TEACHING CLIMATE CHANGE: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO K-12 TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Although Climate Change Science is a part of the High School Earth and Space Science Next Generation Science Standards, few school districts require the teaching of high school level earth and space science. This means that the more in-depth coverage of climate change and the consequences thereof is not covered after middle school. Further implying that climate change is not being taught to the generation that will be most affected by the consequences. This is contrary to the wishes of parents. A recent NPR poll suggested 80% of parents support the teaching of climate change in schools, with 86% of teachers in favor of covering climate change. Those teachers are either unable to include the subject matter because of the numerous other topics that need to be covered, it falls outside their area of expertise, or they are concerned that the issue is too controversial. To address this issue, the last two summers I have organized a professional development opportunity for K-12 teachers of all disciplines to learn about integrating climate change into their classrooms. This workshop included lectures and demonstrations from eight different departments within the University of Massachusetts Lowell including atmospheric science, environmental science, health science, education, political science, economics, sociology, and plastics engineering. Participants ranged from environmental outreach officers, elementary school teachers, middle school science, middle school English, high school chemistry, and physics. These participants will reach more than 1,500 students with their different disciplinary approaches to the subject. The response to this opportunity was overwhelmingly positive with most teachers reporting that the subject was covered in some manner in their classrooms following the workshop. The professional development workshop will be offered again during the summer of 2020 and 2021, thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation.