Teaching with Investigation and Design in Science (TIDeS) envisions that future teachers will learn science as undergraduates the way they are expected to teach science in the K-12 classroom: engaging all students in science investigation and engineering design in a discourse-filled, context-rich, inclusive learning process.The TIDeS project seeks to catalyze transformation of introductory undergraduate science courses by supporting faculty in the development and implementation of high-quality, rigorously tested curricular materials.To fully support faculty in the development and implementation of their new materials, we review analysis of baseline observational and interview data of 15 materials developers to better understand and address the needs of TIDeS instructors.

4-H and Extension educators who work with youth are uniquely positioned to help them meaningfully learn about global climate change (GCC) in a way that connects to their everyday lives and interests. Yet we don’t have a baseline understanding of these educators’ knowledge of GCC or how they teach about it. This paper presents brief findings of a study intended to fill that gap in knowledge. Educators from six states responded to an online survey in 2020. GCC knowledge varied by topic and by educator instructional focus, with STEM and Civic Engagement educators scoring highest. Questions about greenhouse gasses and long-term air temperature changes had the lowest number of correct answers. Responses to open ended questions in the survey indicated a moderate number of educators believed that GCC is anthropogenic. Most educators avoided teaching about GCC or touched on it briefly. Those that did teach about GCC indicated their main motivation is that such instruction benefits youth, followed by care for the earth. Recommendations for professional development, such as making opportunities contextualized to the instructional focus and the geographic location are shared.

There is a lot going on in introductory undergraduate science classrooms. Students bring their culture, background, and previous science experiences; instructors bring their knowledge, attitudes, and experience in science and in teaching. Students are there for a variety of reasons, and a substantial proportion will become K-12 teachers: that introductory course may be their primary science experience as an adult learner. How future teachers learn science is of critical importance to how they teach science, but few college science classes reflect the vision of the 2012 Framework for K-12 Science Education, in which “students actively engage in scientific and engineering practices in order to deepen their understanding of crosscutting concepts and disciplinary core ideas” (p. 217). The vision of the Teaching with Investigation and Design in Science (TIDeS) project is that future teachers will learn science as undergraduates the way they are expected to teach science in the K–12 classroom: engaging all students in science investigation and engineering design in a discourse-filled, context-rich, inclusive learning process. TIDeS seeks to catalyze transformation of introductory science courses by supporting faculty in the development and implementation of high-quality, rigorously tested, inclusive curricular materials that focus investigation and design. The project has two broad research questions: (1) How do the beliefs and practices of instructors change with developing and/or implementing new curricular materials? (2) What is the impact of the use of these new materials on diverse students? To address these questions, the TIDeS team developed a suite of research probes aligned with the project’s guiding principles and with each other (see figure). The probes include a semi-structured, pre-/post- faculty interview, a quantitative and qualitative classroom observation protocol, a pre-/post- student survey, a syllabus rubric, and rubrics for the curricular materials and student readings. Our preliminary data suggest that, in combination, the probes will provide a holistic picture of what teaching with investigation and design in introductory college-level science courses looks like, how it differs from an active learning classroom, and how it can support the preparation of future teachers.

In this mixed method study, we analyse the effectiveness of two pedagogical approaches - one model-based and another non-model-based - for developing secondary students' understanding of the phenomenon of increase in Earth's average surface temperatures, a core dimension of global climate change (GCC). Building on past research on teaching and learning about Earth's climate, we use an Evidence-Based Reasoning framework to assess student tasks and interviews from a 3-week, project-developed, model-based curriculum. We observed that the use of a climate model allowed students to reason more effectively about the Earth's increasing temperatures. They were able to establish the premise and interpret evidence for the phenomenon more effectively with the climate model. Using temperature and carbon dioxide data sets, students observed and quantified the behaviour of climate variables, establishing correlation and causation through data-integrated claims. In doing so, students were able to develop scientific knowledge about climate science as well as understand the processes undertaken by climate scientists in analysing climate data. Given the importance of fostering climate literacy in K-12 students, study findings have implications for both teaching and learning about GCC using climate models, as well as in shifting students' focus from acquiring knowledge to constructing their own knowledge.

