| NSF Org: |
OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | September 9, 2010 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | August 5, 2011 |
| Award Number: | 1043271 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Peter West
OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | September 15, 2010 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2014 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $999,281.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $1,219,217.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2011 = $715,826.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
615 W 131ST ST NEW YORK NY US 10027-7922 (212)854-6851 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
615 W 131ST ST NEW YORK NY US 10027-7922 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
CLIMATE CHANGE EDUCATION, Antarctic Education |
| Primary Program Source: |
04001011DB NSF Education & Human Resource 0100XXXXDB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.078 |
ABSTRACT
An award has been made to Columbia University to establish a Phase I Climate Change Education Partnership (CCEP) in collaboration with Teachers College, Barnard College, the University of New Hampshire, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the International Arctic Research Center, and the American Museum of Natural History. The overall goal of the CCEP Phase I project is to establish a coordinated national network of regionally- or thematically-based partnerships devoted to increasing the adoption of effective, high quality educational programs and resources related to the science of climate change and its impacts. This project will focus on developing a Polar Learning and Responding (POLAR) Climate Partnership. Through this award, the POLAR partnership will research novel educational approaches using cutting-edge polar science to engage adult learners in advancing their understanding of climate change, weighing scientific evidence, and stimulating meaningful individual and collective responses. The audience targeted by this project includes adult learners and educational practitioners: college students, pre- and in-service teachers, informal education practitioners, others who create educational resources, and lifelong learners in the general public. Stakeholders and end users are young adults, future scientists, citizens, managers, and decision-makers including those in remote areas such as the Arctic.
The specific goal of the Phase I POLAR project is to establish a partnership that, based on a thorough search of existing polar climate science and learning and decision resources, develops the theoretical foundation for, and tests the initial designs of, novel formal and informal educational approaches. Focus will be on resources that help adult learners understand the mechanisms and impacts of climate change, and learn how to respond with sustainable solutions. The partnership will explore approaches that are based on scientific evidence, effective, easy to disseminate, informative, fun, and easy to use in classrooms, homes, museums, or the workplace.
By the end of this project, the PIs expect to have a well-developed partnership, inventory, and strategic plan for Phase II that focuses on transforming the way people think about climate science: shifting it from a contentious issue to a personal and professional challenge.
More information on this project is available by visiting http: http://climate.columbia.edu/ or contacting the PI, Stephanie Pfirman at polar@ei.columbia.edu.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
During Phase I, the Polar Learning and Responding: PoLAR Climate Change Education Partnership established an interdisciplinary partnership that developed the foundation for and conducted research on the design of novel educational approaches that go beyond traditional methods of education and outreach to provide transformative models for engaging adult learners in advancing their understanding of and response to climate change.
A series of workshops were carried out in Phase I of the project, focused on building the Partnership, assembling resources, and developing a strategic plan for implementation and research. Workshop participants included experts in the fields of climate science, learning theory, and education practice from Columbia University, Teachers College, Barnard College, the University of New Hampshire, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the International Arctic Research Center, and the American Museum of Natural History, as well as stakeholders from Arctic communities. The workshops identified key project partners and created successful working relationships among them.
PoLAR partners conducted a thorough search of existing polar climate science, learning, and decision resources throughout the Phase I period, with the goal of assessing the current status of the field in order to identify educational needs and research opportunities. Based on their findings, partners developed a resource inventory that provides a centralized database of available educational materials focused on climate change in the Arctic and Antarctic. The inventory serves an adult population including students (undergraduate and above), pre- and in-service teachers, informal education practitioners, climate scientists, Arctic community members, and lifelong learners, and is available on the PoLAR website.
PoLAR partners also developed pilot projects that built upon existing innovative educational techniques and utilized fascination with the changing polar regions to promote active engagement of learners. Designed to enhance understanding of polar and climate systems, these projects were researched for their potential effectiveness through a variety of testbeds and evaluated by focus groups of adult learners. Results from both learning theory research and the testbed activities showed that novel approaches such as those developed by PoLAR motivate exploration and learning of complex material.
Building off of the activities and findings of Phase I, PoLAR partners developed a strategic plan and proposal for Phase II implementation. The strategic plan calls for 1) Deepening adult learner awareness and understanding of climate change; 2) Informing responses to climate change impacts through engaged problem-solving; and 3) Advancing knowledge on more effective models of climate change education and outreach through research and evaluation. The PoLAR CCEP Phase II proposal was funded in 2012.
Last Modified: 10/16/2014
Modified by: Stephanie L Pfirman
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