ECCLPs’ Key Paradigm Shifts for Climate Teaching and Learning
Let’s Dive Deeper with Teaching and Learning
Over the course of a year, over 100 leaders across the ECCLPs network, representing diverse disciplines and subject areas, collaborated to shape the future of climate education. Through a series of discussions and feedback sessions, these experts identified key opportunities, gaps, and commonalities in how climate issues are taught and understood. Partnering with Unbounded Associates, we synthesized this valuable input to create the 6 Paradigm Shifts for Climate Teaching and Learning—a transformative framework designed to guide educators in embedding climate literacy across curricula.
The 6 Paradigm Shifts highlight essential changes needed in how we teach and learn about climate change, focusing on interdisciplinary integration, equity, and real-world relevance. These shifts provide educators with a roadmap for fostering a deeper understanding of climate science and its social, environmental, and economic impacts, empowering the next generation to take meaningful action.
Introducing ECCLPs’ Six Paradigm Shifts for Climate Teaching and Learning
Climate change education is critical to preparing students to navigate the challenges of our rapidly changing world. It equips learners with the knowledge and skills to understand the scientific, social, and economic dimensions of climate issues, empowering them to become informed decision-makers and problem solvers. By integrating climate literacy across all subjects, we ensure students can connect the dots between climate science, policy, and everyday life, making the subject relevant and actionable.
ECCLPs’ Seven Components in Lesson Design to Shift Paradigms in Climate Change Education
Incorporating climate education is not only about fostering environmental awareness—it’s about cultivating critical thinking, resilience, and leadership in students as they prepare for the future. Through a comprehensive approach, educators can help students see their role in climate solutions and inspire them to take meaningful action in their communities and beyond. Climate change education is essential to creating informed, empowered citizens capable of leading a sustainable future.
Activate Student Agency
“By integrating opportunities for action civics within the curriculum, educators can enable students to address climate change proactively.”
Interdisciplinary
“An interdisciplinary approach integrates knowledge about climate change from multiple disciplines, such as science and art or history and literature, fostering a more comprehensive, interconnected, and holistic understanding of climate issues.”
Transdisciplinary
“Transdisciplinary approaches incorporate Indigenous knowledge, local community knowledge, and other non-academic sources, thereby bridging the gap between academic knowledge and real-world experiences.”
Intersectional
“By adopting an intersectional perspective, climate education can promote innovative and equitable solutions that address the specific needs of various populations.”
Centers Equity and Justice
“By integrating equity and justice into climate teaching, educators can foster a deeper understanding of the systemic nature of climate issues and the importance of inclusive and equitable solutions, as well as self-determination.”
Honors Historic Community and Indigenous Knowledge
“Honoring historic community and Indigenous knowledge in climate education fosters respect for diverse knowledge systems and promotes culturally relevant climate solutions.”
Cultivates 21st Century Skills
“Integrating 21st-century skills into climate education involves inquiry-based and project-based learning that fosters competencies and dispositions necessary for participatory action and civic engagement.”
