Presenter: Prof. Advaith Siddharthan (KMI, OU)

Teaching sustainability in schools through citizen science

Abstract: The rapid increase in the number and scale of Citizen Science (CS) projects worldwide has seen a repositioning of CS from its original understanding of being a voluntary scientific endeavour to becoming a tool for monitoring progress and engendering action in the pursuit of global sustainability agendas. This creates a number of challenges, both practical and conceptual. Practically, CS aided by digital tools contributes to building ever larger data sets, but on the other hand, it multiplies audiences and participants involved, who may not have had prior motivation to engage with CS or sustainability issues. Conceptually, CS methods targeted at global agendas also risk limiting and constraining the types of scientific contributions and inquiries citizens can make, often reducing them to data recorders. We examine the impact of X-Polli:Nation, a CS project which focussed on school children as the primary actors for change. Bringing together the different dimensions of CS, we show how their involvement – in and through education – could leverage participation and support progress on the Sustainable Development Goals. We found that the challenge of building sustainability into an already crowded curriculum (and through a pandemic!) could be alleviated by understanding its value, considering the audience and adapting quickly to evolving contexts. The considerable benefits included raising awareness about global sustainability issues, giving children (including those with additional learning requirements and behavioural challenges) access to nature and the opportunities and benefits of learning outdoors, and creating a cohort of confident and passionate environmental stewards.