Reimagining climate change education in primary schools in England
Written by: Thomas Johnson and Khawla Badwan
9 min read
Thomas Johnson, Headteacher, Seymour Park Community Primary School, UK
Khawla Badwan, Reader in Applied Linguistics, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
This article reports on a project that engages primary school children in climate change education through various activities rooted in the practice of listening differently to different types of voice. These engagements place children’s experiences and embodiment at the heart of education research and practice. We reflect on the importance of moving beyond the ‘learn now, act later’ approach (Waldron et al., 2019) to draw on the untapped capacity of children ‘to collectively envision a better future’ (Kagawa and Selby, 2010, p. 5). We discuss the envisioning of the school – what it means and how it matters. The article sketches out a vision that entails opening up the curriculum as an expanding spiral beyond the classroom.
The need for reimagining
What have we got wrong with climate change education after deca
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