What technology content and values emerge in the teaching of climate change?
Research project: technology didactic
What content, values concerning technology and climate change emerge as important in the teaching practice in the professional development course, within the teaching materials and in the teachers’ own teaching? The aim of this study is to investigate teaching content and teaching approaches within technology education, focusing on climate change, with an overall aim to analyse and describe technology education for social and environmental change. Data will be collected from the teachers’ use of a climate kit during autumn 2018.
Problem
Today, many people live with climate anxiety, and both politicians and companies emphasize how important sustainable strategies and activities are for developing a society with less impact on climate change. Within education, it is central to implement themes dealing with such issues as well. As a technology teacher, one will be expected to have knowledge and ideas about teaching the climate issue, and to be prepared to manage climate anxiety among students.
The aim of the study
The aim of the study is to investigate teaching content and teaching approaches within technology education, focusing on climate change, with an overall aim to analyse and describe technology education for social and environmental change.
The climate kit
With the aim of supporting teachers, a group of actors consisting of researchers, a municipality, and a science center, have cooperated in developing a Climate Kit, including an instruction sequence, and teaching materials.
This climate kit will be used in schools during autumn 2018. When the kit will be implemented, a research study will be accomplished as well. Empirical data emerge from both A) observations of (1) workshops with the actors when the kit is created (tested in classroom as well), (2) teacher training courses, and (3) in classrooms when technology teachers will use the climate kit for teaching and B) interviews.
Method
The observations and the interviews will thereafter be analysed using a discursive perspective partly with aim to identify what knowledge content in relation to climate change that is highlighted in the technology teaching, and partly with a discourse analytical perspective focusing on the values and steering strategies within the teaching practice.
Research question
The research question: What content, values concerning technology and climate change emerge as important in the teaching practice in the professional development course, within the teaching materials and in the teachers’ own teaching?
Activities
Results from A1 and A2 above will be presented at the following conferences during 2018:
- Rockelstad June 13-15
- PATT (The Pupils Attitude Toward Technology) International conference on June 18-21
- IOSTE (International Organization for Science and Technology Education) August 13-17