Language acquisition and literacy support students in building hope and taking action against climate change.
Educators need tools to bring climate change literacy to the classroom so in 2018 Kate Austin and Sara Martinez co-developed the Voices of Hope GLAD unit. Since that time NCESD has offered numerous professional learning opportunities through ClimeTime funding to support educators in using the fully OER unit.
An educator is preparing their own pictorial chart to use in their classroom.
In January and March of 2023, the NCESD offered one fully asynchronous professional learning opportunity and one in-person opportunity for educators. Twenty-three educators registered to participate in one or the other of these events. In this professional learning event educators learn how to use some of the GLAD strategies. Some of those strategies include a focus on self-management and self-motivation; powerful tools for student social emotional learning. Educators learn how to use other GLAD strategies to build student climate literacy such as observation charts and pictorials.
Books and research are the basis for the Voices of Hope unit.
These strategies support students in building the language and knowledge skills they need to understand climate change. They also learn about the voices of those that are taking action against climate change. Educators learn how to support students in creating their own action plans to develop as a sense of hope.
This professional learning event allows educators to learn together, collaborate, plan for implementation and create lasting, supportive relationships with one another.
