11
Speculative worlds Challenges, barriers, limitations: Who gets to (re)design our world?
One major barrier to applying these pedagogies, particularly when AI and/or VR/AR is involved, is digital exclusion, and especially that which accompanies social, political, and economic exclusion that marginalised and minoritised communities may already face. With AI, the issue of bias in the AI models (and lack of access to the most current models) is important to consider. There may be persistent inequities in access to opportunities for consideration, due to inequitable access to education broadly and/or access to technology instruction, hardware and infrastructure. There may be additional socioeconomic and governmental or political challenges to moving from speculation to enactment, sharing, or production of student creations or designs. For example, government agendas rarely state that building new smart cities is going to be a priority.
There is also the unwillingness of some marginalised communities – or individuals – to take part. Many of these may choose not to get involved in what might be seen as too advanced or revolutionary, with some reflecting on their colonial past, using this as a way of refusing to take part. This is a valid point and must be taken seriously.
Conclusions
The examples presented here are a snapshot of new trends, where educators are drawing on rich traditions to do new things with speculation, like using AI and AR/VR to re-
make the world with students. Re-imagining and/or re-designing the world, our place in it, and the technologies and systems we are embedded in has offered misrepresented individuals ways of seeing themselves in virtual or real worlds, that otherwise might only reflect the identities, concerns, and needs of dominant groups. It also can be a blueprint for action; technologies designed theoretically may become reality. Especially in digital and virtual spaces, imagining new or different worlds might come without the high cost and other restrictions (social, physical) of creating them in everyday spaces. However, the technological access required for this particular kind of consideration may also be a barrier for widespread participation in places where the hardware – e.g., computers, AR/VR equipment, and infrastructure (such as high-
speed internet) – is not available, like in parts of the Global South. Speculative pedagogies, including imagining different future, past, and present worlds in fiction and film, designing everyday technology, and experimenting in virtual and game-based worlds, allow individuals to try out actions and personas that they may not experience in their daily lives, traversing time, space and perspective. Making speculative visual art can provide another avenue for people to express their fears and hopes for technology and the future. All of these strategies involve minimal technical expertise, offering a low-barrier-to-entry for deep, and deeply critical conversations about how we should live with – and build – our technology.. 

Scene 1

11
Speculative worlds 
Challenges, barriers, limitations: 
Who gets to (re)design our world?
One major barrier to applying these 
pedagogies, particularly when AI and/or 
VR/AR is involved, is digital exclusion, and 
especially that which accompanies social, 
political, and economic exclusion that 
marginalised and minoritised communities 
may already face. With AI, the issue of bias 
in the AI models (and lack of access to 
the most current models) is important to 
consider. There may be persistent inequities 
in access to opportunities for consideration, 
due to inequitable access to education 
broadly and/or access to technology 
instruction, hardware and infrastructure. 
There may be additional socioeconomic 
and governmental or political challenges 
to moving from speculation to enactment, 
sharing, or production of student creations or 
designs. For example, government agendas 
rarely state that building new smart cities is 
going to be a priority.
There is also the unwillingness of some 
marginalised communities – or individuals 
– to take part. Many of these may choose 
not to get involved in what might be seen as 
too advanced or revolutionary, with some 
reflecting on their colonial past, using this as 
a way of refusing to take part. This is a valid 
point and must be taken seriously.
Conclusions
The examples presented here are a snapshot 
of new trends, where educators are drawing 
on rich traditions to do new things with 
speculation, like using AI and AR/VR to re-
make the world with students. Re-imagining 
and/or re-designing the world, our place in 
it, and the technologies and systems we are 
embedded in has offered misrepresented 
individuals ways of seeing themselves in 
virtual or real worlds, that otherwise might 
only reflect the identities, concerns, and 
needs of dominant groups. It also can be a 
blueprint for action; technologies designed 
theoretically may become reality. Especially 
in digital and virtual spaces, imagining new 
or different worlds might come without the 
high cost and other restrictions (social, 
physical) of creating them in everyday 
spaces. However, the technological 
access required for this particular kind of 
consideration may also be a barrier for 
widespread participation in places where 
the hardware – e.g., computers, AR/VR 
equipment, and infrastructure (such as high-
speed internet) – is not available, like in parts 
of the Global South. 
Speculative pedagogies, including imagining 
different future, past, and present worlds 
in fiction and film, designing everyday 
technology, and experimenting in virtual and 
game-based worlds, allow individuals to 
try out actions and personas that they may 
not experience in their daily lives, traversing 
time, space and perspective. Making 
speculative visual art can provide another 
avenue for people to express their fears and 
hopes for technology and the future. All of 
these strategies involve minimal technical 
expertise, offering a low-barrier-to-entry 
for deep, and deeply critical conversations 
about how we should live with – and build – 
our technology.

12
Innovating Pedagogy 2024
References
1. A study reporting on trends in video game character representation:
Harrisson, A., Suyong Yi Jones, S., Marchessault, J., Pedraça, S., and Consalvo, M. (2020) ‘The virtual census 2.0: a continued investigation on the representations of gender, race and age in videogames’, The 21st Annual Conference of the Association of Internet Researchers, 27–31 October 2020. Available at: https://typeset.io/papers/the-
virtual-census-2-0-a-continued-investigation-
on-1e3u4fujhj (Accessed 27 June 2024).
2. An article on equity and smart cities from The Brookings Institution:
Kharas, H. and Remes, J. (2018) ‘Can smart cities be equitable?’, Brookings. Available at: https://
www.brookings.edu/articles/can-smart-cities-
be-equitable/. (Accessed 27 June 2024)
3. A website with descriptions of common figures in speculative fiction:
Jewel Davis (n.d.) Speculative Worlds of Color: Highlighting common tropes, stereotypes, and biases found in speculative fiction and media. Available at: https://jeweldavis.com/speculative-
worlds-of-color. (Accessed 27 June 2024).
4. An article about social change and Afrofuturism:
Jones, S. and Howard, N. R., (n.d) ‘Traversing the Gaps: An Afrofuturist Approach to Social Change Through Dreaming in Science Fiction and STEM/
Computer Science Education’, Journal of Futures Studies. Available at: https://jfsdigital.org/
traversing-the-gaps-an-afrofuturist-approach-
to-social-change-through-dreaming-in-science-
fiction-and-stem-computer-science-education/ (Accessed 27 June 2024).
5. A report on participatory design research with students, by authors from University of California Berkeley and University of Colorado Boulder:
Chang, M. A., Philip, T. M., Cortez, A., McKoy, A., Sumner, T. and Penuel, W. R (2022) ‘Engaging Youth in Envisioning Artificial Intelligence in Classrooms: Lessons Learned’, Rapid Community Reports Workshop Outcomes. Available at: https://www.colorado.edu/research/ai-institute/
sites/default/files/attached-files/chang_et_al._
nov_2022.pdf (Accessed 27 June 2024). 6. Blog post describing feedback process for Food Justice computer game, from the EngageAI Institute:
Humburg, M., McClain, J. and Walter, W. (2024) Engaging Community Voices: Partnering with Girls Inc. to Make Better AI Games. Available at: https://engageai.org/tag/partnerships/ (Accessed 27 June 2024).
Resources
• A series of YouTube videos, each one 1hr 30mins, talking about how different authors have used speculative worlds in their books:
Worlds Of Speculative Fiction: Philosophical Themes by Gregory B. Sadler. Available at: https://
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4gvlOxpKKIiuo3y
YSBeOsrT-iSHvDRUb (Accessed 27 June 2024).
• A resource from the Black Perspectives website: ideas for bringing in Afrofuturism into schools:
‘Afrofuturism in the Classroom’. Available at: https://www.aaihs.org/afrofuturism-in-the-
classroom/ (Accessed 27 June 2024).
• Website article from The National Museum of African American History and Culture about a Speculative Worlds exhibit:
Speculative worlds. Available at: https://www.searchablemuseum.com/
speculative-worlds (Accessed 27 June 2024). • Website commentary about smart cities in Africa, fromThe Brookings Institution:
Smart city initiatives in Africa. Eyerusalem Siba and Mariama Sow, November 1, 2017. Available at: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/smart-city-
initiatives-in-africa (Accessed 27 June 2024). 

