Blog post Part of series: BERA Conference 2024 and WERA Focal Meeting

Empowering nature and climate literacy: The role of educators in a changing world

Avril Rowley, Senior Lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University Silvia Cont, PhD Student at Liverpool John Moores University 17 Sep 2024

Nature and climate literacy

In our rapidly changing world, education is essential for equipping the next generation to address critical issues like climate change and the nature crisis. Educators play a vital role in cultivating nature literacy – knowledge and appreciation of ecosystems, biodiversity and the interconnectedness of life (Grace et al., 2021). This deep cognitive, emotional and experiential connection to nature (nature relatedness) drives individuals to engage in conservation efforts.

Baba Dioum’s (1968) statement, ‘We will conserve only what we love; we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught’, underscores the need for conservation education. When students care about nature, they are more inclined to become climate literate, understanding the science behind climate change, its impacts, the role of humanity and taking informed actions to address it (Knight, 2024).

Teachers’ nature relatedness

Teachers can transform children’s nature and climate literacy but they face significant challenges. The expanding curriculum and administrative duties consume their time and resources, limiting their ability to engage in outdoor learning – a powerful tool for fostering nature relatedness. A recent survey by Greer et al. (2023) found that only 22.7 per cent of primary school teachers, and even fewer secondary school teachers (19 per cent), in England utilise outdoor learning. While the direct correlation between teachers’ nature relatedness and their use of outdoor learning is not fully established, fostering this is important. Outdoor learning has been shown to significantly shape environmental attitudes (Harris, 2021), making it a crucial component in developing nature literacy. Therefore, it is essential to adopt a transformative approach to teacher education that integrates outdoor learning, helping educators overcome barriers and fully nurture the next generation’s environmental stewardship.

The role of initial teacher education

The entry of new teachers into the profession becomes pivotal in addressing these challenges. Early integration equips future educators to incorporate these methods throughout their careers, enhancing students’ nature relatedness and overall wellbeing (Mann et al., 2022). However, initial teacher education (ITE) providers face significant hurdles. The Core Content Framework imposes constraints on what providers are able to include in their programmes, leaving little space for environmental, sustainability or climate change topics (Dunlop & Rushton, 2022). This raises the critical question of how ITE programmes can include these essential elements in their curricula.

The natural curriculum

To address the gap in nature education, Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) introduced the ‘natural curriculum’ into primary ITE courses to embed nature-related content and outdoor learning across the ITE curriculum (Rowley, 2023). Since 2016, over 3,000 LJMU ITE students have participated, fostering their passion for and emotional nature relatedness. An evaluation in 2023–24 with 229 participants assessed the impact of the programme on nature relatedness (Nisbet & Zelenski, 2013). Results showed that the programme enhanced nature relatedness among student teachers, increasing their willingness to engage in outdoor learning and take further environmental action.

‘Results showed that the programme enhanced nature relatedness among student teachers, increasing their willingness to engage in outdoor learning and take further environmental action.’

The future of education

As we navigate the complexities of climate change, let us recognise the critical role teachers play. By nurturing nature and climate literacy, they empower the next generation to become informed, engaged stewards of our planet. Let us invest in their education to support their relationship to nature and ensure that the ‘natural’ becomes an integral part of every classroom. Together, we can cultivate a generation that not only understands the science behind climate change but also feels the heartbeat of the earth beneath their feet.

Figure 1: LJMU primary student teachers connecting with nature through blindfold activities. © Avril Rowley 2023

Figure 2: LJMU primary student teacher during outdoor science workshop with local pupils. © Avril Rowley 2023

Figure 3: LJMU primary student teachers engaging with local pupils in outdoor learning workshops. © Avril Rowley 2023

This blog post relates to a paper presented by Avril Rowley and Silvia Cont at the BERA Conference 2024 and WERA Focal Meeting: ‘The impact of the Natural Curriculum outdoor learning programme on primary student teachers’ nature relatedness and willingness to teach outdoors’.

References

Dioum, B. (1968). Speech at General Assembly of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). New Delhi.

Dunlop, L., & Rushton, E. A. C. (2022). Putting climate change at the heart of education: Is England’s strategy a placebo for policy? British Educational Research Journal, 48(6), 1083–1101. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3816

Grace, M., Griffiths, J., & Hughes, C. (2021). Nature literacy: Rethinking how we teach about nature in secondary school science. Association for Science Education: School Science Review.

Greer, K., Sheldrake, R., Rushton, E., Kitson, A., Hargreaves, E., & Walshe, N. (2023). Teaching climate change and sustainability: A survey of teachers in England. University College London. www.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/departments-and-centres/centres/ucl-centre-climate-change-and-sustainability-education

Harris, F. (2021). Developing a relationship with nature and place: The potential role of forest school. Environmental Education Research, 27(8), 1214–1228. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2021.1896679

Knight, S. (2024). What is climate literacy and why do pupils need it? Royal Meteorological Society: MetLink Blog. https://www.metlink.org/blog/what-is-climate-literacy-and-why-do-pupils-need-it-2/

Mann, J., Gray, T., Truong, S., Brymer, E., Passy, R., Ho, S., Sahlberg, P., Ward, K., Bentsen, P., Curry, C., & Cowper, R. (2022). Getting out of the classroom and into nature: A systematic review of nature-specific outdoor learning on school children’s learning and development. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 877058. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.877058

Nisbet, E. K., & Zelenski, J. M. (2013). The NR-6: a new brief measure of nature relatedness. Frontiers in Psychology, 4, 813. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00813

Rowley, A. (2023). Natural curriculum summary report. Natural England.

Avril Rowley, Dr

Senior Lecturer at Liverpool John Moores University

Avril Rowley is a senior lecturer in primary education at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) with expertise in primary science, history and outdoor learning, including forest schools. With two decades of teaching experience in various primary schools across Merseyside, Avril joined LJMU in 2014. She is passionate about using outdoor environments to enrich educational experiences for children, leading her to establish outdoor learning areas on two LJMU campus sites. This initiative empowers primary trainee teachers to adopt a natural curriculum approach by integrating outdoor learning across all subjects. She has also launched The Natural Curriculum Hub, connecting teachers in the Merseyside area with outdoor learning strategies and professional development opportunities which enhance teaching and learning across the curriculum. Her dedication to innovative educational practices continues to inspire educators and benefit young learners in the region.

Silvia Cont, Ms

PhD Student at Liverpool John Moores University

Silvia Cont is a PhD candidate at the School of Education, Liverpool John Moores University. She is also a research assistant in the Department for Early Years Education, Faculty of Education, Edge Hill University. She is interested in outdoor learning, forest school approach within initial teacher education, and human-nature connection.