Climate related issues do not neatly fit within any single traditional academic disciplines. We’re trying this multidisciplinary approach so students can explore the complexity of the climate emergency and see the value of exploring them from various perspectives.

Traditional academic disciplines often struggle to address the complexities of sustainability. To bridge this gap, we are investigating the implementation of multi-subject CBAs within the Junior Cycle (the first phase of second-level education in Ireland). By integrating sustainability themes into assessments, we aim to support teachers and schools in fostering holistic understanding and action. Through collaborative trials and analysis, we endeavour to pave the way for scalable adoption within education communities.

This is the project that was run by Susan in Templecarrig school. They have produced a video to explain their process and experience trialing this multi-disciplinary initiative. Read more from her perspective here. In our pilot, second-year students have used ‘sustainability’ as a theme connecting classroom based assessments (CBAs) for a number of subjects.