Scene 2

12
Innovating Pedagogy 2024
References
1. A study reporting on trends in video game 
character representation:
Harrisson, A., Suyong Yi Jones, S., Marchessault, 
J., Pedraça, S., and Consalvo, M. (2020) ‘The 
virtual census 2.0: a continued investigation on 
the representations of gender, race and age in 
videogames’, The 21st Annual Conference of the 
Association of Internet Researchers, 27–31 October 
2020. Available at: https://typeset.io/papers/the-
virtual-census-2-0-a-continued-investigation-
on-1e3u4fujhj (Accessed 27 June 2024).
2. An article on equity and smart cities from The 
Brookings Institution:
Kharas, H. and Remes, J. (2018) ‘Can smart cities 
be equitable?’, Brookings. Available at: https://
www.brookings.edu/articles/can-smart-cities-
be-equitable/. (Accessed 27 June 2024)
3. A website with descriptions of common figures in 
speculative fiction:
Jewel Davis (n.d.) Speculative Worlds of Color: 
Highlighting common tropes, stereotypes, and 
biases found in speculative fiction and media. 
Available at: https://jeweldavis.com/speculative-
worlds-of-color. (Accessed 27 June 2024).
4. An article about social change and Afrofuturism:
Jones, S. and Howard, N. R., (n.d) ‘Traversing the 
Gaps: An Afrofuturist Approach to Social Change 
Through Dreaming in Science Fiction and STEM/
Computer Science Education’, Journal of Futures 
Studies. Available at: https://jfsdigital.org/
traversing-the-gaps-an-afrofuturist-approach-
to-social-change-through-dreaming-in-science-
fiction-and-stem-computer-science-education/ 
(Accessed 27 June 2024).
5. A report on participatory design research with 
students, by authors from University of California 
Berkeley and University of Colorado Boulder:
Chang, M. A., Philip, T. M., Cortez, A., McKoy, A., 
Sumner, T. and Penuel, W. R (2022) ‘Engaging Youth 
in Envisioning Artificial Intelligence in Classrooms: 
Lessons Learned’, Rapid Community Reports 
Workshop Outcomes. Available at:  
https://www.colorado.edu/research/ai-institute/
sites/default/files/attached-files/chang_et_al._
nov_2022.pdf (Accessed 27 June 2024). 
6. Blog post describing feedback process for Food 
Justice computer game, from the EngageAI 
Institute:
Humburg, M., McClain, J. and Walter, W. (2024) 
Engaging Community Voices: Partnering with Girls 
Inc. to Make Better AI Games. Available at:  
https://engageai.org/tag/partnerships/  
(Accessed 27 June 2024).
Resources
• 
A series of YouTube videos, each one 1hr 30mins, 
talking about how different authors have used 
speculative worlds in their books:
Worlds Of Speculative Fiction: Philosophical 
Themes by Gregory B. Sadler. Available at: https://
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4gvlOxpKKIiuo3y
YSBeOsrT-iSHvDRUb (Accessed 27 June 2024).
• 
A resource from the Black Perspectives website: 
ideas for bringing in Afrofuturism into schools:
‘Afrofuturism in the Classroom’. Available at: 
https://www.aaihs.org/afrofuturism-in-the-
classroom/ (Accessed 27 June 2024).
• 
Website article from The National Museum of 
African American History and Culture about a 
Speculative Worlds exhibit:
Speculative worlds. Available at:  
https://www.searchablemuseum.com/
speculative-worlds (Accessed 27 June 2024). 
• 
Website commentary about smart cities in Africa, 
fromThe Brookings Institution:
Smart city initiatives in Africa. Eyerusalem Siba 
and Mariama Sow, November 1, 2017. Available at: 
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/smart-city-
initiatives-in-africa (Accessed 27 June 2024)

13
Pedagogies of peace
Pedagogies of peace
Fostering peacebuilding in schools and society through relationship-centered practices
Introduction A pedagogy of peace foregrounds the responsibility of schools (and other organisations concerned with education, sports or communities) to influence society. Learning is impacted by threats of violence within individual classrooms, against communities, and across geopolitical boundaries. Everyday violence refers to routinised and often hidden forms of violence, such as discrimination on the grounds of gender or disability, while structural violence concerns the physical and psychosocial harms experienced by certain social groups due to the political, economic, and sociocultural organisation of societies. Peace promoting practices include education for peace, prevention of violence, enabling people to give expression to their experiences, and helping communities to heal from the effects of harm. Pedagogies of peace may contribute to more cooperative coexistence across the planet by amplifying practices of compassion, tolerance, restorative justice, and global citizenship. UNESCO’s Recommendation on Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development (2023) reminds us that peacebuilding takes place not only through international negotiations but also in education and in everyday life.
Compassionate practices in peace education Developing empathy and compassion in the classroom can lead to the expression of empathy and compassion outside of the classroom. Supporting students to develop empathy and compassion for others can be done by helping them firstly to identify and articulate their own needs, and to find the obstacles to meeting those needs. In that way, they can be supported to better understand and respond to other people’s needs, emotions and perspectives.
Mithila art – artistic output from the Mobile Arts for Peace project. 

Scene 3

13
Pedagogies of peace
Pedagogies of peace
Fostering peacebuilding in schools and society through  
relationship-centered practices
Introduction 
A pedagogy of peace foregrounds the 
responsibility of schools (and other 
organisations concerned with education, 
sports or communities) to influence society. 
Learning is impacted by threats of violence 
within individual classrooms, against 
communities, and across geopolitical 
boundaries. Everyday violence refers 
to routinised and often hidden forms of 
violence, such as discrimination on the 
grounds of gender or disability, while 
structural violence concerns the physical 
and psychosocial harms experienced by 
certain social groups due to the political, 
economic, and sociocultural organisation of 
societies. Peace promoting practices include 
education for peace, prevention of violence, 
enabling people to give expression to their 
experiences, and helping communities to 
heal from the effects of harm. 
Pedagogies of peace may contribute to 
more cooperative coexistence across 
the planet by amplifying practices of 
compassion, tolerance, restorative 
justice, and global citizenship. UNESCO’s 
Recommendation on Peace, Human Rights 
and Sustainable Development (2023) 
reminds us that peacebuilding takes place 
not only through international negotiations 
but also in education and in everyday life.
Compassionate practices in 
peace education 
Developing empathy and compassion in 
the classroom can lead to the expression 
of empathy and compassion outside of the 
classroom. Supporting students to develop 
empathy and compassion for others can 
be done by helping them firstly to identify 
and articulate their own needs, and to find 
the obstacles to meeting those needs. In 
that way, they can be supported to better 
understand and respond to other people’s 
needs, emotions and perspectives.
Mithila art – artistic output from the Mobile Arts for Peace project

14
Innovating Pedagogy 2024
MacGill2 and colleagues propose ‘storying’ as a key pedagogy in incorporating diverse perspectives that expand a shared understanding of culture, values, ethics and beliefs. Storying, which foregrounds respect, compassion and empathy as foundational to learning, relies on narrative to support learners in developing a deeper understanding of their relationships with each other. It involves storytelling and story performance. Telling and performing a story could be done through a variety of modes and media according to the teller’s preferences. For example, experiences of conflict or discrimination could be presented as a sequence of journal entries, photographs, screenshots, drawings, videos, or through drama. Students can be invited to think about the ways in which different people are discriminated against in their school, organisation or community, and what could be done about it. The shared experience of diverse narratives offers learners multiple ways of acquiring and sharing knowledge and understanding, and it supports applied critical-thinking skills in imagining the resolution of conflicts presented in the narratives. Reflecting on teachers’ practices, Vandeyar3 tracks the ways in which teachers shifted from a ‘panicgogy’ (a response arising from a sense of panic) to a pedagogy of compassion after the COVID-19 pandemic. The pedagogy emphasises compassionately engaging with diversity and ‘instilling hope and sustainable peace’ (pp. 2163). It illustrates how in many cases the cognitive dissonance created from a rapid shift to unfamiliar teaching settings increased teachers’ curiosity for and compassion toward students’ diverse learning contexts. As disparities by race, gender, geography and digital access grew starker, many teachers emphasised student mental health and resilience as a precursor for content learning. In such circumstances, teachers’ compassionate practices could support students’ perception of how welcomed, included and valued they felt in their learning settings. Likewise, Zaky’s framework1 emphasises the importance of teachers demonstrating compassion in their practice, including:
• developing connected relationships with students
• accommodating student needs
• reciprocating learning in ways that allow learners to be visible co-constructors of knowledge
• integrating diverse perspectives and processes in the classroom
• rationalising practices explicitly, especially for students who are from different cultural backgrounds
• developing learning activities that ask students to experience diverse perspectives for themselves.
Mindfulness practices, anti-bullying and tolerance lessons, and teachers’ assessments of their own biases and abuses of power are all promising approaches. The online resource Learning for Justice offers free learning guides that support individual teacher development and classroom-based activities to address both systemic and interpersonal conflicts as well as research-
based learning-plan building resources to develop school-specific activities. Developing empathy and compassion in the classroom can lead to the expression of empathy and compassion outside of the classroom
Restorative justice A pedagogy of peace includes not only the opportunity to develop intentionally compassionate learning communities, but to assure justice when conflicts amongst learners arise. Practices of restorative justice seek to restore healthy relationships after an injury or offense. Rather than expelling or suspending students who have caused injury or offense, restorative practices focus on repairing relationships and helping the community to heal, in school and beyond the school. Researcher Jamee S. Carroll and her colleagues4 detail classroom-based, whole-school and community-based models of restorative justice in urban schools, identifying both the promising outcomes of these practices and the importance of teacher training in implementing them. For example, in one classroom practice, a ‘sequential circle’ provides a structure for participants to speak, or to answer a. 

