History has shown that young people have enormous potential to lead the way in solving the world’s most pressing challenges. Consistent global temperature increases and extreme weather events tell us that climate change is one of the biggest crises we face today, and young people have a significant stake in tackling it. But, to do this, they must be equipped with the right tools and information. They must also be inspired to take action rather than feeling overwhelmed and despondent by the scale of the problem, with no tangible solutions to help them.
That’s where Teach the Teacher comes in. Teach the Teacher is part of the Green Schools Revolution (GSR) programme, a student-led initiative set up by Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK) to help implement key elements of the Department for Education’s (DfE) Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy.
Teach the Teacher integrates climate education into classrooms by providing education settings with free teacher training, resources, and support – led by students themselves. More recently, Teach the Teacher has expanded its offer to trainee teachers, helping to prepare the next generation of teachers for education in a changing environment.
With this week’s UCAS application deadline giving students the chance to look ahead to their university life and future careers, it is crucial that they understand the opportunities of a net-zero and nature-positive world. Teach the Teacher not only provides secondary school students with this understanding but also equips them with leadership and presentation skills vital to their UCAS applications. Similarly, the trainee teachers receiving the sessions will know how to navigate key climate and social justice issues, while passing these tools down to their future pupils.
How it works
In Teach the Teacher’s sessions, young people (often from secondary schools) are brought in to lead lessons and educate student teachers on issues they’re passionate about e.g. climate justice, mental health, decolonisation, and neurodiversity.
Teach the Teacher trains these young people to deliver sessions to the trainee teachers as a type of Continuing Professional Development (CPD), allowing them to discuss and learn about topics that aren't yet covered in the curriculum, but are important to lead on in school. According to participating students and teachers alike, Teach the Teacher has an important impact on causes close to young people’s hearts.
Championing climate justice
Younger generations are acutely aware of how the climate crisis disproportionately affects different demographics. The NUS’s Student Climate Hub is just one example of the action young people are taking to raise awareness of this issue and rectify it. By championing youth voice and agency, Teach the Teacher ensures that trainee teachers reflect this passion in their future classrooms.
Hans Svennevig, Subject Leader for Citizenship PGCE at the IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, said: “It is exceptionally important for Citizenship teachers to know how and why to teach about climate in classrooms. Therefore, this session helps student teachers to think about how they will do this in their teaching. We have run several sessions and discussed the issue of climate justice many times, so Teach the Teacher is valuable in moving thinking forward and helping teachers learn about the facts.”
Empowering students to take action
As demonstrated by the global student climate strikes of 2019, young people are devoted to creating a more sustainable word. Teach the Teacher provides them with the confidence and solutions to channel this enthusiasm into tangible action.
Miss Hernández, Modern Foreign Language trainee teacher, Worcester University, said: “I really enjoyed the presentation, it made me think about my previous students back home (in Mexico), who are also worried about climate change. It gives me comfort and peace of mind knowing that the world will be in the younger generation's hands. I want the younger generations to know that I stand with them and will find a way to mitigate the impacts of climate change in any way I can, including education.”
Promoting climate education
The Government’s Curriculum and Assessment Review is an exciting opportunity to rethink the values and desired outcomes of education. SOS-UK has long been advocating for a curriculum that takes an integrated, solutions-focused approach to climate education. With positive indications that the new curriculum will have a greater focus on climate education, Teach the Teacher is preparing future teachers ahead of these changes.
Fiona Flannagan, Science trainee teacher, Worcester University, said: “It’s great to see that students are educating themselves on climate change and educating us on what they want to know. I will certainly take away ideas and strategies on how to incorporate climate change into science lessons.”
More information about Teach the Teacher
Teach the Teacher has so far trained over 100 students in 50 settings worldwide and is available free to all schools, who can sign up here.
Green Schools Revolution is funded by the #iWill Fund, which is a £66 million joint investment from The National Lottery Community Fund and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The #iwill fund supports young people to access high quality social action opportunities. GSR currently has funding for three years and is focused on less advantaged communities in target areas across England, including East Anglia, the South coast, the North East, North West and South West.
Jack Di Francesco is a Project Manager (Education) at SOS-UK. He is leading and delivers the Teach the Teacher campaign, empowering primary and secondary school students to talk to their teachers about climate change and push for quality climate education for all.
Before working at SOS-UK Jack worked at a students' union where he supported students and their university to deliver on climate action. In this role Jack worked to run environmental campaigns, support student-led societies, run sustainability events, and developed a compulsory climate module for undergraduate students.