to those not teaching the subject, and an indicator of ‘[+]’ shows where those teaching the subject report higher compared to those not teaching the subject.
17 Respondents who reported that they include climate change and sustainability content in their teaching were then asked to indicate a frequency of inclusion across a range of subjects (Table 4). Table 4: Frequencies of including climate change and/or sustainability in teaching by subject at any level of schooling.8 Current teaching Rarely Occasionally Most commonly Number of responses Art and Design 33.6% 49.6% 16.8% 125 Business Education 25.0% 41.7% 33.3% 12 Citizenship 3.6% 43.6% 52.7% 55 Design and Technology 23.2% 52.6% 24.2% 95 English/Literacy 17.9% 67.9% 14.2% 134 Geography 0.0% 20.5% 79.5% 195 History 54.3% 36.2% 9.5% 105 ICT or Computing 53.2% 39.0% 7.8% 77 Mathematics/Numeracy 77.9% 18.3% 3.8% 104 Modern Foreign Languages 66.7% 22.8% 10.5% 57 Music 77.3% 19.7% 3.0% 66 PSHE including tutor time 6.3% 56.6% 37.1% 143 Physical Education 75.4% 14.5% 10.1% 69 Psychology 70.0% 20.0% 10.0% 10 Religious Education (RE) 44.2% 33.7% 22.1% 86 Science 3.6% 29.0% 67.5% 169 Sociology 37.5% 37.5% 25.0% 8 Something else 3.8% 34.6% 61.5% 26 Of those who reported teaching geography (at any level), the majority ‘most commonly’ (79.5%) included climate change and/or sustainability in their teaching, with some reporting that they ‘occasionally’ (20.5%) included it, and none reporting that they ‘rarely’ included it. In contrast, the majority of respondents who reported teaching mathematics/numeracy, music, physical education, modern foreign languages, and history reported that they ‘rarely’ included climate change and/or sustainability in their subject teaching. 8 The table shows reported frequencies of including climate change and/or sustainability in teaching via the percentage of responses for each of the available categories. The number of responses reflects those who reported teaching the subject (at any level of schooling) and who also answered the question about including climate change and/or sustainability in their teaching for that subject. For each questionnaire item, higher percentages of responses per category are given darker shading.
18 Differences in inclusion by professional development Analysis considered differences in the inclusion of climate change and sustainability content into respondents’ teaching according to their previous participation in professional development. Amongst respondents who reported they ‘often’ or ‘very often’ incorporate climate change and sustainability into their teaching, the analysis identified a strong positive correlation between those who have participated in related professional development and those who ‘often’ or ‘very often’ incorporate such content in their teaching (Table 5). This was particularly the case for respondents whose ITE included a focus on climate change and/or sustainability: 73.1% of these respondents reported that they ‘often’ or ‘very often’ include climate change content in their teaching, compared with only 38.4% whose ITE did not include this focus. Analysis also found that teachers who had participated in related CPD since becoming a teacher reported higher rates of incorporating it into their teaching than those who had not.
19 Table 5: Inclusion of climate change and sustainability in teaching, across reported professional development.9 Questionnaire item All responses Training during ITE Training during NQT/ECT year / first year of teaching Since becoming a teacher: departmental, INSET, CPD training Since becoming a teacher: outside- school training Since becoming a teacher: self-taught training I include content related to climate change in my teaching 44.5% [+] 73.1% [+] 73.7% [+] 64.8% [+] 67.5% [+] 56.3% I include content related to sustainability in my teaching 45.0% [+] 68.2% [+] 73.7% [+] 63.8% [+] 68.5% [+] 56.0% I am encouraged by school leaders to discuss climate change/ sustainability in the classroom 28.3% [+] 41.8% [+] 73.7% [+] 45.3% [+] 36.0% [+] 32.2% My students bring up climate change/sustainability in the classroom 33.1% [+] 58.5% [+] 68.4% [+] 54.0% [+] 44.4% [+] 39.4% I plan my climate change/ sustainability teaching with colleagues 22.4% [+] 42.4% 31.6% [+] 37.5% [+] 34.8% [+] 27.6% There is progression in teaching related to climate change and/or sustainability in my school 25.5% [+] 43.1% [+] 52.6% [+] 41.7% [+] 32.5% [+] 30.0% 9 The table shows the percentage of those who selected ‘often’ of ‘very often’ for each questionnaire item. It shows responses across all levels and across those who reported participating in professional development related to climate change and/or sustainability: through their ITE course (67 respondents), through their NQT/ECT or first year of teaching (19 respondents), through within-school training since becoming a teacher (128 respondents), through outside-school training since becoming a teacher (166 respondents), and through self-taught training since becoming a teacher (375 respondents). These numbers of respondents reflect the base, and each person may not have answered every questionnaire item. [+/-] indicators show statistically significant differences (p < .05) across those reporting participation in the professional development compared with those who did not. An indicator of ‘[-]’ shows where those who had participated in the professional development reported lower than those who had not, and an indicator of ‘[+]’ shows where those who had participated in the professional development reported higher than those who had not. These results highlight that current climate change and sustainability teaching predominantly takes place in geography and science lessons, and at the secondary level. They show the potential for enhancing provision within other subject areas, particularly citizenship, art and design, business studies, design and technology, English/literacy and PSHE, and for seeking out opportunities in subjects where related content is ‘rarely’ included by respondents to this survey, such as mathematics, history or music.