Scene 4

14
Innovating Pedagogy 2024
MacGill2 and colleagues propose ‘storying’ 
as a key pedagogy in incorporating 
diverse perspectives that expand a shared 
understanding of culture, values, ethics 
and beliefs. Storying, which foregrounds 
respect, compassion and empathy as 
foundational to learning, relies on narrative 
to support learners in developing a deeper 
understanding of their relationships with 
each other. It involves storytelling and story 
performance. Telling and performing a 
story could be done through a variety of 
modes and media according to the teller’s 
preferences. For example, experiences 
of conflict or discrimination could be 
presented as a sequence of journal entries, 
photographs, screenshots, drawings, videos, 
or through drama. Students can be invited 
to think about the ways in which different 
people are discriminated against in their 
school, organisation or community, and 
what could be done about it. The shared 
experience of diverse narratives offers 
learners multiple ways of acquiring and 
sharing knowledge and understanding, 
and it supports applied critical-thinking 
skills in imagining the resolution of conflicts 
presented in the narratives. 
Reflecting on teachers’ practices, Vandeyar3 
tracks the ways in which teachers shifted 
from a ‘panicgogy’ (a response arising 
from a sense of panic) to a pedagogy of 
compassion after the COVID-19 pandemic. 
The pedagogy emphasises compassionately 
engaging with diversity and ‘instilling  
hope and sustainable peace’ (pp. 2163).  
It illustrates how in many cases the cognitive 
dissonance created from a rapid shift to 
unfamiliar teaching settings increased 
teachers’ curiosity for and compassion 
toward students’ diverse learning contexts. 
As disparities by race, gender, geography 
and digital access grew starker, many 
teachers emphasised student mental health 
and resilience as a precursor for content 
learning. In such circumstances, teachers’ 
compassionate practices could support 
students’ perception of how welcomed, 
included and valued they felt in their 
learning settings. Likewise, Zaky’s framework1 
emphasises the importance of teachers 
demonstrating compassion in their  
practice, including:
• developing connected relationships with 
students
• accommodating student needs
• reciprocating learning in ways that allow 
learners to be visible co-constructors of 
knowledge
• integrating diverse perspectives and 
processes in the classroom
• rationalising practices explicitly, especially 
for students who are from different cultural 
backgrounds
• developing learning activities that 
ask students to experience diverse 
perspectives for themselves.
Mindfulness practices, anti-bullying 
and tolerance lessons, and teachers’ 
assessments of their own biases and abuses 
of power are all promising approaches.  
The online resource Learning for Justice offers 
free learning guides that support individual 
teacher development and classroom-based 
activities to address both systemic and 
interpersonal conflicts as well as research-
based learning-plan building resources to 
develop school-specific activities. 
Developing empathy and compassion 
in the classroom can lead to 
the expression of empathy and 
compassion outside of the classroom
Restorative justice 
A pedagogy of peace includes not only 
the opportunity to develop intentionally 
compassionate learning communities, but 
to assure justice when conflicts amongst 
learners arise. Practices of restorative justice 
seek to restore healthy relationships after 
an injury or offense. Rather than expelling 
or suspending students who have caused 
injury or offense, restorative practices focus 
on repairing relationships and helping the 
community to heal, in school and beyond 
the school. Researcher Jamee S. Carroll and 
her colleagues4 detail classroom-based, 
whole-school and community-based 
models of restorative justice in urban schools, 
identifying both the promising outcomes 
of these practices and the importance of 
teacher training in implementing them. 
For example, in one classroom practice, 
a ‘sequential circle’ provides a structure 
for participants to speak, or to answer a

15
Pedagogies of peace
question, one at a time: a small object may be passed from person to person, indicating when it is someone’s turn to speak without being interrupted. School settings in the US have expanded the use of these practices widely in the last five years, with positive impact. Restorative practices, when followed in a consistent manner, were shown to support greater positive relationships between teachers and students5, decreased opportunity gaps among students of different ethnicities, and an increased perception of teachers as resources instead of obstacles to students’ experiences at school.
These efforts coincide with efforts to increase a critical evaluation of school practices toward more inclusive practices. Restorative justice complements other efforts to recognise institutionalised patterns of inequity that lead to school conflict. Arguing that schools should move beyond simple conflict-resolution, Hajir and Kester6 suggest critical peace education as a model that addresses both individual and structural conflicts. A critical stance foregrounds understanding the structural impediments to advancing peace education and it aims to empower learners as agents of change. Critical analysis could consider power dynamics as well as factors such as race, gender, disability, language, religion and geography. Research into restorative justice models in school recommend long-term, trust-
centered practices that facilitate buy-in from school stakeholders. Justice Circles (i.e., coming together as a community or group to explore an injustice) and restorative coaching show promise for both short-term and sustainable school culture interventions. As an alternative to zero-tolerance models, restorative justice practices focus on mediation rather than punishment. Promising innovations emphasise a multistep process of prevention, intervention, reintegration, asking students what happened, how they were affected, how they contributed, how others were affected, and what steps they need to take to repair harm. Global citizenship Global citizenship is an expanded view of restorative justice that allows teachers and learners to look beyond the conflicts of their own classrooms toward an impact on the global community. In implementing new practices for peace education and global citizenship, advocates have also looked to educational interventions for trauma-
informed care. Global citizenship education foregrounds student understanding of their role within an integrated national, regional and global context. In these efforts, advocates have looked to historical educational interventions, especially in times of war, to propose new models of peace education. Montessori’s proposed White Cross organisation, initially inspired by the aim to serve child survivors of war in the early twentieth century, has helped to inform crisis-care for learners living in violence today1. In other settings, survivors of genocide describe the benefit of explicit school-
centered supports for forgiveness and peace education. Berkowitz’ PRIMED model of civic education, which includes a focus on the global community and individual efforts to become agents of peace, may build upon models of compassionate practice and restorative justice2. The model comprises Prioritisation of character education, Relationships in school and with external stakeholders, Intrinsic motivation, Modeling, Empowerment, and adopting a Developmental perspective.
Various organisations provide resources for teachers:
• The environmental charity Global Action Plan provides a teacher toolkit for implementation of global citizenship learning in school settings, including resources for developing students’ awareness of sustainable development, ecological foot printing, climate change, global justice, and global impact of poverty and inequality. • Childhood Education International, a US-based nonprofit, is a valuable clearinghouse for teacher and community development. AnjiPlay, a model that incorporates global citizenship preparation through play, emphasises the need for love, risk, joy, engagement, and reflection in early childhood learning. The model has been implemented throughout China in publicly funded early childhood centers and serves more than 14,000 children in settings that preserve the right of every child to self-directed, unguided and uninterrupted play.. 

Scene 5

15
Pedagogies of peace
question, one at a time: a small object 
may be passed from person to person, 
indicating when it is someone’s turn to speak 
without being interrupted. School settings 
in the US have expanded the use of these 
practices widely in the last five years, with 
positive impact. Restorative practices, when 
followed in a consistent manner, were shown 
to support greater positive relationships 
between teachers and students5, decreased 
opportunity gaps among students of different 
ethnicities, and an increased perception of 
teachers as resources instead of obstacles to 
students’ experiences at school.
These efforts coincide with efforts to  
increase a critical evaluation of school 
practices toward more inclusive practices. 
Restorative justice complements other 
efforts to recognise institutionalised patterns 
of inequity that lead to school conflict. 
Arguing that schools should move beyond 
simple conflict-resolution, Hajir and Kester6 
suggest critical peace education as a model 
that addresses both individual and structural 
conflicts. A critical stance foregrounds 
understanding the structural impediments 
to advancing peace education and it aims 
to empower learners as agents of change. 
Critical analysis could consider power 
dynamics as well as factors such as race, 
gender, disability, language, religion  
and geography. 
Research into restorative justice models 
in school recommend long-term, trust-
centered practices that facilitate buy-in 
from school stakeholders. Justice Circles 
(i.e., coming together as a community or 
group to explore an injustice) and restorative 
coaching show promise for both short-term 
and sustainable school culture interventions. 
As an alternative to zero-tolerance models, 
restorative justice practices focus on 
mediation rather than punishment. Promising 
innovations emphasise a multistep process 
of prevention, intervention, reintegration, 
asking students what happened, how they 
were affected, how they contributed, how 
others were affected, and what steps they 
need to take to repair harm. 
Global citizenship 
Global citizenship is an expanded view of 
restorative justice that allows teachers and 
learners to look beyond the conflicts of their 
own classrooms toward an impact on the 
global community. In implementing new 
practices for peace education and global 
citizenship, advocates have also looked 
to educational interventions for trauma-
informed care. Global citizenship education 
foregrounds student understanding of 
their role within an integrated national, 
regional and global context. In these 
efforts, advocates have looked to historical 
educational interventions, especially in times 
of war, to propose new models of peace 
education. Montessori’s proposed White 
Cross organisation, initially inspired by the 
aim to serve child survivors of war in the 
early twentieth century, has helped to inform 
crisis-care for learners living in violence 
today1. In other settings, survivors of genocide 
describe the benefit of explicit school-
centered supports for forgiveness and peace 
education. 
Berkowitz’ PRIMED model of civic education, 
which includes a focus on the global 
community and individual efforts to become 
agents of peace, may build upon models 
of compassionate practice and restorative 
justice2. The model comprises Prioritisation of 
character education, Relationships in school 
and with external stakeholders, Intrinsic 
motivation, Modeling, Empowerment, and 
adopting a Developmental perspective.
Various organisations provide resources for 
teachers:
• The environmental charity Global 
Action Plan provides a teacher toolkit 
for implementation of global citizenship 
learning in school settings, including 
resources for developing students’ 
awareness of sustainable development, 
ecological foot printing, climate change, 
global justice, and global impact of 
poverty and inequality. 
• Childhood Education International, 
a US-based nonprofit, is a valuable 
clearinghouse for teacher and community 
development. AnjiPlay, a model 
that incorporates global citizenship 
preparation through play, emphasises the 
need for love, risk, joy, engagement, and 
reflection in early childhood learning. The 
model has been implemented throughout 
China in publicly funded early childhood 
centers and serves more than 14,000 
children in settings that preserve the right 
of every child to self-directed, unguided 
and uninterrupted play.

