Publication date: 15 August 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14324/111.9781800082731
Number of illustrations: 19
History and the Climate Crisis
Environmental history in the classroom
Kate Hawkey (Author)
Series: Knowledge and the Curriculum
History education has a key contribution to make in developing a deeper understanding of the current environmental crisis, but its role is too often overlooked. When embedded in the school curriculum, environmental history adds crucial layers of knowledge to the learning from other subjects and can enable students to make their own informed contributions to one of the most pressing concerns of the 21st century.
History and the Climate Crisis makes the case for including an environmental focus in the secondary school history curriculum by locating its arguments within established historiographical and revisionist debates. It provides much-needed subject knowledge in an area that is new for most history teachers. The author considers the disciplinary and pedagogical challenges and demonstrates how including an environmental focus can strengthen students’ disciplinary knowledge. She also builds her argument through the use of many examples and offers practical strategies for use in classrooms, including developed enquiries suitable for the secondary history curriculum. The book focuses on environmental history within a strong subject bound curriculum and will be relevant to teachers, academics and policymakers in the UK and internationally.
Praise for History and the Climate Crisis
‘A welcome and much-needed book that will be invaluable for all those thinking about how to better integrate environmental sciences and history into the classroom. An incredibly helpful resource for teachers – and therefore for pupils too.’
Peter Frankopan, Professor of Global History, Worcester College, University of Oxford
‘There has never been a better time to explore how history can help young people make sense of the climate crisis and this book is the perfect starting point. It takes us on a journey across broad timespans and smaller stories, providing fresh insights into what is already taught in classrooms and introducing us to surprising and fascinating perspectives along the way. Its breadth and accessibility will make it indispensable to teachers at every stage of their career and I cannot recommend it highly enough.’
Dr Alison Kitson, Associate Professor of Education and Programme Director, Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education, UCL Institute of Education
List of figures
List of tables
List of boxes
Preface
Part I: Perspectives on subject knowledge
1 How the history curriculum was shaped and why it needs to change
2 Scale in history: why it matters and how to navigate between different scales
3 Key turning points in humanity’s relationship with nature
4 Humanity’s relationship with nature: examples from history
5 The role of microbes in shaping human history
6 Environment and other revisionist themes in history
7 How environmental perspectives impact on disciplinary concepts
Part II: Into the classroom
8 Pedagogical approaches to the challenge of teaching environmental history
9 Embedding environmental perspectives into classroom practice
10 Challenging the curriculum
References
Index
DOI: 10.14324/111.9781800082731
Number of illustrations: 19
Publication date: 15 August 2023
PDF ISBN: 9781800082731
EPUB ISBN: 9781800082762
Hardback ISBN: 9781800082755
Paperback ISBN: 9781800082748
Kate Hawkey (Author) 
Kate Hawkey is a senior lecturer at the University of Bristol where she coordinated the secondary history initial teacher education programme for many years.
‘There has never been a better time to explore how history can help young people make sense of the climate crisis and this book is the perfect starting point. It takes us on a journey across broad timespans and smaller stories, providing fresh insights into what is already taught in classrooms and introducing us to surprising and fascinating perspectives along the way. Its breadth and accessibility will make it indispensable to teachers at every stage of their career and I cannot recommend it highly enough.’
Dr Alison Kitson, Associate Professor of Education and Programme Director, Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education, UCL Institute of Education
‘A welcome and much-needed book that will be invaluable for all those thinking about how to better integrate environmental sciences and history into the classroom. An incredibly helpful resource for teachers – and therefore for pupils too.’
Peter Frankopan, Professor of Global History, Worcester College, University of Oxford
Listen to the editors of the Knowledge and the Curriculum series
Listen to Arthur Chapman and Alex Standish (editors of the Knowledge and the Curriculum series) review the contemporary debate on the school curriculum on the IOE Coffee Breaks podcast
Listen to series editor Jennie Golding (editor of the Knowledge and the Curriculum series) discuss the future of knowledge and the curriculum on the Research for the Real World podcast
Listen to series editor Arthur Chapman talk about Knowledge and the Curriculum on the Research for the Real World podcast.
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