The 3rd Seminar on School-Family-Society Collaboration on Climate Change Education (School-Enterprise Collaboration Session) Successfully Held at Qianjing Primary School

Focus on Global Climate Change Education

Develop School-Family-Society-Enterprise Collaboration

As part of the ongoing efforts to establish an independent practice system and knowledge system for climate change education in China, as well as contribute to a climate-resilient society and comprehensive education reform, the Third Seminar on School-Family-Society Collaboration on Climate Change Education (School-Enterprise Collaboration Session) was jointly organized by Shanghai Municipal Institute for Lifelong Educationof East China Normal University and other organizations and was held in Qianjing Primary School, Jinshan District, Shanghai, on November 25th, 2024.

Sign-in for the Seminar

1. Exhibitionof the Achievements of Group Alliance Schools

At 8:30 a.m., guests visited the achievements of the Group Alliance Schools. Through salt culture learning, cultural and creative products tour such as “Nuclear Xiaowu”series, and project experiencing such as soccer drones, green power generation experiments, digital painting, science magic, probiotic fermentation and skincare products with the same source of food and medicine, the guests were able to experience the achievements of school-enterprise collaboration in climate change education in a multi-dimensional and immersive way.

Students from Qianjing Primary School participated in a series of project-based learning activities, such as “Green and Low Carbon Journey”, “Children’s Action Against Climate Change”, and “Wonders of Wind Power Generation”, and they made fruitful achievements. Later, the seminar was kicked off by“Living green”, a novel English show, presenting understanding and practice of low-carbon and environmental protection.

2. Leader’s Speech

Hosted by Yao Meiqin, Deputy Director of General Education Section of Shanghai Jinshan District Education Bureau, the seminar was held in the theater of Qianjing Primary School at 9:00 a.m.

In his speech, Mr. Li Songhao, Deputy Director of Shanghai Jinshan District Education Bureau, highly praised Qianjing Primary School and the six schools of Haitang Primary School Education Group for their performance. To be specific, taking “HolisticEducation”(the Integration of Moral, Intellectual, Physical, Aesthetic and Labor Education) as the lead of the regional reform project, these schools have greatly contributed to the creation of the “Happy Bay Area”through solid thematic education, in-depth education in practice, curriculum and teaching reform, improvement of the mechanism of school-family-society cooperation in educating students, education exchanges, etc. Besides, Mr. Li Songhao highly appreciated the leadership of the expert team from East China Normal University (ECNU), the participation of enterprises, the assistance of parents and the support of institutions, and expressed his sincere hope that all strengthwill continue to work hand in hand for climate change education.

3. Thematic Session

First of all, Ms. Qian Huanxin, Secretary and Principal of Qianjing Primary School in Jinshan District, Shanghai, gave a presentation on the topic of “Building a Bridge for School-Enterprise Cooperation and Exploring the Approach to Climate Change Education”. Starting with the dilemma of dispersed curriculum resources and lack of professional teachers, she made it clear that school-enterprise cooperation is an effective mode of innovation in climate change education. Based on practical experience, the basic mechanism of school-enterprise cooperation was sorted out: the basic framework of the “Four Two-way and Four Fixed”model (“Four Two-way”refers to two-way commitment, two-way work report, two-way assessment, and two-way incentive. “Four Fixed”refers tofixed time, fixed location, fixed teaching staff, and fixedteaching content.) and the basic strategy of the “S-S-A”pattern. Taking specific project-based learning activities and the construction of “Three-level”courses as examples, she summarized the initial results: 1)“Three Transformations”: single project-based learning has been transformed into an interdisciplinary and inter-regional project chain, occasional experiential activities have been transformed into a multidimensional and multi-angle activity pyramid, and single-discipline practice base has been transformed into a comprehensive and high-standard base group. 2)“Three paths”. 3)“Three plans”: these plans of coordination will lay a solid foundation for active participation and solutions to climate change.

Round-table dialogues

After the session came the roundtable dialoguehosted by Jiang Danyan, Vice Principal of Qianjing Primary School in Jinshan District, Shanghai. During the dialogue, all parties had an in-depth discussion about the core theme of the “Four Two-way and Four Fixed”model of school-enterprise cooperation. Representatives of enterprises from various industries shared a number of vivid cases of school-enterprise cooperation in practice, attaching great significance to school-enterprise cooperation as a necessary way to promote climate change education to a new height.

