COP 26 blog – A step out into a new world

STEM Education Officer Mairi Thomson reflects on her visit to COP 26 and its legacy.

Leaving for the launch of the New York Times Climate Hub I was struck by the poignancy of the moment: this would be the first time I had been on a train since the pandemic began. Like many, my ‘working from home’ life had quickly adjusted to the daily commute to the back room. It had been easy, all too easy, to avoid the city these last 18 months, managing to strike a balance of working, dog walking and family but the forgotten jacket on the train quickly transported me to the present reminding me this was different!

 

The city was strangely quiet. I had expected to see scenes of activism just like the ones that had filled my television in the days before. I don’t think people had wearied – just that the carefully curated road closures had led me a different path. The hum of helicopters, the chatter of languages, the green lanyards and the camera bags told me I had reached the Climate Hub.

Through security and COVID checks, inside was an oasis of calm. A reverence for nature greeted me through the living art installation by ES Devlin.  197 trees and plants temporarily installed to represent the 197 countries who ratified the United Nations Framework on Climate Change.  The art cleverly nudged me to breathe in the importance of this COP and to pause and reflect on not only the enormity of the crisis facing humanity but also the urgency.

Each of the evening’s contributors offered up something unique from their perspective.  The New York Times editor in chief spoke of journalists seeking truth to tell the most urgent climate change stories of our time, how they use drones to go places people can’t and how using local photographers shows both intimacy and fear. Describing Greenland’s ice sheet as Swiss cheese reminded me (in case I had forgotten) that climate change is devastatingly real.  Nicola Sturgeon reflected on the significance of COP being hosted in Glasgow, a city at the forefront of the industrial age, how the science shows us we are running out of time, how we need to reduce emissions and reach net zero but without leaving people and communities behind. Beattie Wolfe performed her song from Green to Red as we were treated to a visual representation of 800000 years of carbon emission using data from NASA.

By all measures the night was a success but what measures are our leaders, our activists or indeed am I using to determine whether this COP has been successful?  Big announcements are one thing but important action happens at a local level.  Dave Reay, expert in Carbon Management. says that the most powerful thing anyone can do in terms of taking climate action is to talk about it. Talk with family, talk with community, talk with peers. Yes! This is something I can do (and those of you who know me know I love to talk!).  So with this in mind I am stepping out into the soon to be new and post-COP world and I am filled with hope and possibility about what we can achieve together.

Join us for COPTV Extra

The Scottish Youth Film Foundation (SYFF) is taking 12 young people to the United Nations Climate Change Summit in Glasgow (COP 26) where they will report from one of the most important events ever to take place in Scotland.

Their aim is to link up young people in Scotland who care about the planet with other young people around the world with the same goals and ideas. The group, who have been recruited from all over Scotland, are creating COP TV, a daily online broadcast which from the 8th-12th November will air for an hour and let the world know what the young people of Scotland think about the climate crisis and the solutions being discussed at COP.

Programmes will feature live interviews, pre-recorded films and inserts produced daily to reflect the breadth of what’s happening.

Check out the COP TV Broadcasts via the following links:

Monday 08 Nov (Available to view) – https://youtu.be/DWcuBprRqqI

Tuesday 09 Nov (Available to view) – https://youtu.be/ObTppAtfwP4

Wednesday 10 Nov (Available to view) – https://youtu.be/tiGyBrxsB-s

Thursday 11 Nov (Available to view) – https://youtu.be/X5UtLnWoWgo

Friday 12 Nov (Tune in at 5pm to see the next broadcast stream LIVE – or use same link to watch later) – https://youtu.be/4JUPDvQoML4

AND Now, Education Scotland and SYFF are giving you a chance to engage with the team through COPTV EXTRA. The COPTV EXTRA sessions will run on MS Teams from 09:30 to 10:00 on 9th to 12th November.

The COPTV Extra sessions are aimed at upper primary and secondary pupils across Scotland and will give schools a chance to engage with the COPTV Team. Ask questions about the biggest event ever to land in Scotland! Shape the COPTV content for the day! And get a unique behind back-stage insight into putting COPTV together.

Register for COPTV EXTRA through this link:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cop-tv-extra-tickets-202922616007

Please note: if you plan to attend on more than one of the dates then you’ll need to register separately for each day.

Find out more about COPTV

COPTV will be broadcast on COPTV YouTube channel from 5-6pm from the 8th to 12th November.

New York Times COP26 Climate Hub – FREE tickets for Educators’ Day

Please note: In-person tickets for this event have now sold out due to very high demand. However, there are an unlimited number of tickets still available for those who want to attend virtually (live on the day) or to access the recordings following the Educators’ Day.

Between the 3rd and 11th November the New York Times is taking over the SWG3 building on the Clydeside – right next to the official COP26 Green and Blue Zones at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow. Their Climate Hub experience will be the biggest fringe event outside official UN COP26 negotiations. It will bring together citizens, scientists, inventors, academics, delegates and journalists from around the world to answer the most urgent question of our time: How do we adapt and thrive on a changing planet?

