There are hardly any issues regarding climate education in the primary school curricula. Meanwhile, nearly 90 percent. School-age children in Poland are concerned about the negative effects of climate change. The experts want the Ministry of Education to make a proposal for program changes.
Text from a participant in the Global Political Network Foundation’s Journalism for Democracy project
Climate Education It consists in expanding knowledge of climate change and actions aimed at addressing it. It is the development of a pattern of behavior during extreme weather situations, such as violent storms or floods.
Students want climate education
This area should include issues related to critical thinking, local activism, and a sense of individual responsibility for climate change.
Warner Media A survey conducted in 2021 shows that 88 percent of school-age children in Poland are concerned about the negative effects of climate change.
In 2020, the Ministry of Education changed the framework for education plans. in the new Regulation There is an item on discussing issues related to important social problems, including climate problems, during the classroom with the teacher.
An analysis by Dr. Agnieszka Kozłowska from 2021 showed that issues related to climate education are almost completely absent in primary school curricula. The author showed that there are only 3 elements of the classification key that she created. However, it is not directly related to climate change.
in meeting with Climate youth strike The Minister of Education announced the changes. In conversation with activists Przemyslav kazarnk He promised to include climate education in core school curricula by 2023.
Minister of Climate and Environment Mikhail the curtain (This position is currently occupied by I Moscow) and Kazarnik’s signature of a letter of intent, where They required their ministries to conduct an analysis of proposals for effective environmental and climate education activities submitted by youth organizations.
Difficulties in introducing climate education into schools
Meanwhile, the Climate Alliance has sent a letter to the two ministers asking them to speed up the work. The scholars wanted the Ministry of Education to submit a proposal for program changes by the end of the first quarter of 2022.
“We call for the inclusion of reliable climate education in the basic curricula of the Polish school at all levels of education from September 2022.” under Through the appeal Sixteen scientists are members of the Climate Alliance’s Scientific Committee.
Dr. Kosowska, in response to a request for comment, stressed the emphasis on accelerating the introduction of climate education in schools. But it is, she adds, a difficult process.
Climate change is an epistemologically complex and interdisciplinary issue. It can be “broken down” into physical, chemical, geographical, biological, and social aspects and typically taught in Physics, Chemistry, Geography, Biology, and WOS, with the hope that students will synthesize them themselves Such a multilateral approach to the subject is the most popular in the world due to its multidisciplinary nature.”
The researcher suggests an alternative Teaching team. It is an educational model where two or more teachers teach the same group. They create their own program, complementing each other’s gaps in student education. However, Dr. Kosowska notes that the current core curriculum completely forbids the use of such a model, despite the fact that it is useful for students.
It is very difficult to deliver an education focused on climate education in the context of geopolitics, accountability and remedial action. ‘Issues within the scope climate justice It is very important”, adds my conversation. Because the science of climate change requires context. It asserts that it cannot be separated from current events that concern Polish children directly or indirectly.
The main example of effective introduction of climate education in schools is Italy, Decree of 2012 r Encourage the students to take action to protect the environment. The country has effectively introduced new laws and regulations a By 2020, learning about climate change is mandatory in all schools As part of social education. On the list of countries focusing on climate education UNESCO It also distinguished, among other countries, Colombia, Indonesia, South Korea, and Japan.
It is necessary to change the basic curriculum
Currently, students are experiencing a very broad core curriculum. Adding more items without a profound change in the system only increases the frustration of children and teachers.
“The basis must be reduced, and the teachers’ independence restored, so that they are no longer able to follow someone else’s instructions and begin to teach them according to the methods and method that suits them and which they consider to be effective, on the content they consider most appropriate,” explains Dr. Kozłowska.
When changing the core curriculum, the researcher suggests consultations with youth, NGOs, and start-ups. He sees it as an opportunity not only to provide reliable climate education, but also to change the education system in Poland.
“Adaptation to climate change requires a profound change in the education system at all levels, so it should be a properly thought-out and larger project,” said Dr. Kosowska.
My talk also suggests changing educational institutions: “A massive campaign should be launched for green schools and school properties, especially in cities. Install photovoltaic panels on school and office rooftops, cut concrete that obstructs water flow and animal migration. It is important to design and plant school gardens and rent or buy forests for schools.” Educational institutions should study about ecology in and through the environment, as well as for the environment.”
The introduction of climate education is linked to a profound systemic change in Poland. Such a revolution requires a lot of money and time.
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