Critical thinking about technology is a key aspect of computing education. Given the multifaceted role of computing in climate change, it is increasingly important to support children in thinking about connections between sustainability and technology within school curricula. However, there is currently a lack of knowledge about whether and how these links are taught in practice, and conversely, how to best support teachers to teach them.

Through this project, we’ve sought to map curricular links between sustainability and computing in the Scottish curriculum; engage with teachers to understand gaps and challenges in how these links are, and could be, taught; inform future policy through a policy briefing; and develop a guide to help teachers reflect on how they could identify and teach these links in relation to the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence.

To do this, we engaged with teachers in diverse communities and geographies in Scotland. By focusing on diverse teaching experiences we sought to ensure that the research represents a range of voices, developing collective knowledge as to how sustainable computing education can feasibly be implemented in schools.

The research has been developed through a partnership between the Institute for Design Informatics, University of Edinburgh and Ostrero, a small business which supports sustainable communities in Scotland through circular economy work and education.