Teaching equitably about climate change: Linking Higher Education research with School teaching?

How do we teach equitably about climate change? This is the challenge that the ESRC IAA grant Global Inequalities and Climate Change aimed to address. Parvati Raghuram (Open University), Melis Cin (Lancaster University), and Manu Lekunze (University of Aberdeen), in collaboration with Chris Winter (Geography Association) and Dan Whittall (Geography Association), developed new teaching materials for Key Stage 3 (ages 11–14) to address the climate crisis through a decolonial lens, focusing on a case study from Cameroon. These materials aim to bridge gaps in geography education by highlighting the intersections of climate change, human influence, and global inequalities rooted in colonial legacies. This presentation explores how higher education research can feed directly into school teaching materials and what can be gained, some elements of how to teach equitably about global South countries through embedded research and some of the challenges of working on such projects. It will also showcase the teaching materials.

Speakers

Professor Parvati Raghuram

Parvati Raghuram is Professor in Geography and Migration at the Open University. Her research interests focus on the ways in which the mobility, of individuals, goods and of ideas is reshaping the world. In one of her recent AHRC funded project Decolonising Peace Education in Africa she looked at how creativity can be used as a resource to create peace, to earn an income and to learn in equitable ways. The DEPA project covered 14 countries and has brought about lasting change in many communities.

Dr Melis Cin

Melis Cin is a Senior Lecturer in Education and Social Justice at Lancaster University. Her research sits at the intersection of education, gender, and international development. She was a Co-Investigator on the AHRC project Decolonising Education for Peace in Africa, which spanned over 14 countries and engaged in the production of inclusive teaching materials focused on creative economies, peace pedagogies, and the climate crisis.

Dr Manu Lekunze

Manu Lekunze is Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Aberdeen. He studies the security of states in the continually changing domestic, regional, and international environments. His research has covered questions on several aspects of national security, like maritime strategy, intelligence, insurgency, political economy, and the role of education in national security. Dr Lekunze’s research on the role of education in national security has informed innovative policies on how developing states can use formal education systems and content to contribute to peace, security, and prosperity.

Dr Dan Whittall

Dan is Research Engagement Lead for the Geographical Association, and teaches Geography at a sixth form college in West Yorkshire. He has over ten years’ experience in classrooms and has written for Teaching Geography as well as other publications. He is on the editorial board of Routes: The Student Geography Journal and is also a member of the Decolonising Geography collective.