Climate Crisis Resilience: Content, Competencies & Approaches for Secondary School Teachers

This LTP focuses on teaching about the climate crisis and developing resilience through educational games. It centres on providing better understanding of the climate crisis and resilience on a personal and collective level. In the first unit, an introduction is given on how gamification can enhance teaching and learning about the climate crisis and about becoming resilient. Digital game-style elements are incorporated in the second unit in which an online platform is used to teach disaster risks and resilience. The third unit is designed as a team challenge with different competition levels; it is framed around an ecological controversy. Unit 4 is dedicated to the creation of a board game about climate crisis resilience and the pedagogical possibilities this offers.

Methodology

 The LTP is focused on hands-on and digital educational resources for the development of primary school students’ sustainability competences.

Author(s): Arjana Blazic, Bart Verswijvel (Eummena); Conor Galvin (University College Dublin)

 Credits: @mbaumi Unsplash

ECTS Credits: 2.5

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LTP Overview

Overview 
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⬇️ Below, you can view and download the Learning and Teaching package with all the activities included, in English ⬇️

Unit 1. Using Serious Games to Teach Sustainability & Resilience

Unit 1 offers an introduction to key pedagogies and the learning possibilities of using ‘serious games’ for education and engagement around sustainability. The unit explores how serious games can be incorporated into classroom game designs and activities and so strengthen participants' learning engagement. Uses explored in the Unit include awareness raising, encouraging action and resilience, and promoting pro-sustainability behaviours.

Click to see and download Unit 1
     Click to download Handouts for Unit 1

Unit 2. Stop Disasters! Using the UNDRR Game as a Learning Tool for Disaster Risk Reduction & Resilience

Unit 2 introduces digital games as a way to teach sustainability. It focuses on the Stop Disasters! flood scenario, which takes place in a fictitious small village of a few hundred people in Eastern/Central Europe. The village is built on a large river which will flood after 20 minutes of game-play (in the Easy scenario) or when manually triggered by the player. The basic idea is that the player – or players working in teams – ‘invest’ a given sum of money in preparing the village for the expected flood. By repeating the scenario a number of times the player or team can learn to improve the outcomes for the village.

Click to see and download Unit 2     Click to download Handouts for Unit 2

Unit 3. Teaching Sustainability with Scenario-Based Learning

Unit 3 uses the framework of a scenario with the students engaging in role play. The main narrative behind this activity is the possible building of a holiday resort on an island with a small population and well-preserved nature. The local people discuss this proposal with the authorities and investors. As the decision will have a fundamental impact on the future of young people on the island, the locals would like to have some exchange with young Europeans, and this will be the role of the participants in the game. They students will hear the different views of stakeholders involved or impacted. They will also reflect on scientific resources. At the end of the scenario the participants will do a pitch with the advice they will give about the potential development of the project.

Click to see and download Unit 3
     Click to download Handouts for Unit 3

Unit 4. Design a Board Game to Develop Climate Crisis Resilience

Unit 4 is focused on the design of a board game centred around climate crisis resilience. Through a gamified approach, this unit aims to equip learners with practical skills and knowledge to critically address challenges posed by the climate crisis in their local community or in a setting they know well or can easily relate to and to think about creative ways to solve these challenges.

Click to see and download Unit 4     Click to see and download Handouts for Unit 4