Educators are being invited to register for the New York Times Educate on Climate day on Friday 5th November, for free! This one-day event has been designed by educators for educators and will seek to tackle some of the biggest challenges in education. What world will our learners inherit, and how can we prepare them to thrive in it? How should we nurture the next generation of climate leaders? How do we empower students to think critically about the challenges facing our planet, and how can we work hand in hand with young people to help shape climate solutions?

There are a number of ways that educators can participate. In-person tickets sold out extremely quickly due to the high demand but educators can still register to join the sessions online. Don’t worry if you can’t join live on the day – catch up recordings will be available so you can watch the sessions at a time that suits you. However, you will need to register to access these. Multiple registrations from each establishment are welcome.

Those fortunate enough to be attending in person will enjoy the sessions in the unique ‘Conference of tress’ setting created by an award-winning artist. This will involve an experiential exhibition of living, breathing trees. This promises to be a professional learning experience like no other – a 5th November to remember!

See the attached programme here: NYT Educate on Climate Programme

To register for FREE for the NYT Educate on Climate Day (5th Nov), visit: https://climatehub.nytimes.com/educate

Click on the Ticket tab and then choose how to attend. Then enter the following code in the Discount box: EDUCATE-VIP

Find out more about the New York Times Climate Hub: https://climatehub.nytimes.com/

Visit Education Scotland’s Countdown to COP page to find out about all the COP26 Resources and support available: https://education.gov.scot/improvement/learning-resources/countdown-to-cop26/

Also, coming soon – COPTV!

The Scottish Youth Film Foundation has recruited 12 young journalists to create and host a daily broadcast for learners from COP26 from the 8th to the 12th November. The programme will be broadcast via YouTube from 5pm-6pm each evening.

COP26 – Use Data Science to reduce your school’s carbon footprint

Just launched  – a new live lesson for learners P7-S4.

The event ‘Use Data Science to reduce your school’s carbon footprint’, which is free, will be held on 9th Nov (2pm) and aligns well with COP26. Each live lesson focuses on a data science topic and brings together a YouTube livestream event with a series of guided web-based activities.  The first live lesson, ‘Defend the Rhino’, focused on machine learning (training cameras to spot poachers and save rhinos!).  The second ‘Data Selfie’ live lesson supports learners to explore data visualisation.

You can access both lessons from the events page in the Data Education in Schools website: Events for data education – Data Education in Schools (dataschools.education)

Details of ‘Use Data Science to reduce your school’s carbon footprint’ can be found here: Data Skills Live: Use Data Science to reduce your school’s carbon footprint Tickets, Tue 9 Nov 2021 at 14:00 | Eventbrite

The live lesson format has been developed in partnership with Skills Development Scotland and Digital Skills Education.  It’s proven to be very popular with 9643 learners (to date) having engaged in the first two activities. The 10,000 learner isn’t far off now!

The Environment : Questions for Learning

 

Education Scotland has just published a new book entitled

The Environment: Questions for Learning

The book has been 10 years in the making and has been very kindly shared with Education Scotland by Scottish-born author, Karen Currie, who has been living in Brazil for 40 years. The book contains lots of questions and ideas to help make Interdisciplinary Learning connections in learning through Learning for Sustainability.

Karen approached Education Scotland because she has been keeping a watchful eye on the Curriculum for Excellence’s journey from afar and has a longstanding interest in Learning for Sustainability and Scotland’s curriculum.

Please remember to encourage anyone who reads the book to share one idea back…

Help us celebrate Scotland’s contribution to Learning for Sustainability.

 

 

Here is a fantastic opportunity to showcase and celebrate Scotland’s contribution to Learning for Sustainability with an international audience.

Learning for Sustainability Scotland (LfSS) is Scotland’s Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) in ESD (Education for Sustainable Development). This is a centre for everyone and anyone involved in ESD-related activity across all educational sectors in Scotland and you can read more about them here.

They are also part of a global network of over 180 similar Centres, recognised by the UN University and in November 2021, they will be hosting the 12th Global RCE Conference. The Conference will be held online from the 16-18th November and all 180 Centres and their networks have been invited to attend.

Be part of the celebrations!

LfSS are delighted that such a prestigious event is coming to Scotland. This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase and celebrate some of the fantastic learning that is happening across Scotland to make sustainability part of the everyday for learners of all ages and backgrounds. LfSS would be very grateful, therefore, if you would consider sharing your LfS story as part of this. You have until 1st November to send your contribution to them.

There are two ways you can share your activity:

  1. As a ‘Postcard’:
  • This would consist of a short video clip (5 minutes or less), outlining your activity. Ideally, it would include footage of your work and the people involved in it, and either a voiceover and/or text outlining your activity, its aims and its outcomes/impact. Accompanying music would be especially welcome! LfSS will be selecting two of the postcards submitted to them for showcasing during the Conference itself and all postcards will be uploaded to their online ‘Sharing Space’ for delegates to view at their leisure.
  1. As a contribution for their online ‘Sharing Space’:
  • LfSS will be building an online platform for sharing good practice from across Scotland and from their RCE colleagues worldwide. You can send them content in any format you choose: e.g. video, PDF, graphic/photograph, or as a link to content on your own website.

