literacy and sustainability education for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 .
This work was supported by Dr Travis Fuchs , Science Teacher , Junior School and Researcher-in-Residence . Through surveys and interviews , he conducted an audit to examine student and staff perceptions of climate change and environmental sustainability , the placement of these topics in curricular and co-curricular programs , and the depth and breadth of coverage .
RECOMMENDATIONS
Dr Fuchs ’ research demonstrated that the majority of students and staff want to learn about / teach environmental sustainability and climate change topics , with a special focus on tangible action to address these issues .
In the Junior School , at least one project or unit on environmental sustainability and climate change appears in every grade , and the Senior School has robust environmental sustainability and climate change offerings in Grades 11 and 12 . However , beyond a limited number of required courses in Grade 9 , courses that include objectives related to environmental sustainability and climate change are elective courses ; therefore , not all students access this important learning .
Three main recommendations came from the research :
• Enrich the curriculum of required Grade 8 and 10 courses with environmental sustainability and climate change concepts
• Continue to leverage co-curricular opportunities to give students and staff opportunities to implement the tangible actions they seek
• Ensure transparency about current and future actions around sustainability for staff , students and the wider CHS community
WHAT ’ S NEXT ?
In February , all staff were invited to a Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability presentation . Following the presentation , staff were asked to participate in a survey designed to gauge their interest in several initiatives supporting Active Stewardship , based on the educational programming audit . Later that month , all Grade 11 students completed a similar survey during their Ivy Day on Sustainability .
Of the 103 staff who completed the survey , almost half were most excited by the opportunity for increased professional development in climate change and environmental sustainability education . Echoing the staff results , around half of the students were most excited by the opportunity for increased learning about climate change and environmental sustainability in their classes .
This helps to set a clear path forward . A new dedicated professional learning community has been established to focus on enhancing these types of learning opportunities for students in Grades 6 to 10 . “ I think it is important that we leverage Crofton House ’ s already incredible and dedicated staff who do this work ,” says Dr Fuchs .
Changes are also planned for next year to enhance and extend sustainability education . In the Senior School , this will be accomplished through the embedding of applications and implications of sustainability education in Grades 8 and 9 science and Grade 10 socials . In the Junior School , the student-favoured Grade 7 unit on climate change will continue to focus on more tangible action items , and the Ivy programming designed by Ms Hare will continue to show students how the UN ’ s Sustainable Development Goals can be realized in a Crofton House context .
For example , in Grade 7 science , a unit will focus on the science behind climate change , incorporating an interdisciplinary approach and a focus on action and proposing impactful solutions .
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