Secret ingredients in climate education: teacher, researcher and a class abroad

We present advances made by the Prometeruse project in supporting secondary school teachers across Europe as they engage their pupils in cross-disciplinary climate action. Based on concern expressed by educators about their lack of technical mastery on climate science, our charity has offered plug-and-play courses suited to science, geography and language classes based on content from the assessment reports of the International Panel on Climate Change. To make the resources more palatable to pupils, our activities have built on student-centered teaching techniques, invited talks from a local researcher, elements of gaming and a hands-on research project performed with a class of peers abroad. Since 2015, the Prometeruse project has been optimizing this program with a growing pool of teachers and researchers from France, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Iran, Belgium and now Spain. The coursework has been tested with pupils aged 13 to 18 at institutions ranging from private international schools to vocational training centers. Our core objective has been to demystify the scientific process leading to research findings on climate change, inviting pupils to explain them and take part in their production. Test results on climate issues improved markedly among participants before and after taking part in the project. Our survey results identify interactive elements that helped motivate pupils. Case studies also revealed that proximity with a subject specialist relieved some teachers from concerns about subject proficiency, supporting their later efforts to incorporate climate issues into their own coursework. We share our own testimonials of taking part as invited researchers in Prometeruse lessons, highlight existing challenges and revealing efforts to roll out a citizen science project among schools to help pupils measure their environmental footprint. The presentation provides an open invitation to teachers and researchers interested in getting involved.