Teaching Global Climate Change Challenging Our Future Leaders.

Teaching Global Climate Change

Challenging Our Future Leaders

Weather & Climate in the News

• 2006 was the warmest year on record in the U.S.

• Summer 2007 Expected to Have Record Drought

• Record Snowfall in the New England States

• Wind chills Reach -45 Degrees in Madison

• Antarctic Ice Melting at Increasing Rates

The Facts:The mean temperature of the Earth is increasing and the use of fossil fuels is at an all time high.

United Nations

• UNFCCC Executive Secretary calls for speedy and decisive international action on climate change (February 2007)

Global Climate Change…The Education Connection

• Climate change in the standards, benchmarks, position statements, etc.

• How climate change is embedded into science education

• Examples of some teaching strategies that are in current use

• What could be better….

Science MattersCh 18:The Greenhouse Effect p 270-274

Robert Hazen & James Trefil, 1991

• Things that can be agreed upon:– carbon dioxide is a

greenhouse gas– the concentration has been

increasing

• Questions of disagreement:– Whether warming has already

begun– How much warming there

will be

• The threat is real; the following steps should be taken:– Stop destruction of rain

forests– Plant more trees– Decrease the use of fossil

fuels

Science For All AmericansAAAS

• The physical setting and the flow of energy

• The formation and use of fossil fuels is viewed as a dynamic system

• The time scale is vastly different

National Science Education StandardsNational Academy of Sciences

• Standard F: Human Activities can induce hazards

• “Although students in grades 5-8 have some awareness of global issues, teachers should challenge misconceptions, such as anything natural is not a pollutant, oceans are limitless resources, and humans are indestructible as a species.”

Benchmarks for Scientific Literacypages 66-70

Grades 6-8• Climates have

sometimes changed abruptly in the past as a result of changes….

• Even relatively small changes in the atmosphere…..can have widespread effects on climate

Benchmarks for Scientific Literacypages 66-70

Grades 9-12• Life is adapted to

conditions on Earth….• Weather and climate

involve the transfer of energy in and out of the atmosphere

• Systems…technology often has unintended outcomes

NSTA Environmental Education Position Statement:Declarations

• programs and curricula should address student outcomes as specified in the National Science Education Standards, be grounded in sound research, and reflect the most current information and understandings in the field.

• should provide interdisciplinary, multicultural, and multi-perspective viewpoints to promote awareness and understanding of global environmental issues, potential solutions, and ways to prevent emerging environmental crises.

• developers of environmental education programs should strive to present a balance of environmental, economic, and social perspectives.

NSTA Position Statement:Environmental Education

--Adopted by the NSTA Board of Directors February 2003

• NSTA strongly supports environmental education as a way to instill environmental literacy in our nation's pre-K-16 students. It should be a part of the school curriculum because student knowledge of environmental concepts establishes a foundation for their future understandings and actions as citizens. Central to environmental literacy is the ability of students to master critical-thinking skills that will prepare them to evaluate issues and make informed decisions regarding stewardship of the planet. The environment also offers a relevant context for the learning and integration of core content knowledge, making it an essential component of a comprehensive science education program

• 21st Century Content Several significant, emerging content areas are critical to success in communities and workplaces. These content areas typically are not emphasized in schools today. Among those skills are:

• Global Awareness• Civic Literacy

Sources of Information & Teaching Resources

• NOAA and the IPCC websites are reliable sources of data and materials that teachers can use:

• http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/climateextremes.html

• http://www.ipcc.ch/

Teaching Activity:Making Global Connections

• Uses cards with a collection of issues that students must discuss and demonstrate the connections

• Emphasizes the interconnectedness of issues facing society of which one is “global warming”

• Correlated to the National Standards• Provides and integration of curriculum through

writing and art activity

Some Example Activities from Wisconsin Schools

• Integrated into a unit on energy and energy production (grade 12)• “greenhouse effect” is demonstrated accompanied by a discussion of

carbon dioxide production and the ways in which emissions can be reduced (gr 7-8)

• Part of a unit on weather and climate… the manmade production of carbon dioxide is discussed (gr 8)

• Discussion of Earth’s systems in and Earth Science class (gr 9)• Present the concept of global warming… students debate the various

political positions that exist (gr 6-8)• Discussion of the natural greenhouse effect and then show how human

activities can increase the effect• A complete two week unit using articles, books, video’s, speakers, and

field trips

They’re Melting!An Investigation of Glacial Retreat in Antarctica

• Inquiry based activity• Varies the salinity of the

water• Varies the temperature of the

water• Student determine melting

rates under various conditions

• Antarctic food web is examined in post activity discussions

• Science Scope (Jan 2007)

Improvements to Instruction

• Earth Science is moving toward a systems approach– Carbon cycle– Water cycle– Oxygen cycle

• Integrated instructional approach– Social studies with science and language arts

• Textbook involvement

Ontario Changes Curriculum Focus

• The provincial government plans to more heavily focus Ontario students' attention on climate change and its consequences for Canada and the world as it revises its science curriculum

• The new curriculum would change the name of a Grade 10 science unit on weather to "climate change."

Barriers We Face

• Entrenched structures predicated on a disciplinary framework at the expense of interdisciplinary studies

• Dominance of “issue driven” supplementary curriculum materials

• Lack of adequate pre-service training for teachers• Varying quality of k-12 materials especially of sponsored

materials• Vested interests recognize that literacy challenges the status

quo• Failure to address learning for the 21st century• A failure to understand true cause and effect relationships

“There was no environmental education in 1970. Now there are thousands of schools which offer good environmental education.”

Gaylord Nelson

Environmental Literacy and Education

• Movement of the field towards a more comprehensive, integrated, future-oriented reconceptualization of environmental literacy called sustainability education.

• Movement to reach out and “green” professional training

• “green schools” movement

Environmental Literacy

• The capacity of an individual to act successfully in daily life on a broad understanding of how people and societies relate to natural systems

• According the NSTA teacher registry there are more teachers who classify themselves as environmental science teachers than physics or chemistry.

NSTA Initiatives

• Susan Solomon as a featured speaker at the NSTA National Conference in St. Louis

“The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of

thinking we used when we created them.”

Albert Einstein

John WhitsettNational Science Teachers Association

[email protected]

“ . . . promoting excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.”