“Carbon literacy practices”: textual footprints between school and home in children's construction of knowledge about climate change

Abstract

This paper examines the notion of "carbon literacy practices" through reporting on a small research project aimed at understanding how children make sense of climate change, and their subsequent related practices at school, at home, and in the community. Drawing on a background in New Literacy Studies (e.g. Barton et al 2000;Satchwell &Ivanic 2009 and2010), the paper explores the relationships among children"s understanding of climate change, their literacy practices in relation to climate change, and their environmental social practices. Data is included from a project involving children and their families from three primary schools -with and without "eco-school" status, which asked: What and how do children learn about climate change at school? What and how do they learn at home and outside of school? How do these kinds of learning relate to each other, and how is what they learn put into practice? Put simply, how might children become "carbon literate" citizens? This article will report on the methodological challenges of the project and the use of some innovative methods to address these using mobile technologies. In addition, the paper interrogates the notion of children as agents of change. The concept of children influencing the behaviour of others sounds convincing, but is based on a straightforward model, described by Shove (2010) as the ABC model -which is considered an effective strategy in health care (stopping parents smoking) and in marketing (persuading parents to buy certain products), but is not necessarily transferable to other contexts. Further, it is clear from work in literacy studies and education (Ivanic et al 2009;Gee 2003; Reinking et al 1998; Tuomi-Grohn and Engestrom 2003) that the transfer of linguistic and semiotic signs is by no means equivalent to the transfer of knowledge, values or functions. In other words, a school lesson or a computer game about climate change and its effects does not automatically mean that a child will turn the lights off at home. The paper considers these issues with reference to qualitative data collected from observations, conversations on "Twitter", focus groups, and individual interviews.

Pathways toward whole community transformation: a case study on the role of school engagement and environmental education

“…Increased knowledge of climate change does not automatically mean a young person will turn the lights off at home, nor does it mean that children asking their parents to change their behavior will result in parents actually changing their practices (Satchwell 2012). However, we are simultaneously seeing increasing scholarly support for the potential of schools as promising spaces for community-focused and multigenerational learning opportunities (Uzzell 1994;Leeming et al 1997;Waddock and Freedman 1998/99;Ballyntyne et al 2000;Peterat and Mayer-Smith 2006;Léger 2013;Wyness 2013;Percy-Smith and Burns 2013).…”

Tomorrow's Leaders and Today's Agents of Change? Children, Sustainability Education and Environmental Governance

“…She observed that some ‘pro‐environmental’ practices were confined to or associated with particular spaces, for example, composting in gardening projects at school or using renewable energy at home. In findings that resonate with the work of Shove and others (), Satchwell (, p. 297) suggests that the different ‘configurations of elements’ in particular spaces — the materials available to children, the meanings of particular practices current in these spaces and the competences involved in carrying out practices in particular ways — might account for the way in which such practices did not always travel with children across spaces.…”

“…Social theorists have drawn attention to the rationalist assumptions of individual agency embedded in this governance model in ways ‘so pervasive as to seem natural’, often through an ‘ABC’ model of social change, where A stands for Attitude, B for behaviour and C for Choice (Shove and others, , p. 2). According to this logic, educating the public about environmental problems will cause them to change their behaviours (Satchwell, ). Scholars have critiqued these assumptions for their limited attention to the complexity of the social world and the structures in which individuals operate (Hobson, ; Middlemiss, ; Shove, ).…”

“…Satchwell's () innovative study of children's ‘carbon literacy practices’ set out to explore children's responses to ‘texts about climate change’ encountered in different spaces. Satchwell carried out research in schools and students’ homes and encouraged children to ‘tweet’ environmental messages they encountered online.…”

Environment in the lives of children and families

“…Through the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-14), led by the UNESCO, governments have been called to 'integrate the principles, values and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning' so that students around the world may 'learn the values, behaviour and lifestyles required for a sustainable future and for positive societal transformation' (UNESCO, undated). As a result, recent years have seen the introduction of initiatives including Sustainable Schools and Eco-schools in the UK (Evans and Honeyford, 2012;Satchwell, 2013) and the National Green Corps in India (Ravindranath, 2007). These policy framings indicate that children, as the 'next generation', are expected to play a central role in climate change practices.…”