The Project
Reimagining social studies and history education in response to climate crisis
Considering the massive changes our society must undertake to mitigate and respond to climate change, our education system must likewise reconsider how to prepare youth well for this uncertain future. The Social Studies & History Education in the Anthropocene Network (SSHEAN) is dedicated to rethinking social studies and history education to address climate change and its associated ecological, economic, political, and social challenges.
We aim to support communication and collaboration between teachers and researchers in fields including social studies/history education, citizenship education, environmental history, environmental education, and Indigenous studies. Together, we can better prepare young people in Canada with the knowledges, skills, attitudes, and relationships relevant to facing environmental crisis now and in the future.
Heather McGregor shares how SSHEAN came about in a podcast with FookNConversation
We are living in the Anthropocene…
…an epoch defined by the dominant influence of humans on the planet, causing unprecedented geological change in a short period of time.
“the story we tell ourselves about environmental crises, the story of humanity’s place on the earth and its presence within geological time determines how we understand how we got here, where we might like to be headed, and what we need to do” (Davis & Todd, 2017, p. 764).
Who SSHEAN is trying to reach
We invite engagement and participation from researchers and practising teachers who are interested in improving how schools educate for the Anthropocene. Our research, lesson plans, and other resources have been developed with you in mind!
- Researchers in social studies and history education, environmental history, environmental education and Indigenous education may find great potential for collaboration.
- Educators are encouraged to check out our collection of resources to use in your classrooms to teach a reimagined social studies and history education in the Anthropocene.
- Other audiences may also find interest in our initiatives, and we hope you will come away with greater knowledge of the contributions that the humanities and social sciences can make to addressing climate crisis.
SSHRC Insight Development Grant (2021-2023)
Teaching the Past to Prepare for the Future: Social Studies and History Education in the Anthropocene
Heather E. McGregor, Principal Investigator
This research project explores the present and potential contributions of Ontario social studies and history education (SSHE) as a school subject to learning experiences that prepare youth for the Anthropocene. The project is informed by Ontario Ministry of Education curricula, as well as the experiences and perspectives of researcher-teacher educators and practising teachers, all of whom are positioned as holding important expertise in identifying opportunities, challenges and potential new directions.
Research Goals & Objectives
- Identify the learning outcomes in Ontario’s K-12 SSHE curricula that directly or indirectly relate to preparing youth for climate change mitigation and response, to characterize the subject’s current contribution.
- Interview researcher/teacher-educators and practising teachers in the field of SSHE, to build on existing practices and move towards new research, collaboration and practice (e.g., curriculum implementation, learning materials, pedagogical approaches, and professional development).
- Interview researcher-experts outside the field of SSHE (in environmental history, environmental education, and Indigenous education), to build on shared goals or existing interdisciplinary connections and move towards new research, collaboration and practice.
- Develop recommendations for improving Ontario SSHE curricula in terms of its potential to prepare youth for the Anthropocene.
- Refine a framework of broad goals for SSHE in the Anthropocene, resulting from literature reviews, curriculum analysis, and expert interviews, in preparation for continuing this study on a national level.
This website features research supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
