Climate anxie-teaching cryosphere concepts through playful geography.

My PhD will investigate the value of playful cryosphere geography in building young peoples' climate knowledge and resilience. Play in education has been well-researched as both concept and tool. The challenge then, is not to reaffirm the value of playful education, but to link this to climate resilience. However, this is not uncomplicated. UK secondary education emphasises written communication, which is not exclusive of play, but is an alternative approach. The novelty of my project therefore emanates in converting play to climate awareness supported by written communication skills. This places students in the optimum position to think about, communicate, and combat our climate emergency.

I will ground my project through focussing on and around Ice Flows, developed by Dr Anne Le Brocq, University of Exeter. Ice Flows is a multi-stage single-player online game, which explores inputs and outputs within the cryosphere where players control snow fall, sea temperature, and air temperature.

My research questions (subject to development):
- What is the impact of play on student perception of climate learning?
- How does playful learning influence the depth of cryosphere knowledge gained?
- What is the role of playful learning in preparing for written assessment?

I will use an 'after school club' format to allow interested students to partake in the study. The one-hour sessions will focus on Ice Flows but will be supported by other playful activities. My main methods are: 1. Gathering reflections on students' learning i.e., how does climate learning make them feel? 2. Periodically setting exam questions on the cryosphere - essential to show playful learning can prepare students for conventional exams. 3. Reflections on the sessions. From this research, I shall create a play manual to encourage understanding, but most importantly, application of playful climate education.