Living with one Planet - Primary Teacher Summer Course
This course has been approved by the Department of Education
Course Title: Learning to Live with One Planet - Teaching students global and local dimensions of sustainability
Course Aim:
To raise teacher’s awareness of how the current ecological crisis (climate change) and the coming energy crisis (our overdependence on finite fossil resources and their decline) affect all curriculum areas and the life of students, their parents and teachers.
To raise teacher’s awareness of how the global dimension can be brought into local activities.
To equip teachers with insights, tools, and classroom activities which can help them and their students to take positive action in the face of seemingly overwhelming changes.
- To enable educators to teach science, ecology, geography, history, social skills, and language skills, in a holistic way by developing a long term partnership with schools in Africa, South America or Asia.
Course Content:
The double Challenge: Climate Change and The Decline of Oil
Development Education and Global Citizenship: how to bring the global dimension into local activities, using materials developed by Trocaire and Irish Aid.
Sustainability as the art of living with One Planet rather than exploiting the resources of 4.
Detailed, tried and tested classroom activities for raising awareness of the above in a positive and non-threatening way.
What to do when students, parents and colleagues feel overwhelmed by alarming
information about climate change, pollution, end of oil scenarios and international conflict.Opportunities for reflection on life-style implications of our culture that consumes more energy than it can sustain, including aspects such as health care, food, community involvement, and traditional skills.
How to help students (and their families) to make small changes in their lives – the lessons of the Global Action Plan programme
How the Green Schools programme can be used and further developed in this context.
Worldwide Case Studies of how schools and and their local communities can contribute to
positive change
What teachers said about Thomas Riedmuller and the educational programme at The Hollies Centre for Practical Sustainability: “very student centred, excellent facilitation?…?we learnt a lot about sustainability and energy? “a unique day, according to our students it was their best day out. Sign us up for the next instalment�?.
Comments: The course is experiential and interactive i.e. participants will be guided through activities they can use with their students. A variety of group work formats will help teachers to assimilate the complexity of the topic. One day of the course is hosted at The Hollies Centre for Practical Sustainability in order to give teachers a first hand experience of various aspects of sustainable living.