Please contact the organisers at enquiries@lfsscotland.org if you’d like any additional information. Closing date 1st November.

Change Film Competition – Enter by 30th Sept 2021

Submit your video before 30th September

To mark COP26 coming to Glasgow, The Scottish Youth Film Foundation is looking for your films on the subject of Change.

The closing date is 30th September but there’s ample time to make and upload a film about climate change. It has to be five mins or under and made by young people aged 19 or younger.

Shortlisted films will be screened at a Gala Event taking place at COP26 itself. All filmmakers will be invited along on the night when the winners will be revealed.

Full details can be found here – www.syff.scot/change

Check out this video to find out more about the competition: Change – Film Competition – YouTube

Countdown to COP26 – One Month to go

The United Nations COP26 Climate Summit starts on 01 Nov 2021. That means there is just over one month to go to one of the biggest events ever hosted in Scotland. The aim for the 200 world leaders in attendance will be to reach agreement on tackling the global climate emergency by limiting greenhouse gas emissions to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

Education Scotland has been working closely with key partner organisations to provide support and resources to help education settings and learners engage in the five key climate education themes of the COP26 Conference: nature, clean transport, energy transition, finance, adaptation and resilience.

Resources and support can be accessed via the Countdown to COP page on Education Scotland’s National Improvement Hub. https://education.gov.scot/improvement/learning-resources/countdown-to-cop26/

This includes access to the following elements:

  • A COP26 Wakelet collection – bringing together some of the best COP26 resources from partners around the world
  • Early Years – See Dug’s Discovery Den ThingLink resource and eBook of Dug’s visit to Arran
  • Primary – A ThingLink resource for learners covering all five COP26 themes and accompanied by a practical guide for teachers
  • BGE Secondary – Countdown to COP resource for learners in S1 to S3.
  • New! – We’ve also now added COP26 challenges to encourage learners to develop creative and innovative solutions to climate change.

You can also join our Countdown to COP Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Live sessions being run by Education Scotland in partnership with Founders for Schools and e-Sgoil. These live and recorded sessions provide an insight into a wide variety of green jobs linked to COP themes: https://www.e-sgoil.com/countdown-to-cop26/ . Live sessions are running Fridays at 11:00am through to the start of COP26.

Scotland’s Assemblies – these live and recorded assemblies are a great way to introduce learners at First and Second Level to COP themes: https://e-sgoil.com/p2-7/ . Join us for our next COP assembly at 09:45am on Friday 1 October.

Learning for Sustainability Practitioner Network – connect, network and share ideas with over 300 other like-minded practitioners on MS Teams in Glow. Joining code: o4sj08j

Twitter – Follow us @EdScotLfS and visit our LfS blog for the latest updates

Don’t forget! The work doesn’t stop at the end of COP! Education Scotland is asking every school and setting to build a lasting legacy for the COP26 conference by ensuring that all learners in Scotland receive their entitlement to Learning for Sustainability, an entitlement that is embedded within Scotland’s curriculum. Find out about the wide range of resources and professional learning support available through the following pages:

Scottish Learning Festival – Suggested LfS Pathway

As SLF 2021 fast approaches, please find below one suggested LfS Pathway through the SLF programme this year.

Tuesday 21 September SLF 2021 Programme Update 5

SESSION 1 10:00 – 10:45

Learning for sustainability

Using the local environment and outdoor learning effectively to develop and promote learning for sustainability in the primary school.

Primary practitioners

SESSION 2 12:30 – 13:15

Approaching COP 26: Learning for Sustainability through Social Studies and RME.

Join us to consider opportunities for exploring Learning for Sustainability (LfS) in the context of Social Studies and RME. Link LfS, Social Studies, RME and the wider curriculum to get your learners ready for COP 26.

Local authority and Education Scotland staff

 

Wednesday 22 September SLF 2021 Programme Update 5

SESSION 4 14:00 – 14:45

Yearning for outdoor learning – building back better post-lockdown

A selection of practice from across Scotland demonstrating outdoor learning approaches developed through lockdown. How do we build on these opportunities and take outdoor learning to new heights? Gwyneth Quinn, East Ayrshire; Natalie White, Bualnaluib and Poolewe Cluster, Highland Council, Kate Samuel, Hyndland Secondary School

SESSION 5 15:45 – 16:30

#GettingReadyforCOP26

A session exploring key resources, activities and ideas to engage learners in climate education and Learning for Sustainability as Scotland prepares to host the UN COP26 Climate Summit in November. Debbie Matthewson, Stow Primary, Scottish Borders with Education Scotland staff

 

Thursday 23 September  SLF 2021 Programme Update 5

SESSION 1 08:00 – 08:45

Scottish Virtual Nature School

Led by Dr Clare Warden, this Scottish Government funded support for outdoor learning benefits children and families across Scotland. Hear about the wide ranging impact from ELC practitioners who have participated.

Dr Clare Warden and practitioners

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