Implementing climate literacy in schools — what to teach our teachers?

Abstract

Climate literacy (CL) comprises knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enable individuals to counteract the global threat of anthropogenic climate change. Teachers’ knowledge and pedagogy are main predictors of students’ learning outcomes, but teachers are insufficiently prepared in the interdisciplinary field of CL. In a multilevel interrogation of experts in the fields of climate science, education research, and school, we derived 13 delineated themes describing necessary knowledge concerning the scientific background of climate change as well as pedagogy and teaching strategies. These themes indicate that teachers need a broad basis of understanding the climate system, climate science, causes of, impacts of, and dealing with climate change as well as the ability to convey this interdisciplinary content into teaching, by making the topic personally relevant and strengthening students’ role as change agents. The findings underline the need to promote interdisciplinary ways of teaching towards CL and provide a baseline for the development of future teacher preparation.