Climate change education through drama and social learning: Playful inquiry for building extreme weather events adaptation scenarios

Abstract

Considering the projected impacts of climate change in upcoming decades, innovative educational approaches should encourage inventive problem-solving techniques and societal change, fostering transformative climate adaptation. The value of drama in climate adaptation education remains a novel area in the environmental education research literature and requires further exploration of its potential benefits to Climate Change Education (CCE). This article presents a proposal for CCE to include various elements in a drama workshop by evaluating a methodological framework. Participants in the workshop studied the vulnerabilities that arose from flooding and droughts while dramatizing different social conflicts to develop building adaptation scenarios. Through the exploration of problems via playful activities, participants collaboratively construct narratives and texts rich with meaning, based on a critical and creative perception of themes, needs, desires, and overlapping ideologies. This short-term experience manifests efficacy in elucidating the underpinnings of social systems structures, human values, and motivations. This article analyzes workshop results, providing a pedagogical structure and theoretical foundation, contributing to a better comprehension of drama in education and the creation of capacities towards CCE.

Keywords

Climate change education drama in education extreme weather events resilience mitigation arts-based research social learning

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Bentley Brymer

A. L.

Wulfhorst

J. D.

Brunson

M. W.

(2018). Analyzing stakeholders’ workshop dialogue for evidence of social learning. Ecology and Society, 23(1). 42. https://doi.org/10.5751/es-09959-230142

Bentz

(2020). Learning about climate change in, with and through art. Climatic Change, 162(3), 1595–1612. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-020-02804-4

Bentz

O’Brien

(2019). Art for change: Transformative learning and youth empowerment in a changing climate. Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, 7(1), 52. https://doi.org/10.1525/elementa.390

Boal

(Ed.), (2002). Games for actors and non-actors. Taylor and Francis Group.

Boal

(2019). Theatre of the oppressed. Pluto Press.

Bonatti

Erismann

Askhabalieva

Borba

Pope

Reynaldo

Eufemia

Turetta

A. P.

Sieber

(2022). Social learning as an underlying mechanism for sustainability in neglected communities: The Brazilian case of the Bucket Revolution project. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-022-02167-z.

Bonatti

Michelle

Sieber

Stefan

Schlindwein

Sandro

Lana

Marcos

de Vasconcelos

Ana

, et al. (2016). Climate vulnerability and contrasting climate perceptions as an element for the development of community adaptation strategies: Case studies in Southern Brazil. Land Use Policy, (58), 114–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2016.06.033.

Caillois

(2001). Man, play and games. University of Illinois Press.

Collins

Ison

(2009). Jumping off arnstein’s ladder: Social learning as a new policy paradigm for climate change adaptation. Environmental Policy and Governance, 19(6), 358–373. https://doi.org/10.1002/eet.523.

10.

Courtney

(1989). Play, drama and thought: The intellectual background to dramatic education (4th ed.). Simon and Pierre.

11.

Cundill

Rodela

(2012). A review of assertions about the processes and outcomes of social learning in natural resource management. Journal of Environmental Management, 113, 7–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2012.08.021.

12.

Dennis

(1970). Play in Dewey’s theory of education. Young Children, 25(4), 230–235. https://www.jstor.org/stable/42643331.

13.

Drewes

Henderson

Mouza

(2018). Professional development design considerations in climate change education: Teacher enactment and student learning. International Journal of Science Education, 40(1), 67–89. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2017.1397798.

14.

Freire

(2018). Pedagogy of the Oppressed: 50th Anniversary Edition (4th ed.). New York, NY: Bloomsbury Academic.

15.

Gifford

(2011). The dragons of inaction: Psychological barriers that limit climate change mitigation and adaptation. American Psychologist, 66(4), 290–302. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023566.

16.

Hardy

(1977). The narrative imagination. In Meek

Warlow

Barton

(Eds.), The cool web: The pattern of children’s reading. Bodley Head.

17.

Heathcote

Johnson

(1984). Collected writings on education and drama. Heinemann Educational.

