Connecting Arctic/Antarctic Researchers and Educators (CARE): Supporting Teachers and Researchers Beyond the Research Experience

Teacher research experiences (TREs) require long-term sustained support for successful transfer of research experiences into the classroom. Specifically, a support mechanism that facilitates focused discussion and collaboration among teachers and researchers is critical to improve science content and pedagogical approaches in science education. Connecting Arctic/Antarctic Researchers and Educators (CARE) is a professional development network that utilizes online web meetings to support the integration of science research experiences into classroom curriculum. CARE brings together teachers and researchers to discuss field experiences, current science issues, content, technology resources, and pedagogy. CARE is a component of the Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S. (ARCUS) education program PolarTREC--Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating. PolarTREC is a three-year (2007-2009) teacher professional development program celebrating the International Polar Year (IPY) that advances polar science education by bringing K-12 educators and polar researchers together in hands-on field experiences in the Arctic and Antarctic. Currently in its second year, the program fosters the integration of research and education to produce