Climate fiction and young learners’ thoughts—a dialogue between literature and education

Leavenworth, Maria Lindgren; Manni, Annika

doi:10.1080/13504622.2020.1856345

Cited by 14 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Visioning to bring about change in sustainability, more 'socially sensitive' (Chawla, 2007;Leavenworth et al, 2021;Middlemiss, 2014;Taylor et al, 2012) 'It is taking care of the world and making people's lives easier.' YP13 'I want to improve my local environment.'…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Engaged Urban Pedagogy

2023

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This series contributes to the urgent need for creativity and rigour in producing and sharing knowledge at the interface of urban communities and universities to support more sustainable, just and resilient cities. It aims to amplify community voices in scholarly publishing about the built environment, and encourages different models of authorship to reflect research and pedagogy that is co-produced with urban communities. It includes work that engages with the theory and practice of community engagement in processes and structures of city-making. The series will reflect diverse urban communities in its authorship, topics and geographical range.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Engaged Urban Pedagogy

2023

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“…in their everyday lives [10,35]. They start to develop and share questions, concerns, and anxieties about climate change [36,37]; thus, when and how to address knowledge, concerns, and urgency of climate change with children has become a pedagogical question for teachers in elementary classrooms [31,38]. If introduced in earlier grades of science classrooms, what would constitute an age-appropriate approach?…”

Section: Climate Change For Grade 3-4 Studentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

9-10-Year-Old Children’s Understanding of Climate Change

Kim,

Jin

2024

IJEEDU

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Recognizing the need to educate young students about climate change, there is ongoing debate regarding the appropriate age and pedagogical approaches for its introduction. Scholars differ in their views on whether to postpone climate change education until higher grade levels due to concerns about children’s cognitive and emotional readiness or to advocate for earlier involvement as a means of fostering civic engagement. To contribute on this discussion, this small-scale case study engaged 7 Grade 3-4 students to explore their perspectives and understandings about climate change. Over a two-month period, these students actively engaged in five one-hour sessions focused on climate-related topics, including weather, climate, and greenhouse effects. Group conversations and drawing activities were employed to foster an environment where the children could freely express their perspectives and experiences. The collected data included both students’ drawings and video recordings capturing session activities and group interactions. The children in this study demonstrated critical awareness and concerns about climate change. They also expressed diverse conceptual understandings spanning from misconceptions and evolving ideas to sophisticated insights rooted in their experiences. Based on the findings, efforts are made to comprehend whether and how discussions about climate change can be initiated with Grade 3-4 students. The research concludes by highlighting the need for more comprehensive studies to investigate age-appropriate K-6 approaches and curriculum that address both the cognitive and emotional aspects of climate change education.

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“…Specifically, cli-fi presents the future world affected by climate change through its particular accounts of agency and focalised perspectives. It simultaneously provides information and contexts, triggering a risk perception of climate change and its possible resolution, or most of the time promoting critical thinking (Leavenworth & Manni, 2021). Furthermore, vivid imagination and empathy evoked by narratives can contribute to transferring the feeling of the moment into long-term memory (Dahlstrom, 2014).…”

Section: Climate Fiction As a Communication Toolmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Education for sustainable development has a role of vital importance in climate communication. One significant aspect arousing individual and societal transformation in reacting to climate change is to develop action and critical thinking through learning (Leavenworth & Manni, 2021;Lotz-Sisitka et al, 2015). Young learners' questions and their comprehensions towards climate change should be considered seriously in that they are the future generations crucial in the fight against climate emergency.…”

Section: Sustainability Education and Climate Fictionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As Webb (2018) suggests, possible futures can be envisioned unrestrictedly but still associated with actual circumstances, resonating with the notion of 'what if' question. Diverse settings in cli-fi, most often in the future, enable audiences to recognise their own world and meanwhile go through a 'cognitive estrangement' (Suvin, 1979, p. 3-15 quoted in Leavenworth andManni, 2021). Readers' backgrounds including cultural, societal and political structures in reality can be examined at a visionary distance, and they can subsequently question the unsustainable aspects in current living way.…”

Section: Sustainability Education and Climate Fictionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate Fiction: A Promising Way of Communicating Climate Change with the General Public

Rong

2023

SSSH

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Since anthropogenic climate change was first noticed in the late 1980s, despite scientists’ consensus on its urgency and seriousness with strong evidence, climate risk is still a tough issue for the public to engage with due to its ambiguity, invisibility and uncertainty. This article reviews the emotive and empathetic role of climate fiction (cli-fi) in climate change communication, using the precautionary principle of relevance to sustainable development to discuss how cli-fi has influenced the way people feel and think about climate change and further foster pro-environmental attitudes and opinions. Through discussing the effectiveness of cli-fi as a communication tool, I argue that cli-fi allows readers to visualise the implications of climate change on themselves and triggers their empathetic and emotional responses, especially negative emotions. Those emotions, on the one hand, could arouse a wider and deeper climate consciousness by inspiring audiences to consider previously unnoticed subjects; on the other hand, could facilitate affective engagement and the perceived need for action.

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Climate fiction and young learners’ thoughts—a dialogue between literature and education

Cited by 14 publications

References 30 publications

Engaged Urban Pedagogy

Engaged Urban Pedagogy

9-10-Year-Old Children’s Understanding of Climate Change

Climate Fiction: A Promising Way of Communicating Climate Change with the General Public

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