KINDNESS

Respecting and inviting diverse perspectives and lived experiences in the co-creation of learning experiences.

Kindness: defined as a quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate, Magnet and colleagues (2014) understand kindness as a multilayered concept with a complicated history, inflicted with assumptions on gender, race, class, and ability (Magnet et al., 2014, p. 4). In the context of CKP, kindness is about equity and cultivating relationships built upon trust, respect and compassion; where educators respect and invite diverse perspectives of their students and their lived experiences in the co-creation of learning experiences. Compassion is response to empathy with a desire to help beyond just understanding. Examples of upholding kindness in your classroom: be patient, respect students preferred pronouns, explain concepts using various approaches, I.e., verbally, visually, other, get to know your students through in-class check-ins, values clarification and grounding activities.

“Kindness is the highest form of intelligence because it encompasses not only cognitive abilities but also emotional and moral dimensions. It represents a holistic understanding of the human experience and the wisdom to make choices that create a more compassionate and harmonious world.” Learn more  

TRUST

Demonstrating an appreciation of autonomy, agency, and humanity through the co-creation of learning experiences

Trust: a dynamic quality that must be continuously earned and maintained, trust is understood by Stephens (2021) as both believing people and believing in people (Stephens, 2021, p. 1). Educators can foster trusting relationships by demonstrating an appreciation of the autonomy, agency, and humanity of students through the co-creation of learning experiences and an understanding that learners have an integral role to play in their own education. In practice this may look like;  

1. Using content menus to demonstrate you trust students to make decisions for themselves in regards to their own education 

2. Asking for student input and feedback shows you trust and value their opinion, especially if you are able to incorporate their ideas  

3. Showing a deference for the needs of your students helps establish that their teacher genuinely cares for them, allowing them to develop trust for the teacher 

4. Believing students when they call in sick, ask for extensions, etc. reinforces their humanity 

5. Demonstrating genuine compassion for them as fellow human beings  

JUSTICE

Questioning structures of power, privilege and inequalities experienced by human and other-than-human entities.

Justice: striving towards both social and ecological justice is of central importance to a Climate-Kind classroom. Adams (2022) describes justice pedagogies as those that constantly question structures of power, privilege and the inequalities experienced by different groups of people (Adams, 2022, p. 58). In the context of CKP, this extends to other-than-human entities, such as animals, plants and the planet itself. To incorporate concepts of justice into their practice, educators can ensure that they: 

1. Value the individual and lived experiences of each learner by endeavoring to learn their stories and incorporating this information into  their teaching 

2. Make an effort to understand the social dynamics within the classroom to ensure students are being treated fairly and with respect 

3. Pay attention and give consideration in their planning to how systemic inequalities may be affecting students, including generational poverty, discrimination and access to resources 

4. Incorporate lessons that critically examine the relationship between power, privilege and identity 

RESILIENCE

Equipping learners with the tools to face challenges and uncertainties with a hopeful attitude.

Resilience: in pedagogical terms, resiliency is fostering the ability to be adaptable, think creatively, make connections, embrace diversity, and develop the stamina to tackle complex problems (Chow et al., 2020, p. 386). Practicing resiliency requires active effort by both students and teachers and is fundamentally about growing one’s capacity to navigate change and handle trauma.  In the context of CKP, resiliency is about ensuring learners are well equipped to face the immense challenges and uncertainties of the 21^st century, and can do so with an attitude of hope instead of nihilism. Educators can teach resiliency by: 

1. Demonstrating adaptability in their lesson planning that models dynamic, creative behavior  

2. Using a wide variety of activities, which ensures students are equipped with multiple strategies for navigating specific situations  

3. Openly modelling strategies on how to navigate adversity; perhaps through sharing examples of lived experiences and making brave spaces to share those experiences 

4. Communicating effectively with coworkers and students  

EQUITY

Understanding the diverse and unique needs of each learner and striving to meet them.

Equity: encouraging equity within a classroom is closely interconnected to the values of kindness, justice, and trust. Equity pedagogy means understanding the diverse and unique needs of each student and striving to meet them (Stembridge, 2019, p. 7). Paying attention to how systemic inequalities, lived experiences, and individual learning styles all  affect how students learn and behave within a classroom is essential to fostering equitable education. In the context of CKP, educators can create an equitable environment by: 

1. Ensuring their teachings are culturally responsive to the students in their class. Students should be able to see themselves and their identity in the content of their learning  

2. Developing lessons that engage students based on individual interests 

3. being responsive to the unique needs of students by listening and believing their requests and feedback 

4. Ensuring that students feel safe and welcomed for who they are. This can be achieved through co-created class policies, being aware of class dynamics, and by communicating with other teachers regularly about student well-being  

INTER
CONNECTIONS

Relating theory and practice by making connections in the local community and the real world more broadly.

Interconnections: the challenges of the modern world increasingly demand that learners resist the compartmentalization of knowledge, and instead make connections between disparate disciplines to gain a better understanding of the systems and structures of power. In addition to an interdisciplinary education, interconnectivity is about developing an understanding of how learning done in the classroom can be connected to the local community and the real world more broadly. For CKP, interconnection means strengthening the relationship between science and the humanities in the context of climate change education, and then taking these new understandings and connecting them with the world around them. Teachers can achieve interconnectivity by;  

1. Constantly applying curriculum to the local community through content, assignments and activities that bring the class out of the classroom into the community 

2. Engaging their classroom in community initiatives 

3. Connecting individual curricular concepts to the bigger picture of societal issues such as climate change through the use of real-world problems and current events  

4. Fostering collaboration and group work on a regular basis  

5. Ensuring their lessons incorporate an interdisciplinary approach to learning  

RELATIONSHIPS

Building positive connections within and beyond the classroom with the community and the natural world.

Relationships: developing positive relationships between learners and educators requires teachers to treat their students with kindness, trust, respect, empathy, and compassion. Fundamentally, positive relationships can be built when teachers view their students as people first, students second (Stephens, 2021, p. 1). This requires a genuine respect for the humanity of learners, and efforts to meet the individual needs of each student. In the context of CKP, positive relationships are extended beyond the classroom and require both students and teacher to understand their unique relationship to community and the natural world. Teachers can build positive relationships by;  

1. Dismantling traditional hierarchies of power within the classroom by granting students control over their learning through the use of content menus, feedback procedures and choice in assignments 

2. Trusting and respecting the individual needs of learners by listening to and believing them  

3. Demonstrating genuine care and empathy for the lives of their students by asking questions, remembering details and listening to their stories  

4. Extending relationship building to community and the planet itself through outdoor time