Neither group of students received traditional grades for their work during the workshop. However, to assess what students had learned from the project, the collaborating teachers used evidence from four types of student/pupil work:
- Student-pupil-created slide presentations that illustrated the knowledge that they had acquired;
- Written reflections on their learning;
- Preparations for and participation in a discussion with Mrs. H at the local Town Hall;
- Creation of two lists of sustainable-living actions, one for their parents and one to propose to the town authorities.
1) Co-created slide shows
During the third week of the workshop, the secondary students prepared for meeting the pupils the following week. Each student chose a topic from this list: Consumption, Agriculture, Water Management, Biodiversity, Population migrations within and across national borders, Health, Energy.
They used critical thinking to choose pictures, graphs and statistical figures among resources proposed by their teacher. They were to use these communication supports to explain the worldwide consequences of global warming. Each group of students chose supporting evidence, then showed and explained their choices to the others. The larger group debated and selected the best illustrative evidence, and organized their documents to create a single slideshow.
Similarly at the primary school, the pupils did the same work. Three or four children per group prepared a slideshow using the same topics but concentrating on the more localized consequences of global warming in France. This task was more difficult for them because it was the first time that they had used digital tools to make slideshows. They learned to choose visuals that would illustrate their words, in order to engage their audience.
In week four, the two groups met together: five or six pupils worked with one student on their chosen topic, and both age-groups’ slideshows were used to create a final presentation for each of the eight topics. The following figures (1-7) show sample illustrations that they selected for each of the eight topics. An explanation of their reasoning follows each figure.
The pupils chose these images to speak to the issue of greenhouse gas emission in livestock raising: The steak’s journey from animal to plate helped them explain how food, or specifically meat- production is a source of greenhouse gas emissions. Meat consumption is increasing all over the world but its production requires a lot of energy. Populations are increasing and cereal production has to increase to feed humankind as well. However, arable land areas remain stable, and can no longer increase to meet the need.
The students chose this chart because it astonished them to learn that agriculture is accountable for large amounts of GHG emissions. They were taken aback to learn that most French crops would need to be moved from south to north (especially vineyards, an important crop in France), and that enteric fermentation (digestion of food by livestock and the resulting methane they emit) is a main cause of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions.
The pupils and the students learned that just 3% of Earth’s water is freshwater and 70% of this is consumed for crop irrigation. They proved that meat production consumes more water than cereals, tying this with the observations made during the work on consumption. They also learned that since resources are unequally spread over the Earth, political tensions over water rights will increase.
The pupils opted to work on the topic of drinking water. The two images of a glacier show its rapid melting in one century. This photo was one they could quickly and easily understand. They also chose a map of France showing the state of groundwater resources and regional water tables. It helped them learn about rainwater flow issues. The final image they chose shows the quantities of water consumed in different daily uses. It allowed them to question their own water usage for things like flushing the toilet and washing the car.
The pupils chose to use this map of French vineyards because it isn’t only about plants that grow in their own region. French vineyards characteristically grow south of the Loire River (light pink areas on map). If climate warming causes viticulture to move northward (green areas) into the students’ region of Normandy, as the scenario map predicts, this would change the French countrysides, with the disappearance of vineyards where they currently exist (gray areas); this could cause an economic disruption affecting both the wine and tourism industries. The students used a similar map to show that other plants (oak and beech trees, e.g.) will likely disappear from their current habitat regions in northern France.
The students learned from these maps that global warming has a direct effect on biodiversity, and that current species can either: vanish, be forced to migrate, or benefit from the change and increase their areas of distribution at the risk of threatening the native species in the areas they overtake.
The students had not previously considered the huge impact of the rise in sea level on coastal populations, where one-fifth of the world's people live, threatened by rising seas and floods. They also learned that loss of coastal population centers, homes and livelihoods would be a disaster for the poorest populations, who would lose everything they had, without financial or skill resources to replace their losses.