18.

Huizinga

J. H.

(1970). Homo ludens: A study of the play element in culture (3rd ed.). HarperCollins Distribution Services.

19.

IPCC . (2019). Choices made now are critical for the future of our ocean and cryosphere. IPCC. https://www.ipcc.ch/2019/09/25/srocc-press-release/

20.

Jacobson

S. K.

Seavey

J. R.

Mueller

R. C.

(2016). Integrated science and art education for creative climate change communication. Ecology and Society, 21(3), 30. https://doi.org/10.5751/es-08626-210330.

21.

Jónsdóttir

A. B.

(2017). Artistic actions for sustainability: Potential of art in education for sustainability. University of Iceland and University of Lapland. https://opinvisindi.is/handle/20.500.11815/357

22.

Kahan

D. M.

Jenkins-Smith

Braman

(2011). Cultural cognition of scientific consensus. Journal of Risk Research, 14(2), 147–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/13669877.2010.511246.

23.

Kolb

A. Y.

Kolb

D. A.

(2009). Experiential learning theory: A dynamic, holistic approach to management learning, education and development. In The Sage handbook of management learning, education and development (pp. 42–68). Sage Publications Ltd.

24.

Leclercq

Martino

Nicolò

Smith

Vrbos

(2023). Social learning on uncertainty in risk analysis – an exploratory analysis of the outcomes of an experiential game-based workshop. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 8(1), 100510. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2023.100510.

25.

Leichenko

O’Brien

(2020). Teaching climate change in the Anthropocene: An integrative approach. Anthropocene, 30(100241), 100241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ancene.2020.100241.

26.

McLean

(1996). Aesthetic framework in drama: Issues and implications: Issues and implications: Nadie research monograph no 2. National Association for Drama in Education.

27.

Novitz

(1989). Art, narrative, and human nature. Philosophy and Literature, 13(1), 57–74. https://doi.org/10.1353/phl.1989.0056.

28.

O’Neill

(1995). Drama worlds: A framework for process drama. Heinemann.

29.

O’Sullivan

(1999). Transformative learning: Educational vision for the 21st century. Zed Books.

30.

Pruneau

Khattabi

Demers

(2010). Challenges and possibilities in climate change education. US-China Education Review A, 7(9), 15–24. https://doi.org/10.17265/2161-623X/2010.09A.002.

31.

Ripple

W. J.

Wolf

Gregg

J. W.

Levin

, et al. (2022). World scientists’ warning of a climate emergency. Bioscience, (72), 1149–1155. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biac083.

32.

Ronald

(2015). Tangrams: 330 puzzles: 330 puzzles. Dover Publications.

33.

Rosen

(1986). The importance of story. Language Arts, 63(3), 226–237. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41405427.

34.

Rousell

Cutter-Mackenzie-Knowles

(2020). A systematic review of climate change education: Giving children and young people a ‘voice’ and a ‘hand’ in redressing climate change. Children’s Geographies, 18(2), 191–208. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2019.1614532.

35.

Siegner

Stapert

(2020). Climate change education in the humanities classroom: A case study of the lowell school curriculum pilot. Environmental Education Research, 26(4), 511–531. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2019.1607258.

36.

Somers

J. W.

(2008). Interactive theatre: Drama as social intervention in: Music and arts in action. Music & Arts in Action, 1(1), 61–86. https://musicandartsinaction.net/index.php/maia/article/view/interactivetheatre.

37.

Spolin

(1963). Improvisation for theatre-text. Northwestern University Press.

38.

Taylor

(Ed.), (1995). Pre-text and story-drama: The artistry of cecily O’Neill and david booth. National Association for Drama in Education.

39.

Taylor

Warner

C. D.

(Eds.), (2006). Structure and spontaneity: The process drama of cecily O’Neill. Trenthan.

40.

Weber

E. U.

(2016). What shapes perceptions of climate change? New research since 2010: What shapes perceptions of climate change? WIREs Climate Change, 7(1), 125–134. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.377.