Exploring Historical, Political, and Pedagogical Dimensions of Climate Change Education

North American researchers share their exploration of the challenges and opportunities in advancing Climate Change Education (CCE) in teacher education through three critical papers. These papers investigate historical and political dynamics shaping climate change’s place in education, present a heuristic of promising pedagogical practice, and examine how political orientation shapes teacher practice. Experienced and emerging scholars David Long, Joe Henderson, Andrea Drewes, Ellen Field, and Sidney Howlett share their recent findings for addressing the complexities of CCE in teacher education.

Sidney led the design and launch of the new EcoSchools Board Program, which supports school boards and districts across Canada with the necessary tools, resources, consultation, network and capacity-building workshops to develop and implement climate action plans with targets that are aligned with Canada’s Net Zero by 2050 goal.

In the face of escalating climate impacts, the need for climate leadership within educational institutions has become paramount. School boards play a critical role in shaping the educational landscape and have the power to set goals for student achievement, well being and equity, monitor progress against the board’s strategic goals, and allocate resources towards priorities. Climate Leadership within Canadian School Boards: 2023 Review delves into the significance of climate leadership within school boards, highlighting the essential role they play in orienting education systems to be responsive to the climate crisis.

CBC/Radio-Canada's Ontario Morning with Ramraajh Sharvendiran April 11, 2024

Students at Lakehead University are learning the skills required to build a successful business from the Ingenuity incubator. To find out more about the program, Ramraajh spoke to Sidney Howlett, a recent graduate who successfully launched her climate change business, about how it helped build her business.

The Climate Baby Dilemma Film Screening & Research Panel

In Canada and across the world, nearly 40% of young people say they are hesitant to have children because of the climate crisis. In The Climate Baby Dilemma researcher and science communicator Britt Wray explores diverse perspectives on reproductive decision making in a climate altered world. Following the film, Lakehead University researchers will speak about their work investigating the emotional dimensions of climate change and climate justice.

Canadian Schools ‘Radically Underestimated’ as Climate Action Hub by Gaye Taylor, The Energy Mix: Climate News That Makes A Difference

In this webinar, participants hear from Lakehead University’s Faculty of Education researchers on a new report that analyzed 380 school boards’ environmental, sustainability, and climate policies. Representatives from Richmond District School Board (British Columbia) and Toronto District School Board (Ontario) will share how they are approaching climate action planning.

School boards must do more to address climate change: Lakehead by Barrie Today

Exploring Climate Change Teaching Strategies: Emergent Trends & Typologies of Practice

This panel for the North American Association for Environmental Education Research Symposium explores research on climate change teaching strategies with a focus on: 1) emergent trends of teaching practices from a Canadian survey (n=106), 2) a heuristic that maps teacher practice based on teacher interviews (n=30), 3) teacher beliefs about climate activism within classrooms, and 4) explores strategies for supporting students’ climate emotions.

GreenLearning - Energy Education Workshop for Indigenous Clean Energy’s Generation Power Cultural Land Camp in Osoyoos, British Columbia

What are climate emotions? Why do they matter? And how do we talk about climate change and the feelings we have about it with kids? This episode on In the Green Chair we discuss how to have climate conversations with youth and support teachers with Sidney Howlett, an environmental educator and researcher.

In the Green Chair Podcast, Inside Education

Hosted by Madison Kendal

Recipient of the Lakehead Luminary Award for distinction as a Lakehead Leader in Sustainability and Lakehead Leader in Academics.

Supporting Students’ Emotions in Climate Change Education

This guide was developed from Ontario secondary teachers’ interview responses about their classroom experiences around students’ climate emotions and their reflections on existing strategies for responding to students’ ecological emotions. It provides a practical, empirically-supported guide for educators navigating their students' emotional responses to climate change in formal education settings. Under each component of the guide is a brief description, sample strategies, and an excerpt of an activity that has been recommended and implemented by in-service teachers. This guide is flexible, to be adapted within your specific educational context and for individual needs.

Lakehead program helps local students launch businesses by OrlliaMatters