Why is this approach relevant for teaching climate change?

Climate change is a vast and complex topic that involves scientific, ethical, and social dimensions. The inquiry-based approach allows this complexity to be addressed progressively. This methodology, promoted in the OCE’s educational resources, helps students develop essential skills to tackle future climate challenges.

• Understanding How Scientific Knowledge is Produced: The inquiry-based approach helps students better understand how scientific knowledge is produced by mirroring the process through which science advances. In research, knowledge is generated through observation, experimentation, modeling, and data analysis. In the classroom, this approach allows students to realize that scientific consensus—such as on climate change—is not a fixed opinion but the outcome of collaborative work where hypotheses are tested, verified, questioned, and shared within the scientific community.

• Leveraging the Brain’s Biological Functioning for Learning: From an early age, children explore their surroundings and use all their senses. Cognitive science tells us that the human brain functions in a Bayesian manner, generating internal models based on sensory perceptions. These models then form hypotheses about future sensory inputs. The brain compares these hypotheses with real-world inputs and adjusts the model if there are discrepancies. In this sense, there are many parallels with the inquiry-based approach described above. Implementing this approach in the classroom leverages this natural brain function, and the resulting learning mirrors the brain’s evolution of mental models.

• Developing Critical Thinking: The inquiry-based approach fosters students' critical thinking skills, allowing them to select information based on strong evidence and distinguish scientific knowledge from opinion. Students are encouraged to analyze the data they collect, discuss it with peers, and formulate conclusions. This collective, deductive approach helps them identify connections between their experimental results and real, measurable phenomena. This skill is essential when tackling topics like climate change, where students may encounter varied and sometimes contradictory information.

• Promoting Pro-Environmental Behaviors: A disconnection from nature can be one of the causes of the current ecological crises. For instance, how can someone adopt biodiversity-friendly behaviors if they rarely come into contact with nature? Research shows strong links between virtuous behaviors, scientific education, and a connection to nature. For students to become aware of environmental issues (while maintaining optimism), two powerful levers are crucial: the number of scientific activities students participate in and their exposure to inquiry-based learning.

• Encouraging Active Learning and Motivation: One of the strengths of the inquiry-based approach is that it makes students active participants in their learning. Rather than passively receiving information, they are encouraged to ask questions, formulate hypotheses, and conduct experiments they propose themselves. This active approach sparks curiosity, giving them a central role in discovering concepts and producing knowledge. By exploring concrete phenomena like climate change through direct experience, students become more motivated and engaged, as they see the results of their research firsthand. This personal involvement not only fosters a better understanding of complex topics but also promotes autonomous learning, allowing them to develop lasting skills and problem-solving abilities.

• Developing Essential Life Skills: Beyond scientific understanding, the inquiry-based approach encourages students to develop transversal skills such as time management, collaboration, and communication. They learn to work in teams, share and defend their ideas, all while deepening their understanding of climate phenomena. Live in a changing world, it can be difficult for students to grasp global, multi-scale phenomenon. However, research shows that the most effective actions are tangible and local. Thus, addressing problems related to the school’s immediate surroundings or seeking answers through a concrete inquiry process can be powerful educational levers. This approach helps students understand and prepare for a warming world, one in which adaptation and mitigation are necessary.