Learning Sciences Research
Within the field of education research there is considerable controversy with regard to whether there is a single ideal learning progression, or whether there might be variations in learning progressions that are due to the heterogeneity of learners and the experiences they bring to a learning situation. MADE CLEAR seeks to understand:
- How learning progressions are applied across disciplines and states in relation to the Next Generation Science Standards
- How do proximity to climate risk and sociocultural factors impact student understaning of climate science?
- How do variations in state policies affect scalability of climate science education?
Across the continuum of learning environments (K-16, informal) the MADE CLEAR Learning Sciences working group will conduct research to develop a climate change science learning progression to address these questions.
We intend to explore our research questions through multiple lenses of different demographic groups that make up the student and teacher populations in our region. Existing learning progressions and related curriculum will serve as a foundation for our research and will be implemented in our defined learning environments (metropolitan, coastal, and inland/agricultural). We will provide our inservice middle and high school teachers and informal educators with professional development on the implementation of the progressions, and work with them in collecting data on student learning as a result of the instruction.
In addition, regional differences will be explored in relation to personal connection to climate impacts. We hypothesize that teachers’ pedagogy will have a greater influence on learners’ understandings of climate change if teachers are able to adapt their instruction to learners’ personal interests and experiences with climate change. The result will be learners with more sophisticated scientific understandings of climate change who are more prepared to take personal actions in their daily lives. We believe that across all the regions of Delaware and Maryland, learners are differentially cognizant of the salient effects of climate change that impact their daily lives.
Additional information can be found at the Climate Change Learning Sciences Research website.
The Learning Sciences Research Team at the University of Maryland, College Park has compiled an online collection of current Climate Education Research resources developed by the team. Please note that many of these resources are in draft form and will be revised and updated over the next five years. These resources can be found in the Learning Sciences Research Teams' list of publications.
Climate Change Education Resources for Science Methods Courses
The MADE CLEAR Learning Sciences Research Team has piloted a variety of climate change education resources in science methods courses at the University of Maryland, College Park. Resources include lesson plans, presentations, and assessment instruments. Science methods instructors may use these resources, as a set or individually, to support teacher interns in gaining:
- Familiarity with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
- Experience with online and blended learning approaches
- Abilities to analyze and interpret authentic data in the classroom
- Content knowledge related to NGSS science constructs
- Strategies for teaching sensitive topics in the science classroom
- Awareness of K-12 resources to support the teaching of climate change
- Greater understanding of local and global climate change impacts
These resources are tools being used to study the use of learning progressions and the Next Generation Science Standards in the MADE CLEAR project in pre-service and practicing teachers' contexts.
Resources for bringing climate change into Higher Education across disciplines
These resources can provide guidance for integrating climate change into courses and student programs on campus.
InTeGrate has a collection of resources on undergraduate sustainability education, with many course materials specifically about climate change. Resources include course outlines; in-depth model lessons with readings and assignments; a series of webinars, including archives; and an interactive community for discussion.
Two publications on integrating climate change into higher education
Bringing sustainability to university campuses
Introducing climate change across disciplines in a university
Colorado State University has a web site and overview materials
Incorporating climate change at Colorado State University
Resources from the MADE CLEAR Climate Change Education Summit at Towson University, April 2016
