By Matt Zalaznick
Originally published December 6, 2022 District Administration
A growing number of states are requiring schools to teach about climate change, some as early as kindergarten.
It’s hands-on, multidisciplinary and has real-world impacts—teaching climate change would seem to tick all the boxes for student engagement. Plus, most teachers think they should be teaching climate change while a growing number of states are making the topic an instructional requirement as early as kindergarten.
“Students learn by doing,” says Peter Dufresne, chief academic officer of Knovva Academy and a former principal. “Students don’t remember that essay test you gave them—they remember when you brought them outside, they remember when you had them do things with their hands, they remember what brought the work to life.”