Greetings, everyone!
On Monday, April 7th the Science Community of Practice will begin our special online discussion “Using Polar Sciences in Adult Basic Education Programs.” From April 7 – 17, we’ll be joined by researchers Dr. Sam Laney of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Dr. Lisa Eisner of the School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, part of NOAA Fisheries (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration); and Lynn Reed, Einstein Fellow with the Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation. Lynn is a high school math teacher in Richmond, Virginia. She has spent the last two years at Polar Programs, participating in a variety of education and outreach projects. Sam and Lisa have done extensive scientific work in basic research in the polar regions as well as in environmental issues affecting fisheries.
They will share their work and advances in the polar sciences along with science educational materials, many which have been developed by science educators at the National Science Foundation, Office of Polar Programs, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA, and other scientific entities. Much of the discussion will center on how research and educational resources can be integrated in adult education programs to teach critical reading, writing, and math skills.
We encourage participation from those of you who are members of Math/Numeracy, Reading and Writing, English Language Acquisition, and Correctional Education. Certainly you may “lurk” on the Science community. However, if you think you might want to contribute to the discussion or ask questions, please join the group and participate as a member.
For background reading, I suggest this resource from the LINCS Resource Collection:
"Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Sciences"
http://lincs.ed.gov/professional-development/resource-collections/profile-517 or http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/literacy/climate_literacy.pdf
There are two LINCS free, online Science courses that provide helpful resources for professional development. They can be reached through the LINCS Learning Portal at http://lincs.ed.gov/
“Engaging the Adult Learner in Science” offers “Eight Scientific Practices”.
“Scientific Practices in Context” has an extensive section about climate changes resources and examples of using scientific practices in educational settings.
I hope you’ll join us for at least the next two weeks!
Susan Cowles, SME Science