Teaching Disasters: Professional Development for Teachers

This project develops and evaluates a continuing professional development (CPD) course for teachers with the people affected by the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 in London. Information will be collected from teachers, students and the members of the Grenfell community involved in the project to evidence the project’s impact. It brings together expertise in disaster education, values, religions and ethics, and online learning and course development. It also includes substantial input from and collaboration with the Grenfell community at all stages of the project.

Aims

  • To work with disaster-affected communities, organisations, teachers and young people to promote a culture of safety, justice and resilience
  • To support teachers to teach about human-made disasters such as Grenfell in an evidence-based and ethically sensitive manner
  • To facilitate an intergenerational dialogue about a national tragedy with respect

Objectives

  • To develop a research-informed online CPD course on disaster education using the Grenfell Tower fire as an example, which can be applied to other disasters
  • To generate evidence of the impact of the CPD course on UK teachers
  • To propose an innovative model of collaboration between researchers and disaster communities for social and cultural change
  • To share the experience with other disaster communities within and outside the UK to facilitate mutual learning and solidarity

Funder

  • Economic and Social Research Council - Impact Acceleration Account (2024-2025) & The Grenfell Foundation (2024-2027)

Team

  • Wonyong Park, University of Southampton (Principal Investigator)
  • John Schulz, University of Southampton (Co-Investigator)
  • Nigel Fancourt, University of Oxford (Co-Investigator)
  • Hanan Wahabi, Grenfell Tower Memorial Commission (Co-Investigator)

Partners