Nationwide teacher training in Weimar: Climate change moves into the focus of school education
From May 3 to 5, 2023, our nationwide teacher training on climate change in schools took place in the picturesque city of Weimar. Initiated and organized by our educational program "Der Klimawandel: verstehen und handeln", around 70 participants from all German states gathered in the historic premises of the old central bank. The event was implemented in cooperation with the Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation and Wirkung Hoch 100.
For our nationwide teacher training in Weimar, high-level experts in didactics, teachers, and representatives of foundations from all over Germany gathered to discuss current research and how to integrate the topics into the classroom.
The event began with a meeting of renowned didacticians, teachers and foundation representatives from across the country. In this round, the currently available teaching material and ways to firmly anchor the topic of climate change in schools and teacher training were discussed.
In the evening, all participants were warmly welcomed by the project leaders Prof. Dr. Harald Lesch and Dr. Cecilia Scorza. The project manager Dr. Sabine Graf and the student climate ambassador Philipp Schmidbauer were available to answer organizational questions. It was a special pleasure for the project team to welcome Dr. Stefan Jorda, Managing Director of the Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation, because thanks to his foundation this teacher training could take place on this scale.
The teacher training included a variety of workshops, discussion panels and presentations on different aspects of climate change. Topics such as renewable energies, causes and consequences of climate change, local impacts of climate change, and individual and school action options were the focus of the event.
Prof. Dr. Harald Lesch gave a captivating explanation of what we need for an energy turnaround using the contents of the book Renewable Energies: understand and have your say. This was complemented by a hands-on workshop by teachers Thomas Bauer and Moni Saak. Together with their teams of volunteer teachers, they developed worksheets for the classroom. Thus, it is possible to integrate renewable energies into school lessons within the curriculum.
Dr. Axel Kleidon informed the participants about the current research on the power plant earth and how the different technologies affect the earth.
Prof. Dr. Stefan Heusler showed what non-linear physics is and what this has to do with tipping points.
In order to understand what the causes and consequences of climate change are, the participants were then able to visit the LMU Climate Kit workshop run by teachers Moritz Strähle and Thomas Bauer and learn through experimentation. Here, the participants also received valuable tips on how to integrate the LMU climate suitcase into the classroom.
The fact that climate change is happening on our doorstep and how this can be researched in an upper school seminar was something our participants were able to learn in the workshop held by Prof. Dr. Ulrike Ohl, Johannes Schulz and Sebastian Brumann from the University of Augsburg.
Now that the participants know so much about climate change and how to shape the future, they learned from Dr. Clara Kühner the psychological reasons why we do not act in the climate crisis. Followed by a presentation from school practice by Dr. Felix Peter on how we can get into action in the individual and school context.
Participants were then encouraged in groups to reflect on their own teaching practices and find new ways to integrate climate change into the curriculum.
Climate change is undoubtedly one of the most pressing challenges of our time, and education plays a critical role in raising awareness for future generations. Participating teachers recognized the need to equip their students with sound information and awareness of the challenges of climate change. The training provided participants with the opportunity to learn about classroom materials and pedagogical approaches to teach the topic in exciting and engaging ways.
The diverse group of participants created an important platform for the exchange of knowledge and experiences. In the future, this resulting network will be supplemented by regular online meetings and an annual classroom training. In order to always receive the latest information, interested parties can register for the newsletter, via which invitations will be sent out.