16
Innovating Pedagogy 2024
• Libraries Without Borders has developed the ‘Ideas Box,’ pop-up media and learning centers that can be distributed in refugee contexts and to respond to internally-
displaced learners in areas of political conflict. This easily adaptable system can be dispatched quickly to protect children’s right to learn, and currently has programmes active throughout the countries of the middle east and northern Africa. Challenges, barriers, limitations
Adopting impactful peace education practices is not without its challenges. Schools and teachers may question the value of these practices when faced with limited time and increased performance pressures for other academic goals. There is a risk of misunderstandings about ‘pedagogies of peace’ compared to social and emotional learning, conflict resolution, classroom management or other civic education models. Political challenges may arise to the inclusion of the embedded pedagogies in education for peace, as these pedagogical models include equity and justice centered practices that foreground the inclusion of diverse perspectives. In communities torn by violence, stakeholders may underestimate the potential for peace education practices or the immediate need for children’s play, community and education. In these spaces, resources may be limited. Conclusions
As the world community shrinks and global conflicts grow, educators will increasingly feel the impact of external conflicts within their classrooms. Compassionate practices show promise for supporting both individual resilience and positive classroom cultures. These practices begin with teacher education and self-assessment, and expand to support the development of healthy, relational climates in classrooms where learners access the most immediate impact. Restorative justice practices may strengthen classroom, school and community responses to long-standing disparities in access and opportunity. These practices expand beyond the school setting to incorporate local and community stakeholders, other nonprofits and the local judicial system, rebuilding communities toward restoration and justice and away from the inequities perpetuated by punitive policies. Global citizenship as a focus in the classroom may help to develop student capacity and support healing after trauma. As an immediate intervention, global citizenship practices can decrease the interruption of learning and defend the rights of children to play in communities struck by violence. While often undervalued or relegated to enrichment, pedagogies of peace are most impactful when they are foregrounded as a foundation on which other learning occurs.. 

Scene 6

16
Innovating Pedagogy 2024
• Libraries Without Borders has developed 
the ‘Ideas Box,’ pop-up media and learning 
centers that can be distributed in refugee 
contexts and to respond to internally-
displaced learners in areas of political 
conflict. This easily adaptable system 
can be dispatched quickly to protect 
children’s right to learn, and currently 
has programmes active throughout the 
countries of the middle east and northern 
Africa. 
Challenges, barriers, limitations
Adopting impactful peace education 
practices is not without its challenges. 
Schools and teachers may question the value 
of these practices when faced with limited 
time and increased performance pressures 
for other academic goals. There is a risk of 
misunderstandings about ‘pedagogies of 
peace’ compared to social and emotional 
learning, conflict resolution, classroom 
management or other civic education 
models. Political challenges may arise to the 
inclusion of the embedded pedagogies in 
education for peace, as these pedagogical 
models include equity and justice centered 
practices that foreground the inclusion of 
diverse perspectives. In communities torn by 
violence, stakeholders may underestimate 
the potential for peace education practices 
or the immediate need for children’s play, 
community and education. In these spaces, 
resources may be limited. 
Conclusions
As the world community shrinks and global 
conflicts grow, educators will increasingly 
feel the impact of external conflicts within 
their classrooms. Compassionate practices 
show promise for supporting both individual 
resilience and positive classroom cultures. 
These practices begin with teacher 
education and self-assessment, and expand 
to support the development of healthy, 
relational climates in classrooms where 
learners access the most immediate impact. 
Restorative justice practices may strengthen 
classroom, school and community responses 
to long-standing disparities in access and 
opportunity. These practices expand beyond 
the school setting to incorporate local and 
community stakeholders, other nonprofits 
and the local judicial system, rebuilding 
communities toward restoration and justice 
and away from the inequities perpetuated 
by punitive policies. Global citizenship as a 
focus in the classroom may help to develop 
student capacity and support healing after 
trauma. As an immediate intervention, 
global citizenship practices can decrease 
the interruption of learning and defend the 
rights of children to play in communities 
struck by violence. While often undervalued 
or relegated to enrichment, pedagogies of 
peace are most impactful when they are 
foregrounded as a foundation on which 
other learning occurs.

17
Pedagogies of peace
References 1. A comprehensive review of the literature related to empathy and compassionate practices in classroom activities:
Zaky, H. (2024) ‘Adult education and empathy’, International Journal of Curriculum Development and Learning Measurement, 5(1), pp. 1–18. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4018/
ijcdlm.339913 (Accessed 26 June 2024). 2. A paper exploring the role of extended families as First Teachers in iTaukei and Indo-Fijian Early Childhood contexts in Fiji, using ‘storying’:
MacGill, B. M., Jattan, S., Lal, D., Narain, B., Neill, B., Nayaca, T., Diamond, A., and Camaitoga, U. (2023) ‘Ethics of care: Pedagogical encounters from Oceania’, Qualitative Research Journal, 24(1), pp. 39–48. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1108/qrj-05-
2023-0085 (Accessed 26 June 2024).
3. A qualitative case study into the ethics of care and compassionate teaching practices post-pandemic:
Vandeyar, S. (2021) ‘Educational transmogrification: From panicgogy to pedagogy of compassion’, Teaching in Higher Education, 28(8), pp. 2160–2172. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2021.1952568 (Accessed 26 June 2024). 4. A chapter highlighting three different levels of restorative justice within an urban, US-based school district, including teacher education, standalone classes and whole-school interventions:
Carroll, J.S., Kaugers, A., and Grynch, J. (2022) ‘Diverse Approaches for Implementing Restorative Practices in Schools in the US’, In: Velez, G., Gavrielides, T. (eds) Restorative Justice: Promoting Peace and Wellbeing. Peace Psychology Book Series. Springer, Cham. Available at: https://doi.
org/10.1007/978-3-031-13101-1_1 (Accessed 26 June 2024). 5. A study describing the impact on student empathy, respect and agency in school settings using restorative justice practice:
Gregory, A., Clawson, K., Davis, A., and Gerewitz, J. (2015) ‘The Promise of Restorative Practices to Transform Teacher-Student Relationships and Achieve Equity in School Discipline’, Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 25(4), pp. 325–353. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10
474412.2014.929950 (Accessed 26 June 2024).
6. An integrative review of practices and theories of peace education including an emphasis on decolonization as a foundation for critical peace education in theory and practice:
Hajir, B., and Kester, K. (2020) ‘Toward a decolonial praxis in critical peace education: Postcolonial Insights and Pedagogic Possibilities’, Studies in Philosophy and Education, 39(5), pp. 515–532. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11217-020-
09707-y (Accessed 26 June 2024).. 

Scene 7

17
Pedagogies of peace
References 
1. A comprehensive review of the literature related 
to empathy and compassionate practices in 
classroom activities:
Zaky, H. (2024) ‘Adult education and 
empathy’, International Journal of Curriculum 
Development and Learning Measurement, 5(1), 
pp. 1–18. Available at: https://doi.org/10.4018/
ijcdlm.339913 (Accessed 26 June 2024). 
2. A paper exploring the role of extended families 
as First Teachers in iTaukei and Indo-Fijian Early 
Childhood contexts in Fiji, using ‘storying’:
MacGill, B. M., Jattan, S., Lal, D., Narain, B., Neill, B., 
Nayaca, T., Diamond, A., and Camaitoga, U. (2023) 
‘Ethics of care: Pedagogical encounters from 
Oceania’, Qualitative Research Journal, 24(1), pp. 
39–48. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1108/qrj-05-
2023-0085 (Accessed 26 June 2024).
3. A qualitative case study into the ethics of  
care and compassionate teaching practices 
post-pandemic:
Vandeyar, S. (2021) ‘Educational 
transmogrification: From panicgogy to 
pedagogy of compassion’, Teaching in Higher 
Education, 28(8), pp. 2160–2172. Available at: 
https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2021.1952568 
(Accessed 26 June 2024). 
4. A chapter highlighting three different levels of 
restorative justice within an urban, US-based 
school district, including teacher education, 
standalone classes and whole-school 
interventions:
Carroll, J.S., Kaugers, A., and Grynch, J. (2022) 
‘Diverse Approaches for Implementing Restorative 
Practices in Schools in the US’, In: Velez, G., 
Gavrielides, T. (eds) Restorative Justice: Promoting 
Peace and Wellbeing. Peace Psychology Book 
Series. Springer, Cham. Available at: https://doi.
org/10.1007/978-3-031-13101-1_1 (Accessed 26 
June 2024). 
5. A study describing the impact on student 
empathy, respect and agency in school settings 
using restorative justice practice:
Gregory, A., Clawson, K., Davis, A., and Gerewitz, 
J. (2015) ‘The Promise of Restorative Practices to 
Transform Teacher-Student Relationships and 
Achieve Equity in School Discipline’, Journal of 
Educational and Psychological Consultation, 25(4), 
pp. 325–353. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/10
474412.2014.929950 (Accessed 26 June 2024).
6. An integrative review of practices and theories 
of peace education including an emphasis on 
decolonization as a foundation for critical peace 
education in theory and practice:
Hajir, B., and Kester, K. (2020) ‘Toward a decolonial 
praxis in critical peace education: Postcolonial 
Insights and Pedagogic Possibilities’, Studies in 
Philosophy and Education, 39(5), pp. 515–532. 
Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11217-020-
09707-y (Accessed 26 June 2024).

