LEADING Irish environmentalist and media personality Duncan Stewart visited Mary Immaculate College (MIC) to launch a new resource for teaching climate change.
Published by academics from MIC’s Faculty of Education, the book is set to instil in children the love of place, nature and geographical adventures.
‘Teaching Climate Change in Primary Schools: An Interdisciplinary Approach’ provides an overview of climate change and highlights the importance of including climate change education in primary schools.
Informed by up to date research, the book helps teachers remain faithful to climate change science while providing in-depth assistance for teaching children from three to 13 years of age.
Accompanied by online resources, it includes practical and easy to follow ideas and lesson plans that will help teachers to include climate change education in their classrooms in a holistic, cross-curricular manner.
Speaking at the launch of the teaching resource, Mr Stewart said: “By empowering this young generation, here in Ireland, Europe and globally, that should also influence, inspire and motivate their parents and neighbours, in real and effective actions to rapidly reduce Green House Gas emissions. To build resilience, so they have the capacity and know how to transform their behaviour, and to cope and adapt to its ever-increasing consequences.”
The foreword to the book is written by former President Mary Robinson who stated that climate change is possibly the single most important issue facing humanity.
“While environmental education has featured on the margins of the curriculum for many years, it remains under-resourced and low on the list of educational priorities. The need for climate change education with a clear focus on climate justice is now absolutely essential.
“In their mission to help student teachers teach about climate change, MIC academics have pooled their expertise in this publication,” she said.