20 3.1.2 Use of resources to support teaching KEY FINDINGS • The types of resources that respondents most frequently use to support teaching related to climate change and/or sustainability are ‘films and videos’, ‘news media’, ‘resources that I create’ and ‘online resources provided by external organisations’. • School buildings, grounds and other outside the classroom settings showed relatively low levels of use as a teaching resource, and even lower levels of use by respondents teaching at the secondary level. • Respondents who reported undertaking professional development related to climate change and sustainability reported using a wider range of resources than those who had not. The survey asked respondents who reported including content related to climate change and/or sustainability in their teaching to indicate the types of resources they most commonly used to support this teaching. Across these responses, the four most frequently selected resources were ‘Films and videos’ (73.8%), ‘News media’ (62.0%), ‘Resources that I create’ (58.5%), and ‘Online resources provided by external organisations’ (53.3%) (Figure 1). These results draw attention to the importance of critical literacy skills for teachers (and students) which support them to critique the content and origins of these resources. 73.8% Films or videos News media 62.0% Resources that I create 58.5% 53.3% Online resources provided by external organisations Resources developed by your school or your colleagues 46.7% Schemes of work 42.4% School buildings and grounds 22.7% Textbooks 31.0% Outside the classroom settings 20.5% Lectures or talks (such as guest speakers) 20.3% Podcasts 9.1% Other 7.6% Figure 1: Use of resources to support teaching related to climate change and sustainability.10 10 The figure shows the percentage of respondents who selected that they used each resource. It includes responses from those who answered the array of questions (516 respondents).
21 School buildings and grounds (used by 22.7% of all respondents) and outside the classroom settings (used by 20.5% of all respondents) showed relatively low use as a teaching resource (Figure 1), and even lower use by respondents teaching at secondary level where school buildings and grounds were used by 19.0% of respondents. Respondents who teach geography at any level of schooling reported slightly higher use of school buildings and grounds and outside the classroom settings than those who did not. One notable comparison is that school buildings and grounds were used as a teaching resource by 26.5% of respondents teaching secondary geography compared with only 12.0% of respondents teaching secondary science. Of further note is that the amount of professional development related to climate change and sustainability undertaken by respondents positively correlated with the range of resources they reported using (Table 6); in this way, those who reported having participated in a type of professional development conveyed higher level of resource use compared to those who had not.11 11 Except in the case of training during the first year of teaching, where similar resource use was reported by those who had undertaken such training and those who had not. However, the small sample of respondents who reported having participated in such training limits the potential for determining significant differences.
