Empowering Teachers as Climate Leaders with Margaret Wang-Aghania from Subsc

On this episode of Trending in Education, Mike Palmer is joined by Margaret Wang-Aghania, co-founder and executive director of Subject to Climate, to discuss the integration of climate education into K-12 schooling. We explore how Subject to Climate empowers educators to teach about climate change, action, and justice across all grade levels and subjects.

Key Takeaways:

• Margaret shares her origin story as a high school social studies teacher and how her experiences led to the founding of Subject to Climate.
• We learn about Subject to Climate's mission to make climate education "easy and effective" for K-12 teachers by providing vetted, standards-aligned resources and training.
• The conversation highlights the interdisciplinary nature of climate change, emphasizing that it's not just a science issue, but also involves social studies, English language arts, and more.
• We dive into the "gorillas in the room" – AI and the culture wars – discussing how climate literacy can be embedded within AI literacy initiatives in schools.
• Margaret provides a fantastic example of an English language arts lesson plan where students analyze poetry about climate change and even draft their school's generative AI policy.
• We explore the role of policy in system-wide change, citing examples like Maine's legislation for professional development funds for climate education.
• The discussion touches on foundational components of climate education, including systems thinking and problem-based learning, drawing on Christina Kwauk's work on skills for green jobs, green life skills, and transformative capacities.
• We address the challenge of "doom scrolling" and climate anxiety, emphasizing the importance of climate action and collective effort to foster hope and agency in students.
• Margaret shares how Subject to Climate's partners page and their news articles from The Juice (with a "Climate Solutions" filter) can help individuals connect with the broader climate education movement and find hopeful stories.
• Looking ahead, Margaret discusses how Subject to Climate is adapting to the increasing use of AI tools by teachers to ensure environmental concepts are still embedded in the learning process.

Why You Should Listen: This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of education and our planet. Margaret Wang-Aghania provides inspiring insights into how we can empower the next generation to understand and address climate change. We discuss practical strategies for integrating climate education into existing curricula, leveraging emerging technologies like AI responsibly, and fostering hope and agency in students. If you believe in the transformative power of education to solve complex global challenges, this conversation will resonate deeply.

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