General News
The Samoa picture-based education resource Learning about climate change the Pacific way was officially launched on Tuesday 25 November at the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture (MESC) conference room in Malifa, Apia. A three day training of trainers’ programme on using the resource in the classroom followed the launch.
Chief guests at the launch were Mr Kosimiki Latu, Deputy Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), Mulipola AusetaliaTitimaea, Acting CEO of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Auava Dr Lake Ah Chong, Dean of the Faculty of Education at the National University of Samoa and Ms Quandolita Reid, Acting CEO of MESC.
Participants at training of trainers workshop in Samoa
The launch and workshop are the culmination of a two year-long collaborative process to collate and adapt climate change education resource materials for inclusion in Pacific island school curricula. Aimed at school children in Years 7 and 8, the education resource provides a means by which climate change education can be rolled out in the classroom using principles of critical reflection and synergistic and solutions focused thinking.
Ms Quandolita Reid noted that climate change knows no boundaries and reflected on the enormous social impacts it will have. She acknowledged the commitment and dedication of the project partners and in particular, noted the manner in which the project had sought to adapt and develop material suitable for each participating country.
Mr Latu reminded participants that their work was not “just a job” but a contribution to the well being of their country.
“You are helping young people understand the science of climate change and thus begin the process of preparing graduates who can be part of a global community, capable of finding solutions to living in a changing planet,”he said.
He commended the education resource to the group. Mr Latu also noted that although the education resource was specific to Samoa, the participants at the training were part of a regional project with Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga and Vanuatu and he urged that those trained pass on their experience to others to ensure long term sustainability of this training.
The three-day workshop concluded this Thursday and will be followed up by the roll out of the education resource to primary schools in Samoa next year.
PArticipants included lecturers from the National University of Samoa, MESC Curriculum Officers and selected primary school teachers from around the country. The workshop was facilitated by Ms Carol Young, a former science teacher and curriculum adviser with the Ministry of Education in New Zealand. Ms Young ensured that the training was hands-on and interactive, and that teachers had ample opportunity to engage with the new resource through demonstrations and activities. The general consensus was that the workshop was a resounding success with the majority of teachers saying that their understanding of climate change had greatly increased and that they were confident in using the resource.
The colourful images in the toolkit make learning about climate change fun and interactive
The education resource and the associated training programmes are developed and implemented by Ministries of Education supported by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) &Deutsche GesellschaftfürInternationaleZusammenarbeit (GIZ) Coping with Climate Change in the Pacific Islands Region (CCCPIR) programmewhich is implemented in close collaboration with SPREP. . The education resource was funded by Australia’s Aid Programme, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation (BMZ) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The resource can be accessed at http://www.spc.int/cc-project/
Chief guests at the launch were Mr Kosimiki Latu, Deputy Director General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), Mulipola AusetaliaTitimaea, Acting CEO of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Auava Dr Lake Ah Chong, Dean of the Faculty of Education at the National University of Samoa and Ms Quandolita Reid, Acting CEO of MESC.
Participants at training of trainers workshop in Samoa
The launch and workshop are the culmination of a two year-long collaborative process to collate and adapt climate change education resource materials for inclusion in Pacific island school curricula. Aimed at school children in Years 7 and 8, the education resource provides a means by which climate change education can be rolled out in the classroom using principles of critical reflection and synergistic and solutions focused thinking.
Ms Quandolita Reid noted that climate change knows no boundaries and reflected on the enormous social impacts it will have. She acknowledged the commitment and dedication of the project partners and in particular, noted the manner in which the project had sought to adapt and develop material suitable for each participating country.
Mr Latu reminded participants that their work was not “just a job” but a contribution to the well being of their country.
“You are helping young people understand the science of climate change and thus begin the process of preparing graduates who can be part of a global community, capable of finding solutions to living in a changing planet,”he said.
He commended the education resource to the group. Mr Latu also noted that although the education resource was specific to Samoa, the participants at the training were part of a regional project with Fiji, Kiribati, Tonga and Vanuatu and he urged that those trained pass on their experience to others to ensure long term sustainability of this training.
The three-day workshop concluded this Thursday and will be followed up by the roll out of the education resource to primary schools in Samoa next year.
PArticipants included lecturers from the National University of Samoa, MESC Curriculum Officers and selected primary school teachers from around the country. The workshop was facilitated by Ms Carol Young, a former science teacher and curriculum adviser with the Ministry of Education in New Zealand. Ms Young ensured that the training was hands-on and interactive, and that teachers had ample opportunity to engage with the new resource through demonstrations and activities. The general consensus was that the workshop was a resounding success with the majority of teachers saying that their understanding of climate change had greatly increased and that they were confident in using the resource.
The colourful images in the toolkit make learning about climate change fun and interactive
The education resource and the associated training programmes are developed and implemented by Ministries of Education supported by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) &Deutsche GesellschaftfürInternationaleZusammenarbeit (GIZ) Coping with Climate Change in the Pacific Islands Region (CCCPIR) programmewhich is implemented in close collaboration with SPREP. . The education resource was funded by Australia’s Aid Programme, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Development and Cooperation (BMZ) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The resource can be accessed at http://www.spc.int/cc-project/