22 Table 6: Use of resources to support teaching related to climate change and sustainability, across reported professional development.12 Resource Training during ITE Training during NQT/ ECT year / first year of teaching Since becoming a teacher: departmental, INSET or continuing professional development Since becoming a teacher: outsideschool PD Since becoming a teacher: self-taught PD Lectures or talks 20.3% 29.4% [+] 34.1% [+] 34.2% [+] 23.5% Films and videos [+] 87.5% 88.2% 77.0% [+] 80.7% [+] 76.5% News media [+] 73.4% 76.5% 67.5% 68.3% [+] 66.0% Podcasts 14.1% 23.5% [+] 16.7% [+] 16.1% 10.0% Online resources provided by external organisations 51.6% 47.1% 61.1% [+] 62.1% [+] 57.1% Textbooks 40.6% 29.4% 28.6% 32.3% 31.8% Schemes of work [+] 59.4% 47.1% 45.2% 46.0% 44.5% Resources developed by your school or your colleagues [+] 62.5% 52.9% [+] 66.7% [+] 57.8% [+] 51.2% School buildings and grounds 18.8% 35.3% [+] 34.1% [+] 34.8% [+] 27.8% Out-of-classroom settings 25.0% 41.2% 26.2% [+] 31.1% [+] 22.9% Resources that I create [+] 75.0% 58.8% 65.9% [+] 75.8% [+] 68.7% Other 6.3% 17.6% 5.6% 7.5% [-] 5.7% These results highlight further avenues for supporting teachers to enhance their practice, including by supporting them to incorporate school buildings and grounds into their teaching related to climate change and sustainability. They also signal ways in which professional development across teachers’ careers can support more expansive, varied teaching practice – in this case, through the use of a wider range of resources. 12 The table shows the percentage of respondents who reported that they used each resource. It shows responses from those who reported different professional development in climate/sustainability: through their ITE course (67 respondents), through their NQT/ECT or first year of teaching (19 respondents), through within-school training since becoming a teacher (128 respondents), through outside-school training since becoming a teacher (166 respondents), and through self-taught training since becoming a teacher (375 respondents). These numbers of respondents reflect the base, and each person may not have answered every questionnaire item. [+/-] indicators show statistically significant differences (p < .05) across those reporting participation in the professional development compared with those who did not. An indicator of ‘[-]’ shows where those who had participated the professional development reported lower than those who had not, and an indicator of ‘[+]’ shows where those who had participated the professional development reported higher than those who had not.
23 13 This question was only available to those who had previously reported that they included content related to climate change and/or sustainability in their teaching. KEY FINDINGS • The three most frequently used outside the classroom activities to support climate change and sustainability teaching were: encouraging students to take their learning home to families, students participating in projects to improve school sustainability or environment, and students participating in school decision-making. • School buildings, grounds and outside the classroom settings showed relatively low use in relation to climate change and sustainability teaching, particularly by respondents teaching at the secondary level. • Less use of outside the classroom activities to support teaching was reported by respondents currently teaching at the secondary level, compared to those teaching in other levels (except amongst those who reported teaching geography, where those teaching at primary and secondary reported similarly). • There was a positive correlation between reported professional development related to climate change and sustainability and outside the classroom activities used to support teaching related to climate change and sustainability. The questionnaire investigated the types of outside the classroom activities respondents used to support their teaching related to climate change and/or sustainability.13 Out of the 487 teachers who selected one or more items from the range of options, the majority (85.2%) indicated that they used at least one outside the classroom activity and only a small proportion selected ‘none’ (14.8%). Across all responses, the three most frequently selected activities were ‘encourage your students to take their learning home to their families’ (53.2%), ‘participation in projects to improve your school’s sustainability or environment’ (53.0%), and ‘participation in school decision-making’ (32.4%) (Figure 2). 3.1.3 Use of outside the classroom activities
24 53.2% None Participation in awards (e.g., John Muir awards) Other Participation in political advocacy or activity (e.g., public speaking or writing to an MP) Participation in citizen science Visits to museums or science /technology centres Participation in arts-based activities Visits to environmental/ conservation areas or centres Participation in projects with your local community Participation in school decision-making Encourage your students to take their learning home home to their families Participation in projects to improve your school's sustainability or environment 53.0% 32.4% 29.4% 26.3% 26.1% 18.3% 20.3% 15.2% 14.8% 12.9% 4.7% Differences in use of outside the classroom activities by current teaching (subject and level) A higher number of outside the classroom activities to support teaching were used by respondents who teach geography at any level, when compared with those not teaching geography. Respondents who currently teach geography at any level report more use of participation in projects with local communities, more participation in projects to improve their school’s sustainability or environment, more participation in school decision-making, and more encouragement for their students to take their learning home to their families (Figure 3). Respondents who currently teach science at any level of education (compared to those not teaching science) reported slightly less use, with the exception or more use of visits to museums or science/technology centres where 30.6% of science teachers reported the activity compared to 21.4% of those not teaching science. Figure 2: Use of outside the classroom activities to support teaching related to climate change and sustainability.14 14 The figure shows the percentage of respondents who selected that they used each activity. It includes responses from those who answered the array of questions (487 respondents).