18
Innovating Pedagogy 2024
Resources
• An historical study of Montessori’s interventions for children in adversity or trauma, particularly from war-torn communities, that led to the White Cross, and a series of recommendations for implementing Montessori methods in trauma-
informed practice:
Phillips, B., O’Toole, C., McGilloway, S., and Phillips, S. (n.d.) ‘Montessori, the White Cross and trauma-
informed practice: Lessons for contemporary education’, Journal of Montessori Research. Available at: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1345390 (Accessed 26 June 2024). • A teacher-friendly guide for implementing a six-
component framework for purposeful learning, virtue-based learning and healthy relationships in peace-education classrooms:
Berkowitz, M. W. (2021) PRIMED for character education: Six design principles for school improvement. Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group). • Teacher-and-leader-development institute with online resources for parents, teachers and other advocates of peace education:
Primed. Center for Character & Citizenship. (n.d.). Available at: https://characterandcitizenship.org/
primed (Accessed 26 June 2024).
• An online clearinghouse of peace education news, current events and teacher resources, centered in Lansing, Michigan, US, with resources available for a global audience:
Peace Education Center (2024) Welcome to the hub for Peace and Justice in the Greater Lansing Area! (30 January). Available at: https://www.
peaceedcenter.org/ (Accessed 26 June 2024). • A free resource describing the theoretical foundations and implementation of restorative justice practices in K-12 school settings, including case studies and teacher development resources:
We are Teachers. Available at: weareteachers.
com/restorative-justice/ (Accessed 26 June 2024). • A practice-as-research based arts-integrated approach for peacebuilding through education, with current sites in Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal and Rwanda:
Mobile Arts for Peace (MAP). (n.d.). Available at: https://map.lincoln.ac.uk/ (Accessed 26 June 2024). Podcast series from this project: https://map.
lincoln.ac.uk/podcasts/ (Accessed 26 June 2024).
• A resource for curriculum and instruction for classroom teachers funded by the Southern Poverty Law Center, focused on the advancement of human rights through the dismantling of white supremacy and the strengthening of intersectional movements toward peace:
Learning for Justice (n.d.). Available at: https://www.learningforjustice.org/ (Accessed 26 June 2024). • UNESCO’s Recommendation on Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development, was adopted by UNESCO’s 194 Member States in November 2023. Its full title is as follows:
Recommendation on Education for Peace and Human Rights, International Understanding, Cooperation, Fundamental Freedoms, Global Citizenship and Sustainable Development (2023). Available at: https://www.unesco.org/en/global-
citizenship-peace-education/recommendation (Accessed 26 June 2024).. 

Scene 8

18
Innovating Pedagogy 2024
Resources
• 
An historical study of Montessori’s interventions 
for children in adversity or trauma, particularly 
from war-torn communities, that led to the White 
Cross, and a series of recommendations for 
implementing Montessori methods in trauma-
informed practice:
Phillips, B., O’Toole, C., McGilloway, S., and Phillips, 
S. (n.d.) ‘Montessori, the White Cross and trauma-
informed practice: Lessons for contemporary 
education’, Journal of Montessori Research. 
Available at: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1345390 
(Accessed 26 June 2024). 
• 
A teacher-friendly guide for implementing a six-
component framework for purposeful learning, 
virtue-based learning and healthy relationships in 
peace-education classrooms:
Berkowitz, M. W. (2021) PRIMED for character 
education: Six design principles for school 
improvement. Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group). 
• 
Teacher-and-leader-development institute with 
online resources for parents, teachers and other 
advocates of peace education:
Primed. Center for Character & Citizenship. (n.d.). 
Available at: https://characterandcitizenship.org/
primed (Accessed 26 June 2024).
• 
An online clearinghouse of peace education news, 
current events and teacher resources, centered in 
Lansing, Michigan, US, with resources available for 
a global audience:
Peace Education Center (2024) Welcome to the 
hub for Peace and Justice in the Greater Lansing 
Area! (30 January). Available at: https://www.
peaceedcenter.org/ (Accessed 26 June 2024). 
• 
A free resource describing the theoretical 
foundations and implementation of restorative 
justice practices in K-12 school settings, including 
case studies and teacher development resources:
We are Teachers. Available at: weareteachers.
com/restorative-justice/ (Accessed 26 June 2024). 
• 
A practice-as-research based arts-integrated 
approach for peacebuilding through education, 
with current sites in Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal 
and Rwanda:
Mobile Arts for Peace (MAP). (n.d.). Available at: 
https://map.lincoln.ac.uk/ (Accessed 26 June 2024). 
Podcast series from this project: https://map.
lincoln.ac.uk/podcasts/ (Accessed 26 June 2024).
• 
A resource for curriculum and instruction for 
classroom teachers funded by the Southern 
Poverty Law Center, focused on the advancement 
of human rights through the dismantling of white 
supremacy and the strengthening of intersectional 
movements toward peace:
Learning for Justice (n.d.). Available at:  
https://www.learningforjustice.org/ (Accessed 26 
June 2024). 
• 
UNESCO’s Recommendation on Peace, Human 
Rights and Sustainable Development, was adopted 
by UNESCO’s 194 Member States in November 2023. 
Its full title is as follows:
Recommendation on Education for Peace and 
Human Rights, International Understanding, 
Cooperation, Fundamental Freedoms, Global 
Citizenship and Sustainable Development (2023). 
Available at: https://www.unesco.org/en/global-
citizenship-peace-education/recommendation 
(Accessed 26 June 2024).

19
Climate action pedagogy
Climate action pedagogy
Empowering teachers and learners to take meaningful actions towards climate change
Introduction Climate change is a reality that most of us have now experienced and learned about. Climate change refers to severe changes in global temperatures and weather patterns1. These changes can be caused by natural events such as the sun’s activities, but in the last 200 years the majority of global climate change has been caused by human activity – also known as anthropogenic climate change2.
There seems to be a sense that we might be running out of time to stop these changes taking place, and this can cause anxiety and distress in most people3. It is crucial that educational systems prepare teachers and learners for the urgent need to address environmental issues. By educating people about the causes and consequences of climate change, we can empower them to make informed decisions and take meaningful actions to mitigate its effects4. Recently, many pedagogical approaches have emerged as attempts to support teachers and learners to understand this phenomenon further, including planetary social pedagogy (see Resources), climate-
kind pedagogy (see Resources), ecojustice pedagogy4, becoming designers with Earth2, climate action pedagogy5 (elaborated below), and many more. The common goal of these educational approaches is to assist teachers and learners in integrating climate change principles into the curriculum. Climate action pedagogy in practice
Climate action pedagogy (CAP) requires teachers to have multiple skills and knowledge so that they can engage students with the immediacy of the climate crisis, and create a curriculum that supports world problem solving, social innovation and societal transformation5. CAP is a vital approach to cultivating environmental awareness, inspiring sustainable behaviours, and empowering individuals to become agents of change in the fight against climate change. There are several approaches and strategies to help educators incorporate CAP into their teaching practices.
The climate is changing. So should we. Approaches are being developed to address this through education.. 

Scene 9

19
Climate action pedagogy
Climate action pedagogy
Empowering teachers and learners to take meaningful actions 
towards climate change
Introduction 
Climate change is a reality that most of us 
have now experienced and learned about. 
Climate change refers to severe changes in 
global temperatures and weather patterns1. 
These changes can be caused by natural 
events such as the sun’s activities, but in the 
last 200 years the majority of global climate 
change has been caused by human activity 
– also known as anthropogenic climate 
change2.
There seems to be a sense that we might be 
running out of time to stop these changes 
taking place, and this can cause anxiety 
and distress in most people3. It is crucial 
that educational systems prepare teachers 
and learners for the urgent need to address 
environmental issues. By educating people 
about the causes and consequences of 
climate change, we can empower them 
to make informed decisions and take 
meaningful actions to mitigate its effects4. 
Recently, many pedagogical approaches 
have emerged as attempts to support 
teachers and learners to understand this 
phenomenon further, including planetary 
social pedagogy (see Resources), climate-
kind pedagogy (see Resources), ecojustice 
pedagogy4, becoming designers with Earth2, 
climate action pedagogy5 (elaborated 
below), and many more. The common goal 
of these educational approaches is to assist 
teachers and learners in integrating climate 
change principles into the curriculum. 
Climate action pedagogy  
in practice
Climate action pedagogy (CAP) requires 
teachers to have multiple skills and 
knowledge so that they can engage students 
with the immediacy of the climate crisis, 
and create a curriculum that supports 
world problem solving, social innovation 
and societal transformation5. CAP is a vital 
approach to cultivating environmental 
awareness, inspiring sustainable behaviours, 
and empowering individuals to become 
agents of change in the fight against climate 
change. There are several approaches and 
strategies to help educators incorporate CAP 
into their teaching practices.
The climate is changing. So should we. Approaches are being developed to address this through education.

