posted 12/11/09

Seventeen Minnesota public schools responded with quite different approaches when asked how they teach students about climate change and the global warming controversy. Since world leaders were discussing this last week, I also asked business leaders and college professors what they would suggest. First, a few examples of what schools are doing.

• Lakeville South has submitted a proposal to investigate using handheld digital devices to ultimately replace textbooks, workbooks, worksheets and to replace printed learning material.

• The School for Environmental Studies in Apple Valley has ten students and two staff members as official UN observers at the COP15 conference in Copenhagen.

• Forest Lake, Spectrum (in Elk River) and Princeton High Schools reported that they have student clubs and service groups that are helping their communities become more energy efficient.

• Many of the principals and science teachers who responded emphasized the need to help students understand different perspectives on the climate change/global warming issues. As Chris Plumadore, a Milaca science teachers explained, “we use global warming as an opportunity to explain how various people can interpret the same scientific data in different ways.”

• Shannon Peterson of Lakes International in Forest Lake, Sara Ramm in Rush City and Paul Simone of Woodbury Math and Science Academy encouraged use of immediate resources to help students see larger issues – like the fourth grade students at Lakes who study the eco-system of a pond outside their school, and compare that with other national and international eco-systems. Ramm students discuss how climate changes have affected crop growth.

I think Chris Wells, assistant professor of environmental studies at Macalester College, would agree. Wells wrote in part,

“…The most important thing that schools can do to help students and communities understand global warming is to help them understand the science. What's the difference between climate and weather? How do greenhouse gasses affect the climate system? What sorts of changes do scientists think that continuing GHG emissions are likely to generate? How does the work of scientists from very different specialties, using very different techniques, help generate scientific "certainty" even when particular conclusions often end up being revised and qualified after further investigation?”

Jennifer Kuzma, a Humphrey Institute faculty member working on Science and Technology recommend having students use websites where they can, for example, calculate their carbon footprint or track Will Steger’s polar expedition.

Jim Bartholomew, Education Policy Director for the Minnesota Business Partnership told me that “Issues like global warming and climate change can be wonderful since they involve teaching and learning subjects like math, science, geography and history. …Because of the controversial nature of these issues, they're a great opportunity to help students understand why it's important to rely on, and how to identify, commonly accepted facts…students can learn how to be independent thinkers."

Bill Blazar, Senior Vice President at the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce recommends, “"Schools should emphasize personal responsibility. The studies are pretty convincing that unless we change our personal behavior, the problem won't be solved. A law or international agreement is no panacea. People driving 55 mph and adopting conservation practices will do more than any state or federal mandate. And, the best news is, we can all start right now."

Ed Hessler, executive secretary of the Minnesota Science Teachers Association, recommended, “…each school should have a green plan which it lives and practices. It would serve as an item on the agenda each year on the opening of school, i.e., how we are doing, what we should change and why.” He recommended a free, 32 page guide on this subject produced by the American Association for the Advancement of Science: www.aaas.org/news/.../climate_change/.../climate_change_guide_2061.pdf

While there is considerable controversy about global warming, there seems like a lot of agreement about what schools should do: Help students understand scientific research, help young people learn to evaluate different opinions, and help them learn to take constructive, informed action.

Reactions from readers: 

On Dec 19 2009, Tom Cieslukowski wrote:

Sir,
 
Thank you for you insightful column in Thisweek.  I realize that you were reporting on other peoples' opinions rather than your own.  That said, I must take issue with many of your remarks. 
 
You clearly promote teaching students one side of the global warming debate.  You applaud Eastview High School for inviting Paul Douglas to speak to students about climate change but do not suggest that students listen to global warming skeptics like Mike Fairborne or Dave Dahl.  And after praising our public schools for indoctrinating our students, you suggest that they are merely allowing students "to learn to be independent thinkers."  Did you write that with a straight face?
 
The very fact that many of the participants at the Copenhagen summit came in private jets should spark skepticism.  Furthermore, windmills and solar panels will do about as much good for the environment as E85. 
 
In the coming years, you will see liberals doing for the environment what they are about to do with health care.
 
Tom Chesley,
Apple Valley, MN