Climate literacy entails students' understanding of the conceptual underpinnings of global climate change (GCC) and the practices of climate scientists. The latter foregrounds understanding how climate scientists use models to study GCC. Since Earth's climate and scientific modeling are both emphasized in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013), developing pedagogical and curricular resources specific to model-based reasoning about Earth's climate is critical. The NSF-funded project – High School Students' Climate Literacy through Epistemology of Scientific Modeling (CliMES; Bhattacharya et al., 2018) – involves the development, implementation, study, and refinement of a four-week, high school climate science module designed around a computer-based, data-driven, global climate model: EzGCM (Easy Global Climate Modeling). Using design-based empirical research (Collins et al., 2004), the project involves development of a new EzGCM-based curriculum module and its iterative refinement over multiple years. In this chapter, we draw on diverse perspectives of our project partners to describe best practices, challenges, and opportunities for promoting climate education in secondary science (formal) classroom settings. In doing so, we emphasize collaborative partnership, aligning priorities of stakeholders, curriculum development and implementation, empirical study of teaching and learning, teacher professional development, and the project's long-term sustainability.

Abstract Developing understanding about the Earth’s climate and the phenomenon of global climate change (GCC) is essential for all students, our future citizens and decision-makers. Recent implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) has intensified the focus on teaching and learning of the Earth’s climate and GCC in formal learning environments. Concurrently, the empirical research associated with climate education has also increased. We used an exhaustive, stepwise process to search for and identify relevant literature, systematically analyzing 178 empirical, peer-reviewed studies focused on climate literacy and education in formal K-16 settings. Thematic analysis was then used to identify focal research areas, and describe 1) trends in education research focused on the Earth’s climate and GCC, 2) student knowledge, conceptions, beliefs, and their learning about the Earth’s climate and GCC, and 3) teacher knowledge, conceptions, beliefs, practices, and their preparation about teaching Earth’s climate and GCC. The results of this review summarize challenges faced by both teachers and students in developing their knowledge about GCC. Findings from this literature review will help guide design of curriculum and instruction for climate change content in K-16 classrooms, as well as professional development and teacher preparation about Earth’s climate and GCC in K-16 contexts.

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Additional informationNotes on contributorsDevarati BhattacharyaDevarati Bhattacharya (devarati@unl.edu) is a K-16 STEM Education Fellow, Kim Carroll Steward (kimberly.carroll-steward@huskers.unl.edu) is a doctoral student and Cory Forbes (cory.forbes@unl.edu) is an Associate Professor, all in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Mark Chandler (mark.chandler@columbia.edu) is the Director of the Educational Global Climate Modeling (EdGCM) project at NASA-GISS and Columbia University.Kimberly Carroll StewardDevarati Bhattacharya (devarati@unl.edu) is a K-16 STEM Education Fellow, Kim Carroll Steward (kimberly.carroll-steward@huskers.unl.edu) is a doctoral student and Cory Forbes (cory.forbes@unl.edu) is an Associate Professor, all in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Mark Chandler (mark.chandler@columbia.edu) is the Director of the Educational Global Climate Modeling (EdGCM) project at NASA-GISS and Columbia University.Mark ChandlerDevarati Bhattacharya (devarati@unl.edu) is a K-16 STEM Education Fellow, Kim Carroll Steward (kimberly.carroll-steward@huskers.unl.edu) is a doctoral student and Cory Forbes (cory.forbes@unl.edu) is an Associate Professor, all in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Mark Chandler (mark.chandler@columbia.edu) is the Director of the Educational Global Climate Modeling (EdGCM) project at NASA-GISS and Columbia University.Cory ForbesDevarati Bhattacharya (devarati@unl.edu) is a K-16 STEM Education Fellow, Kim Carroll Steward (kimberly.carroll-steward@huskers.unl.edu) is a doctoral student and Cory Forbes (cory.forbes@unl.edu) is an Associate Professor, all in the School of Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Mark Chandler (mark.chandler@columbia.edu) is the Director of the Educational Global Climate Modeling (EdGCM) project at NASA-GISS and Columbia University.

