Climate Change Awareness for all Educators

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

This planning grant is being used to assess the needs and misconceptions of K-12 language and social studies teachers with respect to communicating about climate change science and its impacts. The University of Wisconsin Madison's Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) will convene a group of 25 elementary and non-science teachers in a Teacher Summit on Climate Education to identify appropriate resources and delivery mechanisms that help promote climate literacy among such educators. Of particular interest is how to use, and make more accessible to audiences at this level, information provided in the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Summary for Policy Makers report. By explaining the science behind the study to a wide range of educators, more teachers will be able to accurately answer student queries, which will raise science literacy.