Exploring Teacher Participation and Engagement Climate Change Professional Development and Collaboration

Abstract

Sustainable WATERS addressed the critical need to support Title I middle school teachers and students by creating a community of practice (CoP) around modeling and field exploration of climate impacts on Southwest Florida’s watershed. The program integrated virtual and field environments to grow access to tools, technology, and expertise in STEM, allow for teacher and student asynchronous participation, and facilitate a long-term connection. The aim of the professional development program was to create a CoP and network of continued engagement and resource support to support climate change education opportunities for students and six middle school STEM teachers in underserved schools. The study outlines the participatory involvement and outcomes of each participant throughout the course of the study.