The Greengnorance partnership held its first workshop to boost the knowledge exchange between teachers and psychologists around Europe and thus, to have a better understanding of national characteristics on the project’s main topics. The 3-day workshop provided a unique opportunity for the participants to learn more about the integration of climate change into the national curricula, meet the main findings of the conducted expert and teacher surveys and the focus group interviews which were held before the workshop. Based on the numerous presentations and professional experience the partners shared during the workshop, the expert partners can fine-tune the methodology of the toolkit development which is essential to be able to elaborate useful materials to empower teachers..
In Greengnorance, we pay special attention to the psychological aspects of students’ green ignorance and/or eco-anxiety since the willingness to act for environmental protection and the responses to climate change can only be fully understood by considering their emotional, cognitive, and behavioural dimensions. Therefore, the participants could learn about the impact of climate change on humans covering the main attitudes, feelings and behaviours towards the environment and climate change, and introducing specific psychological terms such as eco-grief or solastalgia. They could also meet some coping mechanisms for negative feelings related to climate change. Teenagers and their age-specific characteristics were also in our focus, thus, green experts, psychologists and teachers could discover together some ways to engage students with environmental issues and encourage them to take action.
It is important to evaluate teachers’ psychological resources, needs, skills and knowledge, with regard not only to climate-friendly behaviour, but also to encouraging students to engage in green issues.
Due to the fruitful brainstorming and focus group sessions, the partnership reached great progress towards the toolkit and guidebook development while they could also learn about local sustainable practices.
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