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Additional informationNotes on contributorsDante CisternaCory Forbes (cory.forbes@unl.edu) is an associate professor and director at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) in Lincoln, Nebraska. Dante Cisterna is an associate research developer at ETS in Princeton, New Jersey. Erin Ingram is a curriculum development specialist, and Ranu Roy and Devarati Bhattacharya are postdoctoral researchers, all at UNL.Erin IngramCory Forbes (cory.forbes@unl.edu) is an associate professor and director at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) in Lincoln, Nebraska. Dante Cisterna is an associate research developer at ETS in Princeton, New Jersey. Erin Ingram is a curriculum development specialist, and Ranu Roy and Devarati Bhattacharya are postdoctoral researchers, all at UNL.Devarati BhattacharyaCory Forbes (cory.forbes@unl.edu) is an associate professor and director at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) in Lincoln, Nebraska. Dante Cisterna is an associate research developer at ETS in Princeton, New Jersey. Erin Ingram is a curriculum development specialist, and Ranu Roy and Devarati Bhattacharya are postdoctoral researchers, all at UNL.Ranu RoyCory Forbes (cory.forbes@unl.edu) is an associate professor and director at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) in Lincoln, Nebraska. Dante Cisterna is an associate research developer at ETS in Princeton, New Jersey. Erin Ingram is a curriculum development specialist, and Ranu Roy and Devarati Bhattacharya are postdoctoral researchers, all at UNL.Cory ForbesCory Forbes (cory.forbes@unl.edu) is an associate professor and director at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) in Lincoln, Nebraska. Dante Cisterna is an associate research developer at ETS in Princeton, New Jersey. Erin Ingram is a curriculum development specialist, and Ranu Roy and Devarati Bhattacharya are postdoctoral researchers, all at UNL.

Learning about heredity is important across the K–12 continuum. However, these ideas may be challenging for students. We examined third-grade students' ideas about heredity in the context of a new, six-week, model-based science unit that uses corn as a model organism to support students' ideas about heredity. We analyzed data collected during implementation of the unit, including student artifacts and interviews. We compared these data to those from a pilot version of the curriculum – implemented in the prior year – that was focused on the same disciplinary concepts but was not designed around scientific modeling. Our findings illustrate levels of understanding in students' ideas about three target concepts underlying heredity: life cycles, trait inheritance, and trait variation. We also found that students experiencing the model-based version of the unit exhibited higher levels of understanding for two of the three target concepts than those experiencing the non-model-based curriculum. Analysis of student interviews also showed that students experiencing the model-based curriculum were better able to use key elements of life cycle, such as pollination and reproduction to support their explanations about inheritance. We discuss implications of this work for design and enactment of model-based curricula in elementary grades that can support students' learning about heredity.

In the past decade, emphasis on promoting "climate literacy" in K-16 science classrooms has increased. Teachers play a critical role in cultivating these opportunities, especially in secondary science classrooms. However, most prior climate education research has focused on students and student learning; little is known about how teachers implement climate-focused curricular interventions. Here, we report findings from a concurrent mixed methods, multiple-case study of four secondary science teachers' implementation of a new, NGSS-aligned, model-centric climate curriculum module grounded in the use of a data-driven, computer-based climate modeling tool—Easy Global Climate Model (EzGCM). We employ multiple data sources, including video-recorded classroom observations, interviews, and instructional artifacts, and both qualitative and quantitative analyses, to investigate how teachers implemented the curriculum. Findings show that, overall, teachers implemented the curriculum in ways that were less model-centric than designed, placing greater emphasis on EzGCM itself rather than using the model to investigate Earth's changing climate. Additionally, we present detailed single-case studies of each participant teacher that highlight differences in teachers' implementation of the curriculum module and their reasoning for making observed instructional decisions. This research sheds light on the design of secondary science learning environments by illustrating the varied ways teachers implement a climate-focused curriculum to support students' developing climate literacy. This has important implications for the design of climate-focused curriculum and supports for teachers.

