Enduring Climate Science Education Opportunities and Resources for Teachers, Faculty, and Undergraduate Students

Abstract:

The Education Program of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) is celebrating its 30th birthday and 50th consecutive semester of offering K-12 teachers professional development in Earth science via online DataStreme courses. As a K-13 program, our mission is to foster scientific literacy in Earth system science with a focus on leveraging current data as a learning tool.

Our climate science education activities are focused on preparing teachers to be competent and confident to include climate science in their curriculum, and offering digital curriculum packages for undergraduate faculty to offer in introductory courses, especially those for non-science majors. These activities demonstrate the AMS commitment to broadening understanding of Earth's complex climate system. Over 22,000 teachers have completed our courses, reaching >200,000 of their peers and millions of students. Additionally, more than 900 higher education institutions have licensed AMS curriculum including “Climate Studies.” Our curriculum includes an e-Textbook (update fall 2021), an e-Investigation Manual (updated annually), the web-based RealTime Climate Portal, and more.

The Climate Studies curriculum examines Earth’s climate system, with focus on climate variability and change. The course emphasizes how climate is governed by fundamental principles, internal and external influences, interactions, and feedback mechanisms. DataStreme Earth’s Climate System was introduced as a semester-long graduate course for teachers in 2009. It, and our other courses in atmospheric and ocean science, are offered in collaboration with California University of Pennsylvania and supported by the AMS mentor network. As of 2020, teachers who complete 2 of the 5 professional development courses offered by the AMS Education Program may apply to become Certified AMS Teachers.

As a CLEAN network member, a Weather Ready Nation Ambassador, and an “ally” member of 100Kin10, the AMS Education Program is working to create and disseminate quality resources for teachers and undergraduates to learn more about climate science and the interdisciplinary nature of the climate system. More information is available online at http://ametsoc.org/amsedu.