Inter-school dialogues

During the next inter-school dialogue, Gu Huifen, Secretary and Principal of Longhutang Experimental Primary School in Xinbei District, Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, gave a presentation on the topic of “School-Enterprise Cooperation and Innovative Mechanisms for Realizing the Value of Climate Change Education”, introducing the cooperation between the school’s project team and Trinapower Co., Ltd.With the purpose of exploring new paths for the value practice of climate change education, this cooperation was carried out by means of the energy revolution. Efforts are made in mechanism innovation and other aspects to enhance the synergy for the value realization of climate change education. School-enterprise cooperation will increase the quality of education and the “greenness”of enterprises, and promote climate change education in a more synergistic and more efficient way.

He Yuexiang from Wenhua Primary School in Chancheng District, Foshan City, Guangdong Province, gave a presentation on the topic of “‘Quartet Action’Turns Holiday into Good Period for Growth-Climate Change Collaborative Education Program”, introducing activities carried out by a number of schools in Chancheng District, Foshan City, Guangdong Province. By exploiting learning resources that integrate reality and reality, constructing a walking classroom of ideology and politics, developing a new curriculum that integrates schools and enterprises, and reorganizing a transboundary team, the “Quartet Action”can be used to cultivate a sense of responsibility and a global vision among students, laying a solid foundation for sustainable development and global environmental governance in the future.

Zhu Lina from Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area International School (TEDAIS) gave a presentation on the topic of “School-Enterprise Collaboration-Project Empowerment: Practice and Innovation of Climate Change Education in the Perspective of International Understanding”. The project-based practical research of “Exploring Climate Change and Living a Low-Carbon Life attempted to build a new paradigm for the integration of project-based learning and education for international understanding, providing reference for teachers to equip students with ecological and environmental values, the concept of sustainable development and global competence in project-based curricula.

Zhao Lei from Xindu Experimental Middle School attached to Shanghai Qibao Middle School gave a presentation on the topic of “The New Dynamics of Climate Education-Innovative Practice of School-Enterprise Collaboration”. The school and enterprise jointly created the “Xin Dream + Shared Laboratory”, cooperated in the development of climate education science popularization and science creation courses suitable for middle school students, summarized the three modes of school-enterprise cooperation-study and visit mode, practice and experience mode, and subject incubation mode, and compiled the “Study Manual of Xindu Experimental Middle School Attached to Qibao Middle School”, so as to make the study activities come to fruition.

Dai Juanjuan of Wujing Town Community (Elderly) School, Minhang District, Shanghai, gave a presentation on the topic of “Climate Change Education Classroom on China’s First New Energy Ferry”. Taking “Shanghai Ferry 11”as a humanistic walking spot, some teenagers in Wujing were organized to experience immersive learning on the ferry boat. Through professional classes, interactive exchanges and hands-on experiences, they realized the significance of green, low-carbon and ecological protection, and were encouraged to take action and contribute to a beautiful Shanghai characterized by pleasantliving environment.

Li Qiuju from Nanhui New Town Community School, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, and Wang Ying from China-UK Low Carbon College of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, took the project study “Exploring the Localized Mode of School-Enterprise Collaboration in Climate Change Education”as an example to explore the construction of the mechanism for school-enterprise collaboration in carrying out climate change education in Lin-gang Special Area. Through school-enterprise collaboration, combining theoretical teaching and enterprise practice, a multi-level curriculum for different audiences has been developed, with a special focus on the potential of the elderly and their families in climate action. Enterprise practice and community participation have improved the understanding and application of green and low-carbon life for the elderly group and their family members.

Chen Shenye and Pang Zhaoting from Haitang Primary School in Jinshan District, Shanghai, gave a presentation on the topic of “Looking for Disappearing Mycalesis MineusAlong the River with Me”. The school has carried a series of ecological programs. Outside the school, “Walking through Jinshan”program was used to raise students’awareness of river protection and water resource management. Inside the school, the Starfish Meteorological Science Learning Space Station, the Shanghai Butterfly Ecological Park, and the Intelligent Learning Space Station were built. Besides, basic “learning”courses, advanced “thinking”courses, and customized “researching”courses were developed. Through these learning spaces and resources, students can analyze the trend of biodiversity change and its potential influencing factors, whichare of great significance to the conservation of biodiversity.

