Teaching Climate and Sustainability in Primary Schools: An Outdoor Learning Approach (FutureLearn)

On this two-week course, you’ll discuss ways to embed climate awareness and sustainable practices into the life of the school. You’ll explore the importance of being outside for inspiring children and learn how to lead high-quality learning experiences outdoors.

Identify the skills to teach climate and sustainability outside

You’ll engage with a case study from a school that is developing an approach to climate and sustainability education through outdoor learning. You’ll hear from teachers about their experience of leading learning sessions outside, watch climate education in action, and reflect on your own working practices.

Collaborate and develop an action plan for your own teaching practices

You’ll have the opportunity to build a plan for your own teaching or to help make a wider impact at the whole school level.

You’ll have the space to share your experiences and ideas about teaching climate and sustainability and collaborate with others on the course to discuss how to facilitate this learning outside in an effective way.

Learn from the experts at the University of Reading

This course has been developed by The University of Reading, one of the world’s leading centres for the study of climate. On this course, you’ll hear from experts in outdoor learning and meteorology and explore resources for raising awareness and action through climate education outdoors.

This course will inspire you to start implementing climate and sustainability learning outdoors within your own school, helping you and your pupils pioneer a better tomorrow.

What topics will you cover?

- The crucial importance of being outside for learning how to love and care for the Earth.

- Explore a case study from a school which is approaching climate and sustainability education outdoors through their values, curriculum and general school life.

- The knowledge and skills required for outdoor learning including the potential challenges and solutions.

- Recommendations for how to pursue your own understanding of climate and sustainability and develop an action plan for incorporating the topics into your teaching.

- Opportunity to work with other teachers to develop approaches relevant to your own context and be empowered to transform your own working practices to deliver climate and sustainability education.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

- Justify why it is important to teach climate and sustainability using an outdoor learning approach

- Build a personal resource containing links to further reading and materials that will expand your own knowledge of climate and sustainability as a foundation for your teaching.

- Develop your understanding of the benefits of outdoor learning to empower children to care for the environment.

- Collaborate to develop ideas for teaching climate and sustainability outside for your own working practice
Who is the course for?

This course is designed for primary school teachers who want to incorporate climate and sustainability into their teaching. It will also be particularly helpful for those who lead on climate and sustainability education and/or outdoor learning in a school or are looking for opportunities to build their skills and knowledge for such a role in the future.