The training which was organised by the Eastern Cape Department of Education in partnership with Environmental Learning Research Centre at Rhodes University, was facilitated by Zintle Songqwaru and Lebona Nkhahle who are both based at Rhodes University. The 15 participants were the Curriculum Advisors for Technology and Natural Sciences at the Senior Phase level in the Eastern Cape. The focus of the training was on Biodiversity and Climate Change. The training was held in Stutterheim from the 2nd to the 5th of May 2017. Most participants indicated the need to get more information about Biodiversity and Climate Change, and how the two are related to each other. There was also a need among the participants to get more practical ways of supporting the teachers they work with in terms of accessing different resources when planning their lessons and how to teach these concepts effectively. The assessment was also mentioned as an aspect to be dealt with to help teachers develop more questions requiring critical thinking. Through a collaborative and participatory approach participants explored the contested nature of environmental knowledge. The contested nature of the environmental knowledge, politics around Climate Change issues, self-enrichment and denialism came up in the discussions. All these bring to light the notion of a knowledgeable teacher who is able to confidently stand his/ her ground in the midst of this confusion. The curriculum advisors explored situated pedagogies and the use of the local environment for the teaching of biodiversity and climate change related concepts.
