carol brennan teaching

Elementary Science Program Focuses on Climate Change in the Pacific

carol_optAs part of a larger effort that seeks to expand education about climate change in Micronesia, CRDG’s Carol Ann Brennan and Tom Scarlet are working to create curriculum for elementary schools that will build toward a deep understanding of climate. The program is a partnership among Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL), the various departments of education in the Pacific entities, and CRDG. Brennan and Scarlet are working on the curriculum for grades 3 and 4, writing the curriculum and providing training and support for teachers and administrators. The basic science curriculum is based on the inquiry strategies developed for the CRDG elementary program Developmental Approaches in Science, Health and Technology (DASH). It is not unit-based, but, rather, is based on the long-term collection of data. These data can then be used to create monthly and seasonal summaries that will allow students to build an understanding of climate as opposed to weather. As part of the training process, teachers take this basic science curriculum and add cultural knowledge to make it specific to their island and regional location. Teachers who participate in the training are expected to take the program back to their islands and eventually become teacher trainers themselves.