How to use this resource...

Our Forest, Our Future helps teachers and pupils to explore the interdependence of people and forests and the vital role forests play in sustaining our environment – in the past, the present and hopefully the future.

The Scots Pine forests in Scotland and the Congo Basin rainforest in Africa provide case studies through which pupils will begin to understand why our forests are under threat and the implications for our planet. Further information about these forests is provided in the following documents.

In making connections between consumerism, people and the environment, pupils will be encouraged to see how they and their actions have an impact on the lives of others globally. It encourages reflection on the possible futures of the world's forests and ways of taking positive actions for a future where people and forests co-exist in a sustainable way.

The resource is structured around a global citizenship framework devised by Oxfam.

The reflection and evaluation sections in each activity support formative assessment and ongoing monitoring of pupils learning.

Additional assessment opportunities are indicated by...

Outdoor learning opportunities are indicated by...

Homework activities are indicated by...

Taking Action for Change

Education for Global Citizenship is committed to enabling pupils to bring about positive actions for change either locally or globally. This process should support pupils to make their own informed choices through a critical evaluation of the options open to them and the possible implications of those choices.

Throughout the resource there are ideas for possible actions, such as reflecting on our power as consumers, peer education and tree planting. Your pupils themselves should be encouraged to think creatively about the many actions they could take, critically evaluate the impact these actions might have and then evaluate what they have done.

The materials below support your pupils through this process.

> Asking questions

1. Probable and Preferable Futures: introductory activity

What you need:

Probable and Possible Futures example
Paper and pens

Aims

To explore the probable and preferable future locally and globally

To reflect on how what is happening in their local community is related to the global future

What to do

Introduce the idea of a timeline that is setting out actual and / or likely events along a specific timescale. The line should start with the pupil's year of birth and then be marked off in 10 year intervals for 50 years ahead.

Pupils then write on their line what they feel have been the most important, personal events in their lives so far. Next, in pairs, pupils consider what events they think are likely or probable to happen in their lives. These are then recorded on their probable line. Next they should think about what they hope will happen in the future and record that on their preferable line.

Pairs can now form small groups and share the similarities and differences between their ideas. Are pupils generally optimistic or pessimistic about the future? Why?

The class now reflect on the space between the probable and possible futures they have imagined for themselves using the points in the reflection and evaluation in a plenary lead by the teacher.

Teacher Prompts

Think of key events such as leaving school, what job you might do and where you might live.
What age will you live to?
What lifestyle will you have?
How do you think your life might change in the future?
Think about type of house, holidays etc.
What cars, clothes, houses, things inside your house, etc.

Reflection and evaluation

How do the preferable and probable timelines compare? How are they different?
Are there particular areas of life where the differences are most marked?
Are you happy with your probable future?
What would need to happen for the probable timeline to look like the preferable one?
What could they and their local community do in order to support their hoped for future?

Encourage them to discuss how creating a sustainable lifestyle in the future will help create the kind of global future they would prefer.

Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4