A review of materials for teaching about climate change for the IOP
Climate change materials in the context of education in Physics should depict appropriate modelling with physical quantities and provide connections to citizen thought and action.
If it turns out that humans go beyond the declaration of climate emergency to redemptive action, then this will likely depend on right thinking, resulting in interventions based on predictions generated using reliable, tested ideas and models. That's what modelling in physics has to offer. The modelling aspect is essential in any case, as even recognising the phenomena requires an appreciation of this process.
Good resources, that we might commend to teachers, should include:
- A courteous and accurate depiction of physics as an interplay of knowing-how and knowing-that to generate reliable guides for action
- be connected to the learner's everyday lives
- Provide hooks to wider interpretative frameworks and plans for action
Reputable physics
Energy sources and resources
- Essentially, climate change is about filling and emptying stores of energy
- Power distinguished from energy, developed to include relatable units
- Fruitful accounts of dissipation and efficiency
Modelling
- Inspect, adapt and perhaps create dynamic models, relating physical quantities via accumulations and constraints
- Quantification, data precision & accuracy
- Dynamic equilibrium, causing and maintaining differences
- Modelling to guide action in under-determined circumstances
Photon flux
- Differential absorption, reflection and transmission related to photon frequency and to the material leading to an understanding of the greenhouse effect
- Insolation variation across the Earth
- Albedo effects and the distribution of reflecting and absorbing surfaces across the Earth
Thermal mass
- Thermal mass affecting warming and cooling
- Distribution of thermal mass across the Earth, related to oceans vs land mass
Pedagogic approaches for an influencing agenda
The less conventional of these approaches have workable storylines:
Almost all resources found on the internet are structured as a repository, a disordered collection which can be filtered and searched. This is unlikely to influence teaching much, and the IOP should be more ambitious. The IOP is more likely to exert influence and effect change by an appropriate framing of the task: thinking of teaching & learning physics is about selecting sequences, which are organised narrative explanations. As a learned society, IOP should be engaging with reasons for the choices made.
As exemplification beats further pontification, Nuffield Physics, Advancing Physics and Supporting Physics Teaching all took this approach.
Any development might usefully start by sketching out a sequence using Wavelength and CLEAN project resources and then see what resources need to be developed rather than adapted. This will depend on the aims of the development, which will depend on the available human and financial resource.
Connected contexts
Powering homes
- Model power flows in a house(electrical circuits probably provide the easiest route to quantification)
- Making a temperature difference, e.g. for a room, fridge, kettle or house
- Maintaining a temperature difference, eg for a room, fridge, kettle or house
- Energy resources: choosing what to exploit and what is best left unexploited
- Minimising dissipation: insulation and behaviour change
- Semi-quantitative & fully quantitative treatments of the kilowatt-hour, including costs
- Time shifting demand: working together and sharing out
Powering transport
- Choices, for journeys and about making journeys
- Contextualised quantities(such as kJ/person-km), connected to choices
- Infrastructure and life-cycle embedded energy costs
Powering food
- Energy cost of production, processing, storage and transport
- Energy cost of meals, snacks; preparation and cooking
Explicit hooks to broader frameworks
Gaining traction now
For historical context
- Hockey stick temperature graph(1999)
- Club of Rome report(1970)
Freely available resources, July 2023
Commercial resources, whether on the internet behind a paywall, or other published resources, are explicitly excluded from this review, although there is no reason why the criteria above should not apply equally.
