PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS and INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS for UPPER ELEMENTARY and MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS.

SPECIALIZING in WEATHER, CLIMATE and the WATER CYCLE.

HELPING TEACHERS and THEIR STUDENTS MAKE SENSE of COMPLEX PHENOMENA THROUGH OBSERVATIONS, MEASUREMENT and DATA.

Photo Stillwater, Minnesota. Copyright Amy Lilienfeld/Circle of Illumination Science Education. 2019.

NOTICE and WONDER….

One cannot help but notice and wonder about something like this unusual sheared mammatus cloud.

But like all clouds it is a phenomenon indicating the incredible things that are going on in our atmosphere.

What secrets do YOU think this cloud is trying to tell us?

But clouds are just one element of the highly complex atmospheric phenomena that are the basis of what we call “weather” and “climate”. Although operating at vastly different temporal (time) and spatial scales both of these are comprised of the same individual elements: air temperature, cloudiness, atmospheric pressure, humidity and wind. Each of these is constantly changing as well as often interacting with other elements. For example the formation of dew in the early morning of summer and early fall is the result of interactions between temperature and humidity.

But there are widespread beliefs and claims that all extreme weather events are a result of climate change. A recent study has shown that such beliefs have even been a source of stress among students (Redelmeier 2024). This adds greater urgency for us to increase our understanding of these complex systems and possible complex interactions between them.

Redelmeier, Rebecca. Dec. 22, 2024. “College Students Get Emotional About Climate Change. Some Are Finding Help in Class”, NPR, accessible at: https://www.npr.org/2024/12/22/nx-s1-5235404/college-students-struggle-climate-anxiety-find-help-class).

The primary mission of Circle of Illumination Science Education is to train teachers in upper elementary and middle school grades in the use of these tools as well as to provide high quality instructional materials. (Go to “Professional Development Workshops” Page for current offerings. Please note this is in the process of being added to so stay tuned!)

(But IMPORTANT NOTICE: Although this is an e-commerce web site the shop has not yet been set up for sale of instructional materials as these materials are still being developed. Districts who want to schedule workshops will be billed through invoices.)

But fortunately— for those of us teaching weather, climate and other earth-science topics — there is a wealth of data in a variety of forms online— as well as satellite imagery —with which we can help students start making sense of these and other complex phenomena, such as the dynamic processes characteristic of our Earth’s crust, as early as the upper elementary grades.