Pedagogy of Hope
Many young people experience stress when they think about big issues like climate change. Others are more indifferent. All these students should be able to think about a vision of the future that makes them hopeful, how to achieve that future, and what their contribution can be to it.
Aim
In this project, a cooperation between HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, Utrecht University and Stichting Technotrend, we develop hopeful lessons about climate change. Also, we investigate the effects on students’ attitudes.
Website
The website www.didactiekvandehoop.nl (Dutch only) contains backgroundinformation about ecostress and hope, and design principles for hopeful education. The website also contains the developed instruction materials.
Results
The project has produced great teaching materials and knowledge about the characteristics of appropriate design. The results are summarized in 12 design principles.
Approach
A team of teacher trainers, educational designers and a developmental psychologist have designed the lessons in close cooperation with teachers. The lessons were tested and revised several times.
Impact for education
With this project, we want to contribute to more hopeful climate education in the Netherlands. The instruction materials are ready for use in the classroom.
