An Example of Climate Education through Project-Based Learning
Climate Change Education Nathan Haines Climate Change Education Nathan Haines

An Example of Climate Education through Project-Based Learning

I distinguish between project-based learning (PBL) and project-based assessment. I have regularly used project-based assessment in my classes, often trying to make them as authentically real-world as possible. For me, project-based assessments come at the end of a unit of learning. The students have already acquired the knowledge and understanding and developed the skills expected of them in the unit (going forward I’ll refer to the knowledge, understandings and skills of a unit as KUDs; the D stands for “Dos” and refers to skills). The project is then a form of authentic assessment where they have to apply their learning to address a real-world issue or problem. They complete a project and create a product that demonstrates their learning. Because the project is a form of summative assessment, students are expected to complete the project relatively independently.

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Economics of Climate Change
Climate Change Education Nathan Haines Climate Change Education Nathan Haines

Economics of Climate Change

In 2nd semester of the 2019-20 school-year, I was assigned to teach a one semester economics course. In the fall of 2019, youth-led action on climate change protests garnered a lot of attention globally. On my school's campus, students organized a class walk-out and march around the campus to draw attention to the need for more climate action. In the follow up of that, a group of students and teachers started meeting to explore ways in which the school could take more action, and a student and teacher committee was formed to explore the school's carbon footprint. In view of this student attention around climate action, I decided to focus the economics elective course on the economics of climate change.

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