Category Archives: data

Bringing resources, tools and training for climate education

4 January 2025climate, data, Project, toolsKarl Donert

The TECCHED project is set in the context of the European Green Deal and the Global Goals for Sustainable Development.

TECCHED is based on the need to tackle the climate emergency and ecological crisis by ensuring the training of next generation teachers addresses climate issues.

Curriculum opportunities and relevant teaching approaches have been evaluated and a teacher education curriculum established. Gaps in content knowledge and innovative are encouraged that can be used in response to local issues.

TECCHED through its Learning Platform establishes access to tools and resources that makes scientific resources on climate change education available for teachers and educators. Visit the Learning Platform

TECCHED provides access to climate information through its Learning Platform with climate education projects, climate visualisations and multimedia tools. This provides access to reliable climate change data and maps for use in teacher training . Climate simulations and games have also been reviewed which encourages high engagement and deep affective learning to take place.

The project offers open access online teacher training for teachers through an interactive climate book to help them get informed and empowered to address the urgency of climate futures, understanding the background and science behind climate change.

The training resources encourage teachers to create opportunities for the critical assessment of information reliability and establish and use innovative approaches to teaching and learning about climate in curriculum areas and include interactive assessments at the end of each unit.

Explore the tools and resources on the TECCHED Learning Platform

Using a climate data dashboard in schools

12 September 2024case study, climate, data, schools, toolsKarl Donert

Climate data is a crucial resource we should use in education, its visualisation enhances understanding and engagement with complex environmental issues.

The Teaching the Future project has provided access to authentic original climate data using global datasets from scientists and the latest European data from the Copernicus project.

There are several key aspects that teachers and educators should consider:
Enhanced Understanding: Climate data is often vast and complex, encompassing various parameters at different spatial scales. Visual representations, from data dashboards, offers graphs, charts, and maps, which help simplify this complexity, making patterns and trends more discernible. Students can quickly grasp the progression of climate change, which might be less apparent through raw data alone.
Engagement and Retention: Visual aids capture attention and make learning more interactive. Educational psychology suggests that visual learning can significantly enhance memory retention. When students see data in a visual format showing rising global temperatures, they are more likely to remember and understand these concepts. Data from climate models and simulations further increase engagement by allowing students to consider the future and potential outcomes.
Critical Thinking and Analysis: Visualising climate data encourages critical thinking. Students learn to interpret data, identify trends, and draw conclusions. Students can explore cause-and-effect relationships between human activities and climate change. This analytical skill helps in developing informed opinions and considering solutions.
Communication and Advocacy: Effective communication of climate science is essential for public awareness and policy advocacy. Visual data is a powerful communication tool that transcends language barriers and can be understood by a wide audience. Students experienced in visualising and interpreting climate data are better equipped to convey complex information succinctly and persuasively.
Real-World Applications: Incorporating climate data visualisation in education prepares students for real-world challenges. Many professions increasingly rely on data visualisation to inform decisions and strategies. By mastering these skills early, students can contribute meaningfully to addressing climate change in their future careers.

Visualising climate data is therefore fundamental to enhance comprehension, engagement, critical thought and communication skills. The data dashboards transform abstract data into meaningful insights, empowering students to understand and address the pressing issue of climate change.

Access the Climate Data Dashboards

A training module is available to help you and your students navigate the data.

Using digital climate data in schools

13 January 2024case study, climate, data, publicationKarl Donert

“Climate change concerns all of us, and everyone can take action for the climate” (European Commission, 2020).

Our planet is experiencing significant and accelerated change caused by greenhouse gases emitted by human activities. We are gathering significant scientific data looking to understand and then seek solutions to the problem.

Understanding the causes, effects and implications of climate change needs to be central to school education.

Teach The Future (TTF) is an Eraqsmus Plus project has been designed to promote a highly relevant educational approach to climate change education, by applying open science and open data principles to the framework of a digital citizenship educational paradigm.

The Teach the Future project fits closely with the aims of the TECCHED project as young people are deeply concerned about the climate crisis. Many are angry that action is still not being taken when it is their future at stake.

Launched with the vision to integrate climate education into school curricula, this project has far exceeded its initial goals, fundamentally reshaping how climate change is taught in classrooms. Explore the pedagogical report on climate education

At the heart of the project are a set of innovative resources and methodologies developed for educators and providing access to authentic climate data in dashboards of histoical temperature and precipitation and future forecasts of the predicted temperatures across the globe. These resources demonstrate the warming climate. Visit the digital climate data dashboards

Recognizing the multidisciplinary nature of climate change, “Teach the Future” has crafted a diverse array of teaching materials. These range from interactive games that engage students in environmental stewardship, to comprehensive lesson plans that weave climate awareness into subjects like science, geography, and even literature. Find out more about the project results

Understanding that change begins with educators, the project has placed significant emphasis on teacher training to effectively communicate the complexities of climate change. Visit the onlione teacher training course

The project’s legacy includes a network of informed and enthusiastic educators, ready to inspire a new generation of environmentally conscious students.

Looking ahead, the success of “Teach the Future” serves as a blueprint for future educational initiatives.

Since the focus of the project is equipping educators and students with new skills, it is demonstrated that with the right tools and commitment, schools can play a pivotal role in shaping a more sustainable future. Visit the teacher stories from the project