20
Innovating Pedagogy 2024
Create a climate-conscious curriculum
One approach to adopt CAP is by infusing climate change topics across various subjects and grade levels to promote interdisciplinary learning. This infusion should be supported by current scientific research, case studies, and real-world examples to illustrate the urgency and impact of climate change. There are many examples of such infusions in science disciplines, but also in arts, health education and even in language studies. Sriwijaya University in Indonesia has included climate change related topics into the curriculum of their Program in English Language Education. In the initial pilot, 20 preservice teachers explored climate change related topics within a semester-
long creative writing course. Analyses of classroom discussions, reflective writing, and picture book projects indicated that the participants’ awareness of climate change issues developed as they engaged with the projects that required their understanding of the global climate issues and connected them with their local contexts4. Foster environmental care Another approach that could help educators and learners to engage with CAP is by creating opportunities to foster care for the environment. This could be done by:
• facilitating hands-on experiences such as outdoor learning, gardening, or waste reduction projects to promote a sense of environmental responsibility
• organising field trips to sustainable facilities, renewable energy sites, or local ecosystem reserves to connect students with tangible examples of environmental conservation efforts
• encouraging students to take ownership of sustainability initiatives within the school/university community, such as recycling programmes or energy-saving campaigns.
However, some of these activities can be directly affected by climate change. Scott Jukes6, promoting outdoor environmental education (OEE), highlights that outdoor education is uniquely positioned to witness the impacts of climate change first hand. He notes that the necessity to cancel fieldwork programs because of catastrophic bushfires, floods and other extreme weather events has significantly shaped the way fieldwork programs are conducted. But he also developed examples of practice where climate change education is delivered through OEE, which take advantage of pedagogic moments (i.e., opportunities where significant teaching and learning can occur) and offer curriculum development strategies for climate change education within OEE6.
Promote climate literacy and awareness
Building capacity, developing literacy and raising awareness of educators and learners constitutes perhaps one of the most important approaches in CAP. It is only through building their capacity, literacy and awareness that teachers can make informed decisions about how to incorporate CAP into their practice. There are several teaching strategies that can be adopted and adapted to raise learners’ awareness of climate change, including the use of films, documentaries and interactive tools. Teachers can also facilitate discussions on climate justice, equity and the disproportionate impact of environmental issues on marginalised communities. These activities have the potential to empower students to engage in dialogue, and to work on collaborative projects that foster awareness of global environmental challenges and promote the importance of collective action. However, it is important that these activities and resources are age-appropriate, as the reality of current and future global climate conditions can be stressful for learners and create climate anxiety2. Many online resources have been created to develop teachers’ and learners’ skills on climate change topics. An example of such resources is the freely available course on the OpenLearn platform titled Supporting climate action through digital education7 developed by The Open University, UK. outdoor education is uniquely positioned to witness the impacts of climate change first hand. 

Scene 10

20
Innovating Pedagogy 2024
Create a climate-conscious curriculum
One approach to adopt CAP is by infusing 
climate change topics across various 
subjects and grade levels to promote 
interdisciplinary learning. This infusion should 
be supported by current scientific research, 
case studies, and real-world examples to 
illustrate the urgency and impact of climate 
change. There are many examples of such 
infusions in science disciplines, but also in 
arts, health education and even in language 
studies. Sriwijaya University in Indonesia has 
included climate change related topics into 
the curriculum of their Program in English 
Language Education. In the initial pilot, 
20 preservice teachers explored climate 
change related topics within a semester-
long creative writing course. Analyses of 
classroom discussions, reflective writing, 
and picture book projects indicated that the 
participants’ awareness of climate change 
issues developed as they engaged with the 
projects that required their understanding 
of the global climate issues and connected 
them with their local contexts4. 
Foster environmental care 
Another approach that could help educators 
and learners to engage with CAP is by 
creating opportunities to foster care for the 
environment. This could be done by:
• facilitating hands-on experiences such 
as outdoor learning, gardening, or waste 
reduction projects to promote a sense of 
environmental responsibility
• organising field trips to sustainable 
facilities, renewable energy sites, or local 
ecosystem reserves to connect students 
with tangible examples of environmental 
conservation efforts
• encouraging students to take ownership 
of sustainability initiatives within the 
school/university community, such as 
recycling programmes or energy-saving 
campaigns.
However, some of these activities can be 
directly affected by climate change. Scott 
Jukes6, promoting outdoor environmental 
education (OEE), highlights that outdoor 
education is uniquely positioned to witness 
the impacts of climate change first hand. 
He notes that the necessity to cancel 
fieldwork programs because of catastrophic 
bushfires, floods and other extreme weather 
events has significantly shaped the way 
fieldwork programs are conducted. But he 
also developed examples of practice where 
climate change education is delivered 
through OEE, which take advantage of 
pedagogic moments (i.e., opportunities 
where significant teaching and learning can 
occur) and offer curriculum development 
strategies for climate change education 
within OEE6.
Promote climate literacy and 
awareness
Building capacity, developing literacy 
and raising awareness of educators and 
learners constitutes perhaps one of the 
most important approaches in CAP. It 
is only through building their capacity, 
literacy and awareness that teachers 
can make informed decisions about how 
to incorporate CAP into their practice. 
There are several teaching strategies that 
can be adopted and adapted to raise 
learners’ awareness of climate change, 
including the use of films, documentaries 
and interactive tools. Teachers can also 
facilitate discussions on climate justice, 
equity and the disproportionate impact 
of environmental issues on marginalised 
communities. These activities have the 
potential to empower students to engage 
in dialogue, and to work on collaborative 
projects that foster awareness of global 
environmental challenges and promote the 
importance of collective action. However, it is 
important that these activities and resources 
are age-appropriate, as the reality of current 
and future global climate conditions can 
be stressful for learners and create climate 
anxiety2. Many online resources have 
been created to develop teachers’ and 
learners’ skills on climate change topics. 
An example of such resources is the freely 
available course on the OpenLearn platform 
titled Supporting climate action through 
digital education7 developed by The Open 
University, UK. 
outdoor education is uniquely 
positioned to witness the impacts 
of climate change first hand

21
Climate action pedagogy
Empower student advocacy
Empowering student advocacy in CAP is essential for fostering a sense of responsibility, agency and collective action in tackling one of the most pressing challenges of our time. By investing in students as advocates for climate action, we are nurturing a more informed, engaged and empowered society, ready to address the complexities of climate change. Ways in which teachers can promote student advocacy include encouraging students to research local environmental issues, propose solutions, and advocate for policy changes within their community. Teachers and educational institutions should support student-led initiatives, clubs, or campaigns focused on environmental activism, climate justice and sustainable practices. An example of student advocacy initiative was developed by a group of medical students at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, where the students engaged in advocacy efforts to improve the education of medical students on the impacts of climate change and health8. The project consisted of an elective lecture series including two sessions with guest speakers and a three-part online component. Students also advocated for formal curricular change, involving the integration of a mandatory lecture on climate and health into McMaster’s medical training curriculum8. Assess and reflect
This is an approach that can be used in combination with all the CAP approaches above as it gives the opportunities for teachers and learners to reflect on what they have learnt, and create opportunities for action and improvement. Teachers can encourage reflection through reflective journals entries, students’ presentations, art projects, or multimedia creations that allow students to express their learnings and personal connections to climate action. For CAP to succeed, it is important to create a cycle of reflection and review, and to refine climate action pedagogy practices based on feedback, student engagement, and the evolving landscape of environmental challenges2,3,7. Challenges, barriers, limitations
Although important and timely, this pedagogy brings several challenges for teachers and their students. One of the challenges is that our responses to climate change and thus climate action, are constantly evolving4. As such, a challenge exists around continuously reviewing and refining the curriculum and teaching materials to encompass the evolving landscape of the changes, rather than creating a fixed curriculum. Keeping up with this evolving curriculum means frequently building teacher capacity, which is time consuming and adds to the already high workload of teachers.
Another challenge is related to how teachers and students respond to and process the facts and reality of a warming world. Emerging evidence indicates that a large number of young people around the world are feeling distress, fear and anguish associated with climate change and the consequences of ecological crises2. To support teachers and students, schools need to provide secure spaces for students to express anxieties and fears, fostering a foundation for cultivating optimistic perspectives for the future.
Conclusions
By integrating some of the practical strategies of CAP into teaching practices, educators can cultivate a generation of environmentally conscious individuals who are equipped to address the pressing challenges of climate change. Climate action pedagogy not only empowers students to become informed global citizens but also instils a sense of responsibility towards creating a sustainable future for all. Teaching learners about climate change cannot simply be about giving them facts. CAP and other related pedagogical approaches can help students become more climate sensitive and agents of change. Learning and teaching approaches should enhance student abilities and confidence in demanding accountability of those who are in power and in participating in collective action to facilitate system and behavioural change in ways that are age and culturally appropriate.. 

