Early Childhood, Urgent Futures: A Framework for Age-Appropriate Climate Change Education
Climate Change Education (CCE) is recognized by the United Nations as a critical tool in the global response to the crisis, yet teaching climate change in schools, especially in the early years, remains an overlooked opportunity. Childhood is a pivotal stage for cultivating foundational values such as empathy, care for the environment, and a sense of agency. In this SCAN Research talk, Dr. Karen Acton (LHAE) shares her pan-Canadian research on how early childhood professionals recognize the importance of CCE yet are looking for support in implementing age-appropriate sustainability strategies. Please for this talk.
About the Speaker
Dr. Karen Acton
Dr. Acton has experience in the both the K-12 education system and in higher education. She previously worked in the elementary and secondary panels as a teacher, department head, principal, system-level administrator, and at the Ministry of Education as an Education Officer. Dr Acton held a position of Assistant Professor, Teaching Duties at Western University in the Faculty of Education before coming to OISE. She currently teaches a wide variety of graduate-level courses on educational leadership and policy, research methods, program implementation, and change facilitation. Dr. Acton’s most recent publications highlight her range of research interests, including: principals as change agents, leadership in challenging urban schools, barriers to environmental teacher leadership, and transformative pedagogy.