Classroom resources on the web, with commentary
RSC
- well presented, does chemistry so no one else has to
- little physics
WWF
- target age 7-11
- Posters, information sheets, presentations
- Teacher guide, together with links to: discussion cards, carbon footprint calculator, and case studies
- little physics
STEM
- search on climate change reveals 73 results
- a single 'Concept Cartoon' tagged with physics
- lots of resources around data interpretation tasks and to support debate , some presenting the phenomenon of climate change
- quite a few talking heads on film or audio
- little or nothing tackling the physics of climate change
TES
- not reviewed, mostly geography, rather than physics, typically 4 lesson PowerPoints or worksheets
- implied pedagogy and physics are often not of a standard the IOP should encourage
UNESCO
ESA
- Completed project for 8-19 year olds on climate detectives: research projects encouraging generic scientific skills exploiting satellite data
- Archived projects
- teacher guide
- little explicit physics
NASA
- links to websites
- Climate kids
- young children
- activity rather than substantive knowledge: physics buried
- JPL climate
- a collection of filterable classroom resources
- includes, e.g. resources on reasoning with data about solar panels and a thermal expansion model
- little on the physics of climate change
- Wavelength
- a large collection of filterable classroom resources (123 for secondary 'climate')
- includes, for example, activities to do with modelling photons interactions with air, projections of the effects of climate change, and Modelling Hot and Cold Planets.
- Goddard & NOAA
- links to a set of Curriculum Modules
- "Earth's Energy Budgets" and "Future Temperature Projections" look the best to investigate first
- CLEAN project
- "Teaching about Climate and Energy? Our team of educators and scientists has reviewed and organized the best free teaching resources for K-12 through college."
- like 'Wavelength' above, there is lots here, with inevitable overlaps
- includes, e.g. "Modeling Earth's Energy Balance" "As the Rotor Turns: Wind Power and You" and "Global Energy Flows"
- need a cultural translation from the USA context
- Living Landscapes Climate Science Project
- "seeks to increase American Indian and Alaska Native engagement in STEM" so probably hard to excavate UK-applicable materials
- DOE
- links to yet more websites
- Solar decathlon education resources has a very poorly conceptualised idea of energy, so maybe best avoided, even though the teacher books are extensive
- activities such as the cardboard house or exploring photovoltaics may be worth repurposing, although not unique
- NEED is a CPD organisation, abusing the technical term 'energy'
- Earth Science Week
- a collection of links, including activities, for Earth Science Week 2022
- filterable lists of resources, including things such as 'Exploring Change with GIS' which may be useful
Perspectives to think against(small sample)
University climate physics
British Science Association perspective
World Economic Forum
The stochastic parrot said...
As teachers of physics, we understand the importance of educating our students about the complex topic of climate change. However, finding the right resources to help us teach this subject can be a daunting task. That's why we've compiled a list of the best online resources for teaching the physics of climate change to secondary school children in the UK.
First on our list is the Met Office's Climate Change Teaching Resources. This fantastic resource provides teachers with a range of activities, lesson plans and presentations that have been designed to engage students with the science behind climate change. The content is well-structured and easy to use, making it a great tool for both experienced and inexperienced teachers.
Another excellent resource is the Carbon Dioxide Removal Centre. This website is dedicated to helping teachers and students understand the processes and technologies involved in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. It provides a range of resources, including videos, case studies, and interactive learning tools, which can be used to help students explore this important topic in detail.
For those seeking more in-depth resources, the Royal Society's Climate Change: A Summary of the Science is an excellent choice. This report provides a comprehensive overview of the scientific consensus on climate change, including the physical processes involved in the Earth's climate system. The report is written in a clear and accessible style, making it suitable for both teachers and students.
The Climate Change Schools Resources website is another valuable resource for teachers. It provides a range of activities, lesson plans and resources that have been designed to help students understand the impacts of climate change on the UK. The website also includes a range of case studies and examples of how schools across the UK are taking action to reduce their carbon footprint.
Last but not least, the UK Climate Projections website is a valuable tool for teachers who wish to explore the impacts of climate change in more detail. This website provides a range of interactive maps and graphs that allow students to explore how different regions of the UK are likely to be affected by climate change. The content is well-researched and up-to-date, making it an excellent resource for teachers who wish to stay informed about the latest developments in the field.
In conclusion, there are many excellent online resources available for teachers who wish to teach the physics of climate change to secondary school children in the UK. Our list of resources includes a range of options, from interactive learning tools to in-depth reports and case studies. By using these resources, teachers can engage their students with the science behind climate change and help them to understand the impacts of this important issue on our planet.