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.
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