Experts’comments

During the expert comment session, Wang Xiangrong, Deputy Editor-in-chief of Guangming Daily Educator magazine, pointed out that ecological education is an important lesson that requires government leadership and multiple subjects. The multiple cases in this seminar have not only reflected the school’s role in educating students, but also highlight the social responsibility of enterprises. Ning Bentao, Professor of Faculty of Education of East China Normal University, proposed that to cultivate core literacy and international vision in the future, attention should be paid not only to cognition, but also to the action of practice. Wang Baoxing, Professor of Faculty of Education of East China Normal University, believed that now it is time to address climate change through education reform, and that the realization of school-enterprise collaboration projects can be a win-win situation. Zhang Yong, Director of the Department of Environmental Sciences at the School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences at East China Normal University, pointed out that climate change resilience is crucial for students to face the uncertainties in the future, and that governments and businesses need to be actively involved in creating the future of education with teachers and students. Zhou Limin, a professor at the School of Geographic Sciences of East China Normal University, pointed out the differences between climate education and “climate change”education, attaching significance to their common essence of the cultivation of “people”. Ju Yucui, Professor of Faculty of Education of East China Normal University, pointed out that promoting climate change education through school-enterprise cooperation is to address a global issue of all people, and to realize the goal of comprehensiveness in an integrated way. Incorporating the concept of “HolisticEducation”(the Integration of Moral, Intellectual, Physical, Aesthetic and Labor Education) into climate change education, for example, paying attention to more details such as students’physical health and adopting more specific education methods in practice, will help promote the solid development of climate change education.

Release of Outcomes

In the final session, Professor Li Jiacheng, Executive Vice President of SMILE, firstly announced the publication of China’s Action on Climate Change Education(English and Chinese version) and the launch of the second series. China’s Action on Climate Change Educationcontains 35 case studies in five dimensions: school construction, subject teaching, project-based learning, integrated activities and home-school-community collaboration, providing useful examples for schools in promoting the practice of climate change education. Besides, its bilingual version has created a bridge to tell the story of China’s actions and stories on climate change education, and to engage in international dialogues. On the occasion of the publication of the first series, Prof. Li announced that the writing of the second series has also been officially launched. Based on the first series, the second series will introduce new creations, new progress and new contributions of climate education in China.

Secondly, Prof. Li announced the projects for the “School-Family-Society Collaboration on Climate Change Education”. The recruitment of this climate change education research project has received strong support from colleagues in the field of lifelong education from Shanghai, Zhejiang, Tianjin, Chongqing and Chengdu. After two rounds of expert evaluation, nine research projects on climate change education stood out and were qualified. Prof. Li said that in the follow-up development of the projects, SMILE would continue to provide intellectual support and conduct joint research with all units to ensure the successful completion of the research projects. Prior to this, SMILE has completed the first round of special projects on climate change education with partners from all over the country.

Finally, Prof. Li released the Guidelines for Climate Change Education (School-Enterprise Cooperation Edition). Following the official release of the Guidelines for Climate Change Education (Elderly Education), SMILE published the Guidelines for Climate Change Education from the perspective of school-enterprise cooperation, including five key parts: 1) background and necessity of school-enterprise cooperation in climate change education, 2) basic principles, 3) objectives and contents, 4) path and methods, and 5) evaluation, which provides a fundamental guidance for schools and enterprises to cooperate in climate change education in the future, and is helpful for enterprises to give full play to their unique roles in coping with climate change.

It is reported that SMILE has always emphasized on empowering climate change education through the synergy of schools, families and communities, and expanding the meaning and value of lifelong education through climate change education. From the unique perspective of “school-enterprise cooperation”, this seminar serves as an opportunity for participants to discuss the feasible paths for enterprises to participate in climate change education. The valuable experience in practice from primary and secondary schools lays a solid foundation for the future development of new fields and new connotations of school-family-community collaborative education. At the seminar, a series of important achievements were launched, injecting a strong impetus for the cause of climate change education, which will not only strongly promote the practice and research of climate change education and the promotion of related achievements, but also depict a promising blueprint of a better future characterized by harmonious coexistence between man and nature.

Group photo of some of the participating experts

Reviewed by: Zou Wen, Li Jiacheng