September 2023 Summary of Climate Change in NJ for Teachers
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Climate Change in the 2020 New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS)
The 2020 New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) set academic expectations for students across subjects, including a focus on climate change and environmental education. These standards aim to equip students with critical skills to address real-world challenges and prepare for future success. Check out the standards by grade band by visiting this web page https://www.nj.gov/education/climate/learning/gradeband/
Workshop Recording
Sign up for a free online community health workshop. View the workshop recording below and access the workshop slides.
Instructor:
John Mullen, PhD
Assistant Professor of Sustainability Education
Departments of Educational Leadership, Administration, and Research @ Rowan University
28:30 video duration, 52-slide long slideshow
Description:
This workshop focused on Climate Change Education within the state of New Jersey, capitalizing on its controversial nature and what factors have been keeping it from being taught, and what public opinions have to say about it being taught.
Key Takeaways:
- Climate change has erupted as a political topic within the United States, which hinders its widespread teaching in schools. Many parents and other government officials object to it, and some teachers don’t have the full knowledge to teach it, so it ends up being a controversial topic to teach.
- First Lady of NJ, Tammy S. Murphy, made it a point to notify NJ residents that an office of climate change education was created so funding for this topic in schools could be covered statewide. This education topic was announced in June 2020 and was launched across K-12 learning in June 2022.
- New Jersey was the first state to mandate climate change education across all grade bands, meaning that regardless of public opposition, it was going to be taught.
New Jersey Climate Change Education Hub
The New Jersey Climate Change Education Hub provides educators, students, and the public with resources on climate science, sustainability, and environmental action. It offers lesson plans, activities, and tools to help people understand and address climate change, empowering communities to take action for a sustainable future.
Get help from the Learning Resource Center-South (LRC-South)
The Learning Resource Center-South (LRC-South) at Rowan University offers a variety of educational resources, including materials on climate change education. Their online resource site provides access to Open Educational Resources (OERs) that are freely available for teachers and students to use, adapt, and share. These resources cover various subjects, including science and environmental education, and can be valuable for integrating climate change topics into curricula.
Additionally, the LRC-South's science section offers resources designed to prepare students to understand climate change, its impacts, and sustainable actions. This includes fostering an interdisciplinary approach to climate change education that is evidence-based and action-oriented.
For more information on these resources, you can visit the LRC-South's website:
These materials can assist educators in incorporating climate change education into their teaching practices.
