Sustainability and Climate Change Course Description and Logistics

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Sustainability education is an approach to learning that builds the knowledge, skills, and values needed to create lasting economic prosperity, environmental health, and social justice.  This online course will introduce sustainability as context for learning, highlight connections to the science and consequences of climate change, and provide strategies for reframing curriculum to emphasize these connections.  Clear connections are made between course content and classroom practice. The course is designed for teachers grades 6 and up. 

The self-paced course will take approximately 15 hours to complete and includes a mix of readings, journals, videos, and written assignments designed to introduce teachers to Education for Sustainability and climate change as powerful themes for standards-based instruction.

This course is all about connections, with a focus on the inextricable links between

  • natural, economic and social systems
  • a rapidly changing climate and our prospects for achieving a more sustainable future
  • the Next Generation Science and Common Core standards, and
  • what you encounter here and your classroom practice.

This course is designed to engage you, the adult learner, in an integrative and reflective learning experience that emphasizes application of course content to your teaching.  Upon completion, participants will receive 1 unit of credit for Geology 104 from San Jose State University.  Cost for credit: $50. The course begins Monday, Sept. 22, 2014 and ends Monday, December 1, 2014. Participants are expected to complete all assignments within that window  and adhering to the due dates as listed for each assignment.

Your teachers for this course will be: Ellen Metzger, San Jose State University, Susan Santone, Creative Change Educational Solutions, Kim Reynolds, Creative Change Educational Solutions.

For questions on lessons 1 and 5 please contact Susan Santone and Kim Reynolds. For any technical problems contact Kim Reynolds.

For questions on lessons 2, 3, & 4 please contact Ellen Metzger. 

To contact someone through the Moodle course once logged in,  click on "My Profile".  Select "Messages".  Search for the name of the person you would like to message. Once you find their name you can add her to your contacts and send a message.

COURSE ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

What is sustainability? What are its key values and approaches? How can it serve as a context for understanding the world?


How and why is Earth’s climate system changing?


Why is understanding and addressing climate change critical to sustainability?


How does climate change reflect interactions between natural and human systems?


What are the environmental, economic, and social impacts of climate change?


What individual and collective actions can help to mitigate the effects of climate change?


How can sustainability, considered within the context of climate change, serve as a platform for meeting standards?


What strategies can I use to reframe my curriculum to integrate sustainability and climate change concepts?

COURSE OUTLINE 


The course/module requires approximately 15 hours of time, and is divided into 5 lessons. Each lesson requires approximately three hours to complete all reading and assignments. Lesson topics include:


1. Introduction to Sustainability

2. What Causes Climate Change?

3. What are the Impacts of Climate Change?

4. What Can We Do About Climate Change?

5. Curriculum Applications

GOALS


Demonstrate sustainability’s applicability across disciplines.

Demonstrate how sustainability is considered within the framework of climate change can be used as a timely and engaging context for meeting the Common Core and Next Generation science standards.

Increase learners’ content knowledge about the greenhouse effect, human contributions to climate change, the environmental, social and economic costs of climate instability, and individual and collective actions to address climate change.

Support learners to integrate the content and methods into their classroom teaching.

 

INSTRUCTIONAL ACTIVITIES AND APPROACHES

Course activities combine

  • Reading selections and questions
  • Online discussions within provided forums
  • Digital media (short videos, website links and tutorials)
  • Reflecting on guiding questions and proposed topics in a personal journal
  • Finding/evaluating resources for teaching about sustainability in your classroom
  • Providing feedback on course itself

EVALUATION

Participants will have two weeks to complete each lesson and accompanying assignment.  This course is offered as Credit/No Credit. Credit can be earned by completing the following:

  • completing all assignments (lesson response forms) thoroughly and submitting them by the due date
  • participating in the forums

 To earn credit you must score either a 3 or 2 for each of the 5 lesson response form assignments and 4 forums.  The rubric can also be viewed within the final assignment for each lesson.The rubric for each lesson is slightly different but follows this model:

 

3 points

2

1

0

Response Form and Forum Participation

Assignment was turned in on time with thoughtful responses that completely respond to the assignment; responses make relevant connections to course materials and ideas; overall deep engagement with the ideas.  Responses move beyond simply answering the question to providing analysis -- addressing the “how”, “why”, “so what?” or “now what?” aspects of the issue.  Responses are supported with course resources as appropriate. 

 Meaningful and thorough contribution to the forum; thoughtful and relevant responses to other course participants

 

Assignment was turned in on time with adequate responses that answer the questions; analysis is not reflective or critical and makes few relevant connections to course materials and ideas.  Responses are rarely supported with course resources.

Adequate contribution to the forum; adequate responses to other course participants

 

Assignment was turned in late. Superficial responses that gloss over key ideas; or, responses lack analysis or reflect illogical thinking and make no connections to course material or ideas.

Superficial contribution to the forum; superficial or limited responses to other course participants

 

Assignment was turned in late or not turned in at all and/or responses are unrelated to the questions posed; or responses contradict key course ideas.

Little or no contribution to the forum; unrelated or illogical posts and responses; little or no response to other course participants.

 

 

To enhance your own learning as a professional educator we strongly recommend that you set up a journal as you begin the course. This can be used to take notes, jot down teaching ideas as they occur to you, and record any questions you'd like to pose to the instructors and other course participants.

 

 

Last modified: Tuesday, 19 May 2015, 9:21 PM