• University of Glasgow

Ecopedagogy for Beginners: Putting Climate Change Education Into Action

Explore practical approaches to teaching sustainability and taking effective climate action in school settings.

541 enrolled on this course

Street art of a young girl riding on a bike, with stars upon the sky and a big cloud with the message 'Make the World Green Again!', to represent sustainability and climate action.

Ecopedagogy for Beginners: Putting Climate Change Education Into Action

541 enrolled on this course

  • 4 weeks

  • 3 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Introductory level

Find out more about how to join this course

  • Duration

    4 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours
  • 100% online

    How it works
  • Unlimited subscription

    $244.99 for a whole yearLearn more

Understand ecopedagogy with the University of Glasgow

Ecopedagogy aims to raise ecological consciousness and create momentum for climate action. This practice is hugely important in education to ensure students are actively involved in the fight against the climate crisis.

This four-week course from the University of Glasgow follows the Introduction to Teaching Sustainability and Climate Action course to help you implement ecopedagogy in educational settings.

You’ll discover practical approaches and useful activities to help you engage with students and encourage them to take climate action. Crucially, you’ll gain the tools to measure the impact of your educational practices to ensure they are working.

Gain skills in climate change education

As you learn more about ecopedagogy practices, you’ll discover why it is an effective route for climate action.

Next, you’ll explore techniques you can implement in the classroom to ensure your climate education is interesting and effective.

Learn how to create sustainable schools

Throughout the course, you’ll discover practical actions to create more sustainable schools. Within this, you’ll recognise and learn how to respond to the issue of climate anxiety.

You’ll also learn how to utilise and embed social justice into schools as you understand the importance of climate justice and the decolonisation of the curriculum.

Understand how to track the outcomes of ecopedagogy to take climate action

Finally, you’ll gain the skills to be able to trace the outcomes of your ecopedagogy. With this knowledge, you’ll ensure your teachings are having a positive impact.

Guided by Dr Ria Dunkley from the University of Glasgow, an expert in climate change education, you’ll finish the course with the knowledge and skills to implement sustainability and climate action in schools.

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    Ecopedagogy and critical eco-literacy

    • A colourful sign that has the word 'welcome' on it

      Welcome!

      In this introduction to the course, Dr Ria Dunkley from the University of Glasgow will describe the outcomes of the course and provide a course overview.

    • A field full of chairs

      Understanding Ecopedagogy

      In this step, we will acknowledge where we are regarding our ecopedagogy knowledge.

    • Street Art, which says: "Make the world green again"

      Critical pedagogy basis

      Within this step, we dive deeper into the ideas underpinning ecopedaogy, specifically critical pedagogy.

    • Children learning about solar panels

      Week 1 summary

      Congratulations! You have completed your first week of the course. Join us next week when we will look at how ecopedagogy for teaching sustainability and climate action in schools can be enacted.

  • Week 2

    What does ecopedagogy look like?

    • A picture of a San Francisco Street, where one of the building is painted with a mural of Greta Thunberg

      Week 2 introduction

      This step introduces you to what will be covered during week two of the course and invites you to share reflections on why ecopedagogy is an effective route for teaching sustainability and climate action in schools.

    • A picture of a father and his child stood inside a redwood tree in Oregon

      Understanding ecoliteracy

      During this step, we take a look at ecoliteracy, which is what ecopedagogy aims to enhance.

    • A father and child walking into a River in Yosemite National Park

      Place-based ecopedagogy

      In this step, we explore how place-based approaches are crucial within ecopedagogy.

    • A child's paper lantern made from pressed Autumn leaves

      Creative approaches to ecopedagogy

      In this step, we focus on imaginative learning and child-led storytelling as another critical element of ecopedagogy.

    • A street art painting - drawn on a wall of a girl and a bear

      Week 2 summary

      Congratulations! You have completed your second week of this course. Join us next week when we look at how we might create more sustainable and socially just schools.

  • Week 3

    Creating more sustainable schools by invoking social justice

    • Street art in Glasgow, depicting people who represent diverse cultural groups

      Week 3 introduction

      During week three, we will look at how we might enhance our schools' environmental and social sustainability. We will focus specifically on some processes developed in response to educational injustice.

    • Magnetic letters spelling out the word 'community'

      Embedding justice into schools

      Here we explore the practical actions schools and other learning organisations can take in fostering a just and sustainable learning environment

    • Teacher sitting at a desk with a globe

      Embedding justice into schools: decolonising

      Here we will explore some of the issues associated with the emerging understanding of racial justice and decolonising.

    • A picture of two children riding an electric vehicle away from the camera

      Week 3 summary

      Congratulations! You have completed week three of this course. Join us next week when we will be taking a deeper look at ecopedagogy in practice.

  • Week 4

    How do we know if ecopedagogy is effective?

    • Climate change protest

      Week 4 introduction

      Welcome to the fourth and final week of this Education for Sustainability and Climate Action in Schools course. We will explore how we plan for ecopedagogy and make sense of how we are having an impact on learners and communities.

    • Students at desks speaking to a teacher

      The impacts of ecopedagogy

      During this step, we will explore what some of the impacts of ecopedagogy might be, before moving in to explore how these can be traced

    • Class being held outside in nature

      How to trace impacts of ecopedagogy

      Within this section, we share insights into how it's possible to trace the impacts of ecopedagogy - from understanding the learner's journey to tracking emission reductions.

    • Classroom full of happy students

      Week 4 and course summary

      Congratulations! You have reached the end of this course on Teaching sustainability and climate action in schools. Please complete the final reflective activities and keep in touch to tell us about your efforts going forward.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Demonstrate an understanding of ecopedagogy as the art of learning and teaching in times of climate and ecological crises
  • Assess critical pedagogy as the basis of ecopedagogy to understand the rootedness of the concepts in consideration of equity
  • Demonstrate an understanding of practical actions that can be taken in the classroom and in schools to enact ecopedagogy
  • Explore ways of tracking the outcomes of ecopedagogic practice in classrooms and schools

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for those who have already completed the Introduction to Teaching Sustainability and Climate Action course and want to further their knowledge.

Who will you learn with?

Professor Ria Dunkley

Ria is a Professor of Environmental Pedagogy at the School of Education & Associate Director of the Centre for Sustainable Solutions at the University of Glasgow.

Ben Murphy

Ben is the education officer for the Centre of Sustainable Solutions at the University of Glasgow. Ben works in climate change education and climate justice, both in teaching and research.

Who developed the course?

University of Glasgow

The University of Glasgow

Founded in 1451, the University of Glasgow is the fourth oldest university in the English-speaking world. It is a member of the prestigious Russell Group of leading UK research universities.

  • Established

    1451
  • Location

    Glasgow, Scotland, UK
  • World ranking

    Top 70Source: QS World University Rankings 2020

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$244.99 for a whole year

Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$79/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 4 Mar 2025

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

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