The pupils were quite interested in the unit on health, and they found it difficult to choose which of the many illustrations of the effects of climate change on health they wanted to use in their presentation. They chose a map showing the appearance and spread of the tiger mosquito, a disease vector, into France. The map shows that climate warming in France is creating a suitable habitat for the mosquito, and thus for the appearance of illnesses formerly unknown in French metropolitan areas. They also chose a graph showing the relationship between the increase in temperatures and the number of deaths during heatwaves. The students added information on air pollution especially linked to the formation of tropospheric ozone and the consequences on respiratory diseases, risks of sunstroke, dehydration, and cancers.
The students chose this chart to show that fossil energy consumption increases due to the growth in the number of people on Earth, resultsing in more emissions of GHG. They also learned the amounts of GHG stemming from energy production and the sites of energy waste within a house. This illustration allowed them to reflect on ways to economize on energy usage in their daily lives.
2) Student reflections on their workshop experience.
The feedback that students provided demonstrated their interest in this topic and indicated which skills they felt the project had encouraged them to develop. Table 2 presents direct quotes from students in both age groups. These quotes highlight their reflections on their learning.
Table 2. Sample learning reflections from both groups of students.
[The texts were originally in French and have been translated. Copies in the original French available on request from authors.]
Reflections of the high school students
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C. wrote: I think that understanding the climate is especially important because it’s a major factor of our present and our future. If we want to find lasting solutions, and we want youths to mobilize rapidly and effectively, in my opinion it’s useful to give them at least a minimum understanding of the climate. We can’t swing into action and have an effect on a problem about which we don’t really understand the causes. So, the climate is a truly necessary topic to learn in our curriculum.
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J: We should focus on the origin and consequences of the greenhouse effect on the climate, especially effects such as loss of biodiversity. Too few people understand how one or two degrees C impacts biodiversity.
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E: It was very interesting to investigate the solutions suggested in the COP21 agreement for slowing down climate warming, and to better understand future life-choices, like what individual daily actions would be beneficial in (partly) preserving biodiversity.
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L: The meeting with the primary students was amazing; they had prepared a collection of materials and they already knew a lot [about CC]. They were very invested in finding solutions for global warming.
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A: When we learn about sustainable development and climate, we aren’t only learning from books. We also work at the same time with French, math, history, geography, and the sciences applied to real life. We think about the past and the future. We meet people outside of school and discuss climate issues. They take us seriously.
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L: We learned that we have to act fast because if we wait to take action on the problem of climate change, it will be too late. Kids should explain to their parents that we have to change our habits, use the car less, and not buy products that aren’t locally made.
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H: Working on this project didn’t feel like work because we went outside of the school, met people, and we worked on a subject we hear talked about on television which concerns us all.
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M: It was great going to work with the high schoolers, because we saw that we’re all interested in the issues of CC. They also had more material, and that helped us understand it better.
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3) The list of lifestyle changes created by the students
The pupils had strong ideas about solutions to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases. We worked on two axes: what children could do at their level and what adults should do at their level. For the younger learners, it seemed simple: they reasoned that if we know the solution to the problem, we apply it. They have not yet grasped the economic complexities or international negotiations that this can generate. Some of their proposals were not easily practicable, such as:
-Vehicles that consume fossil fuel must be banned immediately and replaced by biofuel or electric vehicles.
-We have to eliminate power plants that generate energy from fossil fuels and just use renewable energy sources.
Through discussion, the two age groups co-created a list of feasible activities they could employ and suggest in their meetings with town officials. Table 3 summarizes all the proposals the group discussed.
Students and Pupils
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Parents
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Town Hall
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Consumption
Waste less
Eat less meat
Consume local and seasonal products
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Consumption
Waste less
Eat less meat
Consume local and seasonal products
Focus on sustainable food
Do not buy packaged products
Prefer recycled products
Make compost with waste
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Consumption
At school cafeteria waste less food
Eat less meat
Consume local and seasonal products
Focus on sustainable food
Make compost with waste
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Water management
Do not let the water run unnecessarily
Take showers rather than baths
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Water management
Only use drinking water when necessary
Collect rainwater for watering plants, flushing toilets, cleaning the car…
Fix water leaks
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Water management
Collect rainwater for watering plants, flushing toilets in public buildings
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Energy
Turn off the lights when leaving a room
Do not leave electrical devices on standby
Close doors and windows in winter
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Energy
Do not leave electrical devices on standby
Buy low consumption devices
Do not overheat homes
Thermally insulate home
Prefer renewable energy
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Energy
Do not overheat public buildings
Thermally insulate public buildings
Prefer renewable energy
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Transports
Come on foot, by bike or by bus to school
Organize challenges at school to promote non-car travel
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Transports
Walk, bike, bus or carpooling to work
Buy only one car per household, preferably an electric car.