25 Figure 3: Use of outside the classroom activities to support climate change and sustainability teaching, across selected subjects and levels of teaching.15 Visits to environmental/ conservation areas or centres Visits to museums or science/ technology centres Participation in arts-based activities Participation in citizen science Participation in awards (e.g., John Muir awards) Participation in projects with your local community Participation in projects to improve your school's sustainability or environment Participation in school decision-making Participation in political advocacy or activity (e.g., public speaking or writing to an MP) Encourage your students to take their learning home to their families None Other 29.4% 30.9% 32.9% 25.4% 26.1% 28.4% 30.6% 20.2% 20.3% 21.6% 20.2 15.6% 15.2% 17.0% 16.2% 16.9% 12.9% 16.5% 15.0% 11.7% 26.3% 31.4% 26.6% 21.5% 53.0% 67.5% 53.8% 49.5% 32.4% 43.8% 32.9% 30.3% 18.3% 21.1% 17.3% 16.6% 53.2% 62.9% 55.5% 50.8% 14.8% 8.8% 12.7% 17.9% 4.7% 3.6% 5.2% 3.6% All responses Currently teaching science: Yes Currently teaching geography: Yes Currently teaching at secondary level: Yes Respondents who currently teach at the secondary level reported less use of most outside the classroom activities when compared with those not teaching at secondary level, except for those who teach geography (Figure 4). This includes: less use of visits to environmental/conservation areas or centres; less use of visits to museums or science/ technology centres; less participation in arts-based activities; less participation in projects with local communities; less participation in projects to improve their school’s sustainability or environment; and less participation in school decision-making. 15 The figure covers responses from those who answered the array of questions (487 respondents), and those who also reported currently teaching geography (194 respondents), currently teaching science (173 respondents), and currently teaching at secondary level (307 respondents); these numbers reflect those who reported teaching the subject or level and who also answered this array of questions.
26 Currently teaching at secondary level: No Currently teaching at secondary level: Yes Visits to environmental/ conservation areas or centres Visits to museums or science/ technology centres Participation in arts-based activities Participation in political advocacy or activity (e.g., public speaking or writing to an MP) Encourage your students to take their learning home to their families None Other Participation in projects to improve your school's sustainability or environment Participation in school decision-making Participation in awards (e.g., John Muir awards) Participation in projects with your local community Participation in citizen science 35.6% 25.4% 36.4% 20.2% 30.3% 15.6% 24.2% 16.6% 59.1% 50.8% 17.9% 9.1% 6.1% 3.6% 63.6% 49.5% 40.9% 30.3% 16.7% 11.7% 36.4% 21.5% 16.9% 12.1% Differences in use of outside the classroom activities by professional development The extent of respondents’ professional development related to climate change and sustainability17 positively correlated with the number of outside the classroom activities they used to support their teaching. More specifically, analysis identified that more use of outside the classroom activities was reported by those who undertook CPD – including training offered by external organisations and self-taught training since becoming a teacher – compared with those who did not. Those whose ITE course included a focus on climate change or sustainability, or engaged in professional development during their first year of teaching post-qualification reported similar use of activities compared to those who did not. These results highlight the limited engagement in activities outside the classroom to support teaching, despite the opportunities these types of activities present to expand and enhance climate change and sustainability education in schools. Incorporating these activities into a wider range of subjects and levels will support student learning that builds capabilities and skills. When coupled with more diverse resource use, these results indicate further potential opportunities for enhancing practice. Figure 4: Use of outside the classroom activities to support teaching related to climate change and sustainability, across teaching at secondary level.16 16 The figure shows the percentage of respondents who selected that they used each activity. It includes responses from those who reported currently teaching (359 respondents) or not teaching (149 respondents) at secondary level; each respondent may not have answered every questionnaire item. 17 The sum of reported professional development types on a 0-5 scale.
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