CLIMATE LITERACY: SUPPORTING TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The curriculum component includes three distinct but related Web-based modules: Climate and the Cryosphere; Climate, Weather, and the Biosphere; and Climate and the Carbon Cycle. Key climate related themes that cut across all three modules include: the Earth system, with the complexities of its positive and negative feedback loops; the range of temporal and spatial scales at which climate, weather, and other Earth system processes occur; and the recurring question, “How do we know what we know about Earth’s past and present climate?” which introduces students to proxy data, scientific instrumentation, and modeling.
The professional development component of the project, which is the focus of this presentation, includes: a Web site with extensive background information and selected climate science resources for classroom teachers; a summer workshop that introduces high school teachers to the three climate modules; a system for developing the teacher leaders who plan and implement those summer workshops; and special efforts to promote the professional growth of teacher leaders who can support climate education beyond the boundaries of the project.