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Transports
For the youngest students, organize trips for several students on foot or by bike from their home to school
(pédibus, vélobus-- French terms for walking-pools or bike-pools)
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Biodiversity
Make a garden at school
Set up a beehive at school
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Biodiversity
Plant non-invasive plants adapted to the local climate
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Biodiversity
Fill bins for green waste
Develop green spaces in the municipality
Do not use pesticides and insecticides
Protect uncommon animals or plants species in our area (such as the violette de Rouen)
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After presenting these proposals at Town Hall, the learners discussed their proposals with their families. Thus, parents decided to make some commitments.
Table 4 shows commitments made by each group, students, families, and local officials. Because the school year ended and students moved on to new settings, it was not possible to follow up on how well the family commitments were followed. The pollinator garden, however, was completed at the primary school the year just after the project, as seen in Figure 8.
Table 4. Commitments to behavioral change by each group: students, parents, town officials.
Topic
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Students and pupils
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Parents
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Town hall
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Consumption
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• In both schools, pupils and students organized to sort papers, plastic. Pieces of paper could be used again or thrown into the recycling bin.
• Get schools to purchase recycled materials
• In the school lunchroom, the pupils can choose what they eat and they often take more bread or fruit than they can finish. A calibrated clear bin was created in the lunchroom to illustrate the waste that could be avoided with more careful choices.
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• Buy local products
• Not buy packaged products for snack time.
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• School lunch: one organic meal once a week and local produce used in all meal preparation
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Water management
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Turn off water while brushing teeth
Take shorter showers
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Push button on taps in schools
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Energy
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wear sweaters at home
Turn off lights when leaving room
Power down computers and electronics when not using
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Give warm clothes to the pupils for cooler classrooms
Lower home thermostat
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Lower the temperature in school classrooms
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Transport
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Students take common transport or use their bicycles.
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Ride bicycles or walk or carpool daily
Teachers made the same commitments
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Bike lanes around schools and in newly renovated town areas.
Build car-parks to allow people to take bus into town
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Biodiversity
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The next year, at primary school, flower gardens were planted where bees could find food and pollinate the other plants.
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Help with gardening, provide tools and seeds and plants.
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Town council provided bulbs and seeds to children for their garden
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4) Conversation with an agent at the town hall.
This meeting was organized between four students and an agent from the municipal sustainable development department. Students had prepared their questions, but time was too short to broach all the topics. Traffic circulation problems in town was the first topic of discussion. Students stated the case that more cycle lanes and pedestrian streets were needed in Rouen. In response, the agent told them that store-owners were in need of more parking spaces in front of their shops. However, she said that the city centre policy has changed, the parking duration is shorter and the price higher, to park cars. The number of buses is increasing, and rides were modified to respond to the needs of inhabitants. Students replied that the current rate is very expensive even for them and asked if city councilors would consider lowering rates. Her answer was that this subject would require examination. About urban travel, students suggested encouraging carpooling. The agent mentioned that the mayor pressured staff members to create carpools by setting up an intranet to communicate. Finally, students talked about soft modes of transport for the pupils between school and home. She replied that, “Some pedibuses are organized in partnership with the school, families and the town hall,” and she added that she was aware that this was not enough without really proposing solutions.
Students raised a second topic: wastage at the school cafeteria. The agent explained that a young employee had been hired to investigate this subject; this answer seemed to satisfy the students.
They made a third suggestion: that the school could reduce its carbon footprint by serving a vegetarian lunch once a week. The students found the response disconcerting and frustrating: She told them, “Parents are not ready for that.” (Contemporaneous notes from this meeting are in Additional file 1.)
The pupils held a separate but similar meeting with another town official, with similar results. The conversations are analyzed in the discussion section.