Scene 11

21
Climate action pedagogy
Empower student advocacy
Empowering student advocacy in CAP 
is essential for fostering a sense of 
responsibility, agency and collective 
action in tackling one of the most pressing 
challenges of our time. By investing in 
students as advocates for climate action, 
we are nurturing a more informed, engaged 
and empowered society, ready to address 
the complexities of climate change. Ways 
in which teachers can promote student 
advocacy include encouraging students 
to research local environmental issues, 
propose solutions, and advocate for policy 
changes within their community. Teachers 
and educational institutions should support 
student-led initiatives, clubs, or campaigns 
focused on environmental activism, climate 
justice and sustainable practices. An 
example of student advocacy initiative was 
developed by a group of medical students 
at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, 
where the students engaged in advocacy 
efforts to improve the education of medical 
students on the impacts of climate change 
and health8. The project consisted of an 
elective lecture series including two sessions 
with guest speakers and a three-part online 
component. Students also advocated for 
formal curricular change, involving the 
integration of a mandatory lecture on 
climate and health into McMaster’s medical 
training curriculum8. 
Assess and reflect
This is an approach that can be used in 
combination with all the CAP approaches 
above as it gives the opportunities for 
teachers and learners to reflect on what 
they have learnt, and create opportunities 
for action and improvement. Teachers can 
encourage reflection through reflective 
journals entries, students’ presentations, 
art projects, or multimedia creations that 
allow students to express their learnings and 
personal connections to climate action. For 
CAP to succeed, it is important to create a 
cycle of reflection and review, and to refine 
climate action pedagogy practices based 
on feedback, student engagement, and 
the evolving landscape of environmental 
challenges2,3,7. 
Challenges, barriers, limitations
Although important and timely, this 
pedagogy brings several challenges for 
teachers and their students. One of the 
challenges is that our responses to climate 
change and thus climate action, are 
constantly evolving4. As such, a challenge 
exists around continuously reviewing 
and refining the curriculum and teaching 
materials to encompass the evolving 
landscape of the changes, rather than 
creating a fixed curriculum. Keeping up with 
this evolving curriculum means frequently 
building teacher capacity, which is time 
consuming and adds to the already high 
workload of teachers.
Another challenge is related to how 
teachers and students respond to and 
process the facts and reality of a warming 
world. Emerging evidence indicates that a 
large number of young people around the 
world are feeling distress, fear and anguish 
associated with climate change and the 
consequences of ecological crises2. To 
support teachers and students, schools 
need to provide secure spaces for students 
to express anxieties and fears, fostering 
a foundation for cultivating optimistic 
perspectives for the future.
Conclusions
By integrating some of the practical 
strategies of CAP into teaching practices, 
educators can cultivate a generation of 
environmentally conscious individuals 
who are equipped to address the pressing 
challenges of climate change. Climate 
action pedagogy not only empowers 
students to become informed global citizens 
but also instils a sense of responsibility 
towards creating a sustainable future for all. 
Teaching learners about climate change 
cannot simply be about giving them 
facts. CAP and other related pedagogical 
approaches can help students become 
more climate sensitive and agents of 
change. Learning and teaching approaches 
should enhance student abilities and 
confidence in demanding accountability of 
those who are in power and in participating 
in collective action to facilitate system and 
behavioural change in ways that are age 
and culturally appropriate.

22
Innovating Pedagogy 2024
References
1. United Nations website with information and helpful visuals about climate change:
United Nations (n.d.) What Is Climate Change? Available at: https://www.un.org/
en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change (Accessed 25 June 2024).
2. A paper about an account of a design inquiry for first year students that questions the realities, remit and structuring of design education, from within ecological and existential crises:
Fountain, W., and Carleklev, S. (2023) ‘Becoming designers with Earth: propositions for design education’, in Derek Jones, Naz Borekci, Violeta Clemente, James Corazzo, Nicole Lotz, Liv Merete Nielsen, and Lesley-Ann Noel (eds.), The 7th International Conference for Design Education Researchers, 29 November – 1 December 2023, London, United Kingdom. Available at: https://doi.org/10.21606/drslxd.2024.069 (Accessed 25 June 2024).
3. A paper about a pedagogical model developed to enable hope-based pedagogy in Climate Change Education:
Finnegan, W., and d’Abreu, C. (2024) ‘The hope wheel: a model to enable hope-based pedagogy in Climate Change Education’, Frontiers in Psychology. 15(1347392). Available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/
articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1347392/full (Accessed 25 June 2024).
4. A paper about integrating climate change related topics into English learning education curriculum:
Silvhiany, S., Kurniawan, D., and Safrina, S. (2023) ‘Climate change awareness in ELT: Ethnography in connected learning and ecojustice pedagogy’, Journal of English Language Teaching Innovations and Materials (Jeltim), 5(2), pp. 91–109. Available at: https://jurnal.untan.ac.id/index.php/JELTIM/
article/view/63548 (Accessed 25 June 2024).
5. A paper that considers higher education’s role in climate crisis, reflecting on the potential of action-
oriented pedagogy. As a reflection on practice, the authors consider a new postgraduate course, Climate Crisis and Action (CCA):
Leimbach, T., and Milstein, T. (2022) ‘Learning to change: Climate action pedagogy’, Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 62(3), pp.414–423. Available at: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/
EJ1370386.pdf (Accessed 25 June 2024). 6. A chapter about the impact of climate change in outdoor environmental education and examples of practice where climate change education is delivered through OEE:
Jukes, S. (2023) ‘Responding to Climate Change Through Outdoor Environmental Education: Pedagogy for Confronting a Crisis’, In: ‘Learning to Confront Ecological Precarity’, International Explorations in Outdoor and Environmental Education, 13, Springer, Cham. Available at: https://doi-org.libezproxy.open.ac.
uk/10.1007/978-3-031-34200-4_11 (Accessed 25 June 2024).
7. A free course available in the OpenLearn platform about Supporting climate action through digital education:
The Open University (2024) Supporting climate action through digital education. Available at: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/education-
development/supporting-climate-action-through-
digital-education/ (Accessed 25 June 2024). 8. A paper about a student-driven advocacy project about including climate change topics in the curriculum in a Canadian Medical school:
Hansen, M., Rohn, S., Moglan, E., Sutton, W., and Olagunju, A. T. (2021) ‘Promoting climate change issues in medical education: Lessons from a student-driven advocacy project in a Canadian Medical school’, The Journal of Climate Change and Health, 3(100026). Available at: https://
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/
S2667278221000249 (Accessed 25 June 2024).. 

Scene 12

22
Innovating Pedagogy 2024
References
1. United Nations website with information and 
helpful visuals about climate change:
United Nations (n.d.) What Is Climate 
Change? Available at: https://www.un.org/
en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change 
(Accessed 25 June 2024).
2. A paper about an account of a design inquiry 
for first year students that questions the realities, 
remit and structuring of design education, from 
within ecological and existential crises:
Fountain, W., and Carleklev, S. (2023) ‘Becoming 
designers with Earth: propositions for design 
education’, in Derek Jones, Naz Borekci, Violeta 
Clemente, James Corazzo, Nicole Lotz, Liv Merete 
Nielsen, and Lesley-Ann Noel (eds.), The 7th 
International Conference for Design Education 
Researchers, 29 November – 1 December 2023, 
London, United Kingdom. Available at:  
https://doi.org/10.21606/drslxd.2024.069 
(Accessed 25 June 2024).
3. A paper about a pedagogical model developed  
to enable hope-based pedagogy in Climate 
Change Education:
Finnegan, W., and d’Abreu, C. (2024) ‘The hope 
wheel: a model to enable hope-based pedagogy 
in Climate Change Education’, Frontiers in 
Psychology. 15(1347392). Available at:  
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/
articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1347392/full  
(Accessed 25 June 2024).
4. A paper about integrating climate change related 
topics into English learning education curriculum:
Silvhiany, S., Kurniawan, D., and Safrina, S. (2023) 
‘Climate change awareness in ELT: Ethnography 
in connected learning and ecojustice pedagogy’, 
Journal of English Language Teaching Innovations 
and Materials (Jeltim), 5(2), pp. 91–109. Available 
at: https://jurnal.untan.ac.id/index.php/JELTIM/
article/view/63548 (Accessed 25 June 2024).
5. A paper that considers higher education’s role in 
climate crisis, reflecting on the potential of action-
oriented pedagogy. As a reflection on practice, 
the authors consider a new postgraduate course, 
Climate Crisis and Action (CCA):
Leimbach, T., and Milstein, T. (2022) ‘Learning to 
change: Climate action pedagogy’, Australian 
Journal of Adult Learning, 62(3), pp.414–423. 
Available at: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/
EJ1370386.pdf (Accessed 25 June 2024). 
6. A chapter about the impact of climate change in 
outdoor environmental education and examples 
of practice where climate change education is 
delivered through OEE:
Jukes, S. (2023) ‘Responding to Climate 
Change Through Outdoor Environmental 
Education: Pedagogy for Confronting a Crisis’, 
In: ‘Learning to Confront Ecological Precarity’, 
International Explorations in Outdoor and 
Environmental Education, 13, Springer, Cham. 
Available at: https://doi-org.libezproxy.open.ac.
uk/10.1007/978-3-031-34200-4_11 (Accessed 25 
June 2024).
7. A free course available in the OpenLearn platform 
about Supporting climate action through digital 
education:
The Open University (2024) Supporting climate 
action through digital education. Available at: 
https://www.open.edu/openlearn/education-
development/supporting-climate-action-through-
digital-education/ (Accessed 25 June 2024). 
8. A paper about a student-driven advocacy project 
about including climate change topics in the 
curriculum in a Canadian Medical school:
Hansen, M., Rohn, S., Moglan, E., Sutton, W., and 
Olagunju, A. T. (2021) ‘Promoting climate change 
issues in medical education: Lessons from a 
student-driven advocacy project in a Canadian 
Medical school’, The Journal of Climate Change 
and Health, 3(100026). Available at: https://
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/
S2667278221000249 (Accessed 25 June 2024).

