This document discusses teacher training materials for teaching climate change education. It describes a Comenius Network project with six European partners from 2010-2013. It notes that climate change education does not have a single curriculum home and that teachers have limited subject knowledge and confidence in teaching about it. The document provides examples of true-false questions to assess student understanding, questions generated from partial answers, and discussions of pedagogical purposes for different questions. It also shares examples of questions asked by learners and evidence of the success of workshop materials in improving teacher confidence.

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Teacher innovation in
Changing with the Climate
John Oversby j.p.oversby@reading.ac.uk
© University of Reading 2008 www.reading.ac.uk
June 6, 2014

2. Changing with the Climate
3 year Comenius Network (2010 – 2013)
Six Partners: Catalonia, Italy, Romania, Hungary,
France, UK
One university, one community, 3 NGOs, 1 IGO
Diagrams - © John Oversby 2014

3. Nature of Climate Change
Education
No one curriculum home (Geography, Technology, Sciences, Mathematics,
Ethics, Personal and Social Education)
Teachers have limited subject matter knowledge, little confidence, similar
alternative ideas as students, resulting in traditional pedagogies
Proxy data, uncertainties and risk are added complexities
Resources are widespread but guidance on pedagogy is limited
It is difficult to change!
Diagrams - © John Oversby 2014

4. True-False I
1. The level
of carbon
dioxide in
the
atmospher
e is almost
as much as
oxygen.
Assessing content
knowledge. The answer
to this question is clear,
with a correct response.
Diagrams - © John Oversby 2014
Many students believe that
the carbon dioxide level is
much higher than the 0.04%
it actually is. Oxygen is
around 20%.

5. True-False II
1. Global
warming
means that
the whole
earth will
warm up
This question tackles the
issue of temperature
variation over the globe.
Diagrams - © John Oversby 2014
Learners need to know that,
although the global average
temperature is increasing, in
specific locations it may be
increasing more or less, and
indeed may be falling.

6. True-False III
1. Global
average
temperature
is rising
faster than
since at least
850 CE
This question gives
an opportunity to see
global average
temperature as a
calculated value that
gives an indication
for the whole world.
It is a kind of
(agreed)
simplification.
Diagrams - © John Oversby 2014
This question gives an
opportunity to discuss the
various (proxy)
measurements for
determining temperatures.
For younger learners, tree
rings and evidence about
harvests and clothing worn
can be convincing, The
extent of temperature
variation over more than
1000 years, compared with
the significantly higher
increases over the last 150
years.

7. Question generation from
partial answers
‘I was in a class when I heard the teacher give part of an
answer to a question. From this, construct as many
questions as you can that might have been asked.
When you have finished, place the questions in a list
that reflects the level of knowledge the learner might
already have.
Diagrams - © John Oversby 2014

8. Question generation II
Part of answer Pedagogy Some possible questions
… because
humans are
burning fossil
fuel.
Promotes the idea
of human
involvement in
climate change.
Diagrams - © John Oversby 2014
Why does human activity
increase carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere?
Why are fossil fuels running out?
… because we
make less carbon
dioxide that way.
Promotes thinking
about action
Why does using public transport
reduce carbon dioxide emissions?
Why does using nuclear reactors
affect carbon dioxide content of
the atmosphere?
… because more
animals will
become extinct.
Promotes thinking
about impact
Why does increase in
temperature affect animal
populations?
… because
extreme weather
events are
dangerous.
Promotes thinking
about impact of
extreme weather
events
Why does it matter that we have
warmer and wetter summers?
… because it is a
model.
Promotes
thinking about
one of the tools
of climate
scientists.
Why do climate scientists use
computers so much in their
work?

9. Question discussions
Question Pedagogical purpose Comments
The level of
carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere is
almost as much
as oxygen.
Assessing content knowledge.
The answer to this question is
clear, with a correct response.
Diagrams - © John Oversby 2014
Many students believe that the
carbon dioxide level is much
higher than the 0.04% it actually
is. Oxygen is around 20%.
The greenhouse
effect is caused by
changes in the
ozone layer
This question tackles a common
misunderstanding. Confronting
well-known misunderstandings by
this method can be very effective.
The major chemical inputs to
greenhouse are water vapour,
methane and carbon dioxide.
There are links between these, so
that increase in atmospheric
temperature causes an increase in
water vapour
Global warming
means that the
whole earth will
warm up
This question tackles the
issue of variation over the
globe.
Learners need to know that,
although the global average
temperature is increasing, in
specific locations it may be
increasing more or less, and
indeed may be falling.

10. Learner questions
Diagrams - © John Oversby 2014

11. Typical questions
1. What do the different colours mean?
2. Why is there a zero line?
3. Why was there a dip in the 1600s?
4. When were thermometers invented?
Diagrams - © John Oversby 2014

12. Evidence of success
1. Presented as a workshop to 100 primary pre-service teachers,
with reports from 4 colleagues in audience.
2. Reports indicated engagement in discussions by all, and
pedagogical purposes achieved by all.
3. Workshop evaluation a week later was 100% positive.
4. Workshop evaluation indicated 100% improvement in
confidence in the topic and pedagogy.
5. Repeated with cohorts of European secondary teachers (18, 12,
25) with similar success
6. Repeated with 160 12 year olds in one class with engagement
and success over 80%
Diagrams - © John Oversby 2014