The criticality of sensemaking in climate change education: closing the gap between information gathering and curriculum making in schools

Children and young people in England increasingly question both the relevance and impact of climate change education (British Science Association and the University of Plymouth, 2023) and this is further compounded by teachers reporting that they largely rely on ‘self-taught’ methods of professional development (Greer et al., 2023). Insights, on the implementation of climate change education (CEE) in England, from these recent reports imply that untrustworthy information sources gathered concerning CCE, particularly during ‘self-taught’ professional development, could influence the quality of the content taught in the classroom. Understanding information sources through a lens of trustworthiness, therefore, is a critical component in the curriculum making process undertaken by teachers (Puttick & Talks, 2021).

Curriculum making in CCE is crucial because it starts with considering the needs of children and young people first, involves teachers considering their own curriculum content and choosing resources carefully (Wallace & Priestley, 2016). The question of which resources and information sources are selected is in turn constrained by the sheer quantity of information sources available (Puttick & Talks, 2021). This, along with the lack of diversity in the sources selected, poses challenges for teachers in discerning what and how information on climate change should be incorporated into curriculum making (Puttick & Talks, 2021). Given the urgency of CCE (Greer et al., 2023), there is a need to consider how teachers in England process complex information on climate change, with a consideration of the potential misconceptions that could arise and how teachers can be better supported to develop their expertise about CCE. While Puttick and Talks (2021) emphasise the importance of focusing on information gathering, the practice of curriculum making requires teachers to analyse information and engage in a process of sensemaking so that CCE is both meaningful and relevant to the children and young people being taught.