Tate Modern and CAPE bring Abbas Zahedi to host a spring study day for teachers—using art and culture to build climate justice lessons, inclusive discussion, and reflective classroom tools.
Spring teaching calendars are often packed with curriculum deadlines, assessment cycles, and a constant search for fresh ways to keep students engaged. But at Tate Modern this season, the focus shifts outward—toward climate justice—without losing sight of the everyday reality of classrooms.
The Tate Modern Spring Teachers’ Study Day. led by Tate Collection artist Abbas Zahedi and hosted in partnership with Climate Adapted Pathways for Education (CAPE). is designed as Continued Professional Development and Learning.. For teachers looking for a practical bridge between art education and urgent environmental themes. it offers an immersive programme where discussion. hands-on activities. and reflection work as a single learning thread.. Climate justice in the classroom is not treated as an add-on; it’s positioned as a way to help students understand the world they live in and the responsibilities adults are asking them to carry.
The day’s structure is built around confidence.. Teachers are invited to develop skills for using art and culture as a teaching tool for the climate emergency—an approach that can feel both more human and more flexible than traditional lesson scripts.. Instead of starting with facts and ending with worksheets. the programme encourages conversation and reflective practice. so teachers can test ideas. reframe assumptions. and consider how cultural reference points shape what students notice. question. and value.
One of the most compelling elements is how the event ties into current art practice.. Zahedi’s role matters here: artists can model how meaning is made—through materials. composition. narrative. and the politics of representation.. That perspective can be translated into the classroom quickly. because it gives teachers a way to think beyond “topic coverage” and toward interpretive learning: What does climate justice look like when it becomes visible through form?. How do students read images as arguments?
For MISRYOUM readers, the inclusivity framing is equally central.. Tate’s Schools and Teachers team foregrounds the belief that young people should see themselves reflected in what they encounter—at Tate and in their classrooms.. The invitation particularly welcomes teachers from the Global Majority, disabled teachers, and teachers working in SEND schools or alternative provisions.. That emphasis is not just ethical language; it shapes the learning environment teachers bring back.. When educators feel included in the professional space. they’re more likely to carry inclusive approaches into lesson planning. discussion norms. and classroom participation.
CAPE’s role also signals a broader shift in education culture across the UK: climate work is increasingly being treated as a long-term educational responsibility rather than a short-lived campaign.. CAPE describes itself as an alliance of researchers. educators. schools. and partners working to “change today’s education for tomorrow’s climate.” In practice. that kind of alliance model matters because it moves climate education away from isolated projects and toward shared. iterative learning—something teachers can sustain even when school timetables are tight.
A reflective component runs through the day, including space and time to absorb learning alongside peers.. That matters because climate conversations can be emotionally charged—especially for teachers who are balancing curriculum pressures with student concern. anxiety. or anger.. When teachers get structured opportunities to process their own thinking. they can return to their classrooms with language and pacing that feel safer and more constructive.. They also leave with reflective post-session resources designed to extend the ideas back in the classroom—turning a one-day event into a usable teaching pathway.
The event’s scope is deliberately wide.. It is relevant for teachers of any subject and for professionals at any stage of their career. from different learning settings and specialisms.. That breadth is a quiet but significant editorial choice: climate justice lessons shouldn’t belong only to humanities departments.. Art can host the discussion. but the themes—power. responsibility. representation. and lived impact—can travel across science. geography. language learning. media studies. and even pastoral education.
Looking ahead. programmes like this suggest that cultural institutions are becoming more than venues for exhibitions; they are training grounds for civic literacy.. When teachers learn to connect art practice with climate justice. they’re also learning how to cultivate critical observation—an ability students need in a world full of images. narratives. and competing claims about what the future should be.. For educators. the opportunity is not only to teach climate emergency content. but to teach how to think with care. how to listen across differences. and how to recognize whose stories are centered.
For many classrooms, spring is when routines begin to settle and creativity can re-enter planning.. Tate’s study day offers a way to make that creativity accountable—anchored in culture. informed by art practice. and oriented toward climate justice—so the learning students experience is both meaningful now and relevant to the years ahead.