23
Climate action pedagogy
Resources
• A blog post on the Global Partnership for Education: Transforming Education titled ‘Towards a pedagogy for climate action’, written by Selby and Kagawa in 2022:
Available at: https://www.globalpartnership.
org/blog/towards-pedagogy-climate-action (Accessed 25 June 2024).
• A paper about a theory of planetary social pedagogy (PSP), which considers the kind of pedagogy that could support a transformation of the human conception of reality into a form that both recognises the connections and interactions between people, society, and the planet, and imparts an ethical orientation to action that strengthens the health and integrity of all entities:
Salonen, A.O., Laininen, E., Hämäläinen, J. and Sterling, S. (2023) ‘A Theory of Planetary Social Pedagogy’, Educational Theory, 73, pp. 615–637. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/edth.12588 (Accessed 25 June 2024).
• A project report about creating a novel pedagogical framework designed to address the climate crisis through kindness and compassion for the planet and one another:
Johnston, H. (2022) ‘Developing a novel pedagogical framework: Climate-kind pedagogy’. Available at: https://sustain.ubc.ca/about/
resources/developing-novel-pedagogical-
framework-climate-kind-pedagogy (Accessed 25 June 2024). • A report developed by the Commonwealth of Learning, which provides a road map for how ministers of education can climate-proof education systems, implement a green learning agenda that builds skills for blue and green economies, and promote education for climate action through policy development, resource allocation and effective implementation:
Kwauk, C. (2022) ‘Transforming Education for Climate Action: Report to Commonwealth Ministers of Education’. Available at: https://
oasis.col.org/items/bf61e5a6-9d8d-474b-86a6-
0085fdfeea51 (Accessed 25 June 2024).
• An expanded guide of fiction to engage your students in an imaginative exploration of the climate crisis. This guide, accessible online and as a PDF, includes lists of poems, short stories, novels, and films to consider reading and discussing with students, including, in some cases, questions for discussion:
Outterson-Murphy, S. (2023) ‘Climate Change Fiction for Students and Teachers’ Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility. Available at: https://www.morningsidecenter.org/
teachable-moment/lessons/climate-change-
fiction-students-and-teachers-0 (Accessed 25 June 2024).. 

Scene 13

23
Climate action pedagogy
Resources
• 
A blog post on the Global Partnership for 
Education: Transforming Education titled ‘Towards 
a pedagogy for climate action’, written by Selby 
and Kagawa in 2022:
Available at: https://www.globalpartnership.
org/blog/towards-pedagogy-climate-action 
(Accessed 25 June 2024).
• 
A paper about a theory of planetary social 
pedagogy (PSP), which considers the kind of 
pedagogy that could support a transformation of 
the human conception of reality into a form that 
both recognises the connections and interactions 
between people, society, and the planet, and 
imparts an ethical orientation to action that 
strengthens the health and integrity of all entities:
Salonen, A.O., Laininen, E., Hämäläinen, J. and 
Sterling, S. (2023) ‘A Theory of Planetary Social 
Pedagogy’, Educational Theory, 73, pp. 615–637. 
Available at: https://doi.org/10.1111/edth.12588 
(Accessed 25 June 2024).
• 
A project report about creating a novel 
pedagogical framework designed to address the 
climate crisis through kindness and compassion 
for the planet and one another:
Johnston, H. (2022) ‘Developing a novel 
pedagogical framework: Climate-kind pedagogy’. 
Available at: https://sustain.ubc.ca/about/
resources/developing-novel-pedagogical-
framework-climate-kind-pedagogy  
(Accessed 25 June 2024). 
• 
A report developed by the Commonwealth 
of Learning, which provides a road map for 
how ministers of education can climate-proof 
education systems, implement a green learning 
agenda that builds skills for blue and green 
economies, and promote education for climate 
action through policy development, resource 
allocation and effective implementation:
Kwauk, C. (2022) ‘Transforming Education for 
Climate Action: Report to Commonwealth 
Ministers of Education’. Available at: https://
oasis.col.org/items/bf61e5a6-9d8d-474b-86a6-
0085fdfeea51 (Accessed 25 June 2024).
• 
An expanded guide of fiction to engage your 
students in an imaginative exploration of the 
climate crisis. This guide, accessible online and as 
a PDF, includes lists of poems, short stories, novels, 
and films to consider reading and discussing with 
students, including, in some cases, questions for 
discussion:
Outterson-Murphy, S. (2023) ‘Climate Change 
Fiction for Students and Teachers’ Morningside 
Center for Teaching Social Responsibility. 
Available at: https://www.morningsidecenter.org/
teachable-moment/lessons/climate-change-
fiction-students-and-teachers-0 (Accessed 25 
June 2024).

24
Innovating Pedagogy 2024
Learning in conversation with Generative AI
A dialogic, real-time method of learning
Introduction Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has taken the world by storm with applications such as ChatGPT and Gemini being released at a rapid rate. The style of communication and conversation with tools such as ChatGPT resembles Socratic questioning and dialogic teaching1, with learners posing questions and asking for clarifications to the answers they receive, and the AI replying and further prompting them, thus engaging people in a dialogue through which they can learn. GenAI chatbots are dialogue-based online systems that can receive requests or questions in the form of text (and increasingly images and spoken words) from users, called prompts, and generate human-
like language responses. They can reply to questions and statements with a wide variety of outputs ranging from simple answers to generated stories, poems, essays and more, in real time in the form of a conversation with the person prompting them2. Generative AI as a 24/7 virtual tutor
The idea of having access to a 24/7 (always available) teacher that can help students with their studies is enticing. GenAI promises to do this through AI digital tutoring assistants or chatbots that can either answer student questions regarding a topic or pose questions to students to check their understanding of content. University students seem enthused about the idea of having access to a virtual tutor assistant whenever they need it. They report benefits in terms of having real-time assistance, getting immediate answers to their questions and receiving support on how to do specific academic tasks. Yet, they are also found to be concerned about the privacy of their data when using such systems and the potential for misuse by other students (for example, cheating in assessed academic work). They would particularly welcome AI assistants that make use of institutional content rather than any content on the web3 to address concerns about accuracy, quality and relevance to their studies. Even after using best-in-class models, the content created still needs human adjustments and checking
One such system is the AI tutor of Khan Academy, Khanmigo, that gives students personalised support and guidance on maths, science and humanities. It suggests topics students can study and asks follow-
up questions based on their responses to help them to identify mistakes and improve their understanding. Such tools can promote personalised learning that responds to the learning needs of each individual. A student can ask GenAI for explanations at different levels of depth (e.g., ‘Explain quantum mechanics in terms a 7th grader would understand’) or related to their interests (‘Explain the economics principle of supply and demand using examples from the music industry’). Students can also request that answers be given in a culturally relevant way, such as ‘I’m a British-
Iranian high school student studying poetry. I need to better understand how poets use comparisons. Can you give me some examples using poems by Hafez, which I used to hear when I was little?.’ Conversing with Generative AI in simulation and role-play
Leveraging AI’s conversational features, students can get immersed in interactive scenarios, practising and honing their skills within a safe, controlled setting. This approach is particularly effective for learning that requires interpersonal interaction, offering realistic contexts for language acquisition, medical diagnostics, and more.. 

Scene 14

24
Innovating Pedagogy 2024
Learning in conversation with Generative AI
A dialogic, real-time method of learning
Introduction 
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has 
taken the world by storm with applications 
such as ChatGPT and Gemini being released 
at a rapid rate. The style of communication 
and conversation with tools such as ChatGPT 
resembles Socratic questioning and dialogic 
teaching1, with learners posing questions 
and asking for clarifications to the answers 
they receive, and the AI replying and further 
prompting them, thus engaging people in a 
dialogue through which they can learn. 
GenAI chatbots are dialogue-based 
online systems that can receive requests 
or questions in the form of text (and 
increasingly images and spoken words) from 
users, called prompts, and generate human-
like language responses. They can reply to 
questions and statements with a wide variety 
of outputs ranging from simple answers to 
generated stories, poems, essays and more, 
in real time in the form of a conversation with 
the person prompting them2. 
Generative AI as a 24/7 virtual tutor
The idea of having access to a 24/7 (always 
available) teacher that can help students 
with their studies is enticing. GenAI promises 
to do this through AI digital tutoring 
assistants or chatbots that can either answer 
student questions regarding a topic or 
pose questions to students to check their 
understanding of content. 
University students seem enthused about 
the idea of having access to a virtual tutor 
assistant whenever they need it. They 
report benefits in terms of having real-time 
assistance, getting immediate answers to 
their questions and receiving support on 
how to do specific academic tasks. Yet, 
they are also found to be concerned about 
the privacy of their data when using such 
systems and the potential for misuse by 
other students (for example, cheating in 
assessed academic work). They would 
particularly welcome AI assistants that make 
use of institutional content rather than any 
content on the web3 to address concerns 
about accuracy, quality and relevance to 
their studies. 
Even after using best-in-class models, 
the content created still needs human 
adjustments and checking
One such system is the AI tutor of Khan 
Academy, Khanmigo, that gives students 
personalised support and guidance on 
maths, science and humanities. It suggests 
topics students can study and asks follow-
up questions based on their responses to 
help them to identify mistakes and improve 
their understanding. 
Such tools can promote personalised 
learning that responds to the learning needs 
of each individual. A student can ask GenAI 
for explanations at different levels of depth 
(e.g., ‘Explain quantum mechanics in terms 
a 7th grader would understand’) or related 
to their interests (‘Explain the economics 
principle of supply and demand using 
examples from the music industry’). Students 
can also request that answers be given in a 
culturally relevant way, such as ‘I’m a British-
Iranian high school student studying poetry. 
I need to better understand how poets 
use comparisons. Can you give me some 
examples using poems by Hafez, which I 
used to hear when I was little?.’ 
Conversing with Generative AI in 
simulation and role-play
Leveraging AI’s conversational features, 
students can get immersed in interactive 
scenarios, practising and honing their 
skills within a safe, controlled setting. This 
approach is particularly effective for learning 
that requires interpersonal interaction, 
offering realistic contexts for language 
acquisition, medical diagnostics, and more.

Innovating Pedagogy 2024 part 2