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PGCE students take climate awareness beyond the classroom

1 October 2024

Students at the School of Education are urging others to play their part in the climate transition after undergoing invaluable Climate Fresk training.

In September this year, the University of Bristol’s School of Education was awarded funding from Bristol City Council to support their climate action projects.

The funding came as a result of Bristol City Council’s partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies’ new Youth Climate Action Fund programme, which secures support for youth-led climate initiatives in 100 cities across the globe.

After attending a Climate Fresk workshop, in which she became a trained Climate Fresk facilitator, the School’s Senior Lecturer and Geography PGCE Tutor Michelle Graffagnino applied for the funding to hold her own session.

Climate Fresk workshops, held by trained facilitators, teach anyone the fundamentals of climate science in just three hours.

The students underwent a three-hour workshop as part of their Climate Fresk training.

Using scientifically proven facts from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, participants gain an in depth understanding of climate change through hands-on activities.

As a result of each workshop, all attendees become trained facilitators, enabling them to hold their own Climate Fresk workshops and share their knowledge with others to inspire further climate action.

On 13 September, after being successfully granted Bristol City Council funding, Michelle Graffagnino, together with trained facilitator Ritah Pavin Nakanjako, held a Climate Fresk workshop at the School, which was attended by 14 PGCE students.

All student attendees were Green Apple (GA) representatives in their subject areas, including Science, English, Maths, Geography, History, Modern Foreign Language and Religious Education.

The Green Apple Scheme is a university-wide project in line with the Sustainable Development Goals Accord, which provides education for sustainable development experiences to students in the formal curriculum and through extra-curricular activities.

During the Climate Fresk workshop, attendees organised 42 cards, which outlined climate change facts from the IPCC reports, in order of cause and effect. This was followed by a creativity session, where the attendees decorated and titled the Fresk.

The second half of the workshop encouraged all attendees to reflect on their learnings, followed by a discussion on how they could use their training to encourage climate action going forward.

The attendees organised 42 cards outlining facts from the IPCC reports

Now as trained Climate Fresk facilitators, the School’s PGCE students can effectively bring their in-depth knowledge of climate change into classrooms not just within Bristol as part of their placements, but into schools across the UK as their teaching careers progress.

Of the workshop, Michelle Graffignano said: ‘The Climate Fresk is an engaging and collaborative workshop that enables its participants […] to learn more about the causes and effects that in turn inspire actions and solutions at an individual to international level.

‘It provides an opportunity to facilitate an activity that asks ‘how does this make us feel?’ whilst giving us hope that we still have time to make a difference.

‘I know our Green Apple reps are now prepped and ready to take Climate Fresk into school to engage young people in a climate change education that goes beyond the facts and figures.’

The workshop was also attended by University of Bristol alumni, including James Swallow – a former PGCE student at the School of Education.

Now working in a local secondary school, James said: ‘The Climate Fresk facilitator training was really useful – both for my own professional development and to indirectly improve my pupils’ knowledge of climate science. I am now looking forward to running a Fresk for students and staff in school.

‘I completed my PGCE with the University of Bristol last year and loved how climate change was included in our training. I am really glad that the University is keeping former students who are now teaching involved in exciting new initiatives such as this.’

Further information

For more information on The Green Apple Scheme or Climate Fresk workshops, please contact Michelle Graffagnino by emailing: michelle.graffagnino@bristol.ac.uk

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Are you looking to play your part in the climate transformation?

Join the School of Education’s Climate Action Group, which meets regularly to lead climate action within the School.

To join, email the Climate Action Group Coordinator for 2024/25, Professor Paul Howard-Jones via paul.howard-jones@bristol.ac.uk

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