The combination of decreased water availability and increased temperatures can interfere with outdoor activities, particularly with surface water decline and the increased risk of wildfire. Drought is a longer-term climate trend, but there is a tendency toward short-term reactions only when a drought occurs. Policy mechanisms for drought, where present, are often left to managerial discretion because they are not needed every year, and lack specific indicators. Recreator choices contribute to adaptation and public lands managers also shape drought response by monitoring meteorological trends and managing resources wisely. Despite these trends, no singular recreational drought definition exists. To understand socio-environmental interactions from a management perspective, this study synthesizes interview findings to provide in-depth insight about drought monitoring, impacts, and management across a variety of ecological regions in Nebraska state parks. Collectively, the eight participating superintendents oversee more than 152 km(2) of land, approximately 287 km(2) of surface water, and more than 364 km of lakeshore. The emergent properties of drought in the recreation sector include a shortage of naturally available water needed for vegetation health and animal habitat, to support lake sports, to prevent permanent infrastructure damage, and maintain visitor volumes for economic stability. The study concludes with recommendations for increasing drought resilience within the sector.

Purpose: Global climate change (GCC) impacts agriculture through food production. Promoting the understanding about GCC among agricultural educators is imperative. While substantive research exists for the knowledge, conceptions, and beliefs of science teachers, few studies focus on agriculture educators. This research investigates the foundational state of secondary agricultural teachers' knowledge, practices, and beliefs about GCC.Design/methodology/approach: In this quantitative study, we used a 22-item survey to capture secondary agriculture teachers' conceptions, beliefs, and practices about GCC. Total 258 secondary agriculture teachers from fourteen states completed the survey. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics.Findings: Overall, secondary agriculture teachers have a strong understanding about the basic science concepts that constitute the understanding for GCC. However, they are challenged in understanding data that forms the evidence for GCC, and whether this phenomenon is anthropogenic or natural, or both. Their teaching practices about addressing the content of GCC are diverse from spending a dedicated amount of time to none at all in their classrooms.Practical implications: Information acquired will be used to support the agricultural educators needs for resources specifically designed and aligned for the GCC content relevant to agriculture.Theoretical implications: This research informs the field of climate literacy and education through contributing an empirical assessment of one of the underserved population groups - teachers of agricultural education.Originality/value: Very few empirical studies were available for teachers of agriculture, hence this study served as an exploratory foundational work towards future research efforts.

Developing scientific literacy about water systems is critical for K-12 students. However, even with opportunities to build knowledge about the hydrosphere in elementary classrooms, early learners may struggle to understand the water cycle (Forbes et al., ; Gunckel et al., ; Zangori et al., ; Zangori et al., ). Scientific modeling affords opportunities for students to develop representations, make their ideas visible, and generate model-based explanations for complex natural systems like the water cycle. This study describes a comprehensive evaluation of a 5-year, design-based research project focused on the development, implementation, revision, and testing of an enhanced, model-centered version of the Full Option Science System (FOSS) Water (2005) unit in third grade classrooms. Here, we build upon our previous work (Forbes et al., a; b; Vo et al., ; Zangori et al., ; Zangori et al., ) by conducting a comparative analysis of student outcomes in two sets of classrooms: (1) one implementing the modeling-enhanced version of the FOSS Water unit developed by the research team (n=6), and 2) another using the standard, unmodified version of the same curricular unit (n=5). Results demonstrate that teachers in both conditions implemented the two versions of the curriculum with relative fidelity. On average, students exposed to the modeling-enhanced version of the curriculum showed greater gains in their model-based explanations for the hydrosphere. Engagement in scientific modeling allowed students to articulate hydrologic phenomena by (1) identifying various elements that constitute the hydrosphere, (2) describing how these elements influenced the movement of water in the hydrosphere, and (3) demonstrating underlying processes that govern the movement of water in the hydrosphere.