Using Simulations to Interactively Engage Students
November 9, 2020 by Caroline Reed
Climate Interactive’s Ellie Johnston recently led a guest webinar for the Climate Generation organization – a not-for-profit dedicated to enhancing climate education and inspiring youth leadership. During this webinar, Ellie highlighted Climate Interactive’s diverse suite of tools and experiences, and how they are ideal for educators interested in climate education.
Many of Climate Interactive’s group learning experiences are centered around the En-ROADS Climate Solutions Simulator – an open-access, online climate simulator which has been co-developed with the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative. The Mastering En-ROADS training series has been developed as a way for educators and other facilitators to become skilled in leading these events. Throughout the Climate Generation webinar, Ellie explained the nuances of these experiences, showcasing what features they can offer:
The En-ROADS Climate Workshop is a fantastic way to engage groups with the En-ROADS simulator and remains adaptable for different audiences. During the workshop, participants learn about an array of cross-sector climate solutions and evaluate the implications of these choices on future greenhouse gas emissions, temperature, equity considerations, and more.
The Climate Action Simulation offers a unique opportunity for participants to role-play as international stakeholders who are working to limit global warming to a maximum of 2°C. Players act as leaders in cross-sector groups – from land and agricultural representatives, to clean tech entrepreneurs, to conventional energy advocates – negotiating and proposing their solution-based plan for mitigating climate change.
The En-ROADS Guided Assignment provides a solid background on the En-ROADS simulator itself via a video deep dive, and then challenges students to build their own climate future in the simulator and reflect on their choices. This assignment not only teaches some key lessons on climate science and solutions, but also allows for flexibility in adapting to your class’s needs.
In addition to these experiences, the World Climate Simulation is another way to engage students and promote climate literacy, either online or in-person. Similar to the Climate Action Simulation but instead using the country-oriented C-ROADS model, this role-playing game offers participants a chance to step into the shoes of UN climate negotiators. In this simulation, players act as nations or nation groups, who are diligently negotiating on behalf of their region to limit global warming to 2°C. This game is very popular and has been run for over 70,000 people worldwide.
Here’s an overview of the different experiences Climate Interactive offers for educators to use:
*The Climate Action Simulation and World Climate Simulation can be divided up into multiple sessions to accommodate a longer event.
The effectiveness of these simulations has been illustrated in some of Climate Interactive’s peer-reviewed research. A notable paper led by Dr. Rooney-Varga of the UMass Lowell Climate Change Initiative demonstrated that 83% of En-ROADS Climate Workshop participants feel more likely to take action on climate after participating in a role-playing game. This, and other publications, provide evidence that Climate Interactive’s group learning tools serve as an effective method for both educating participants, and for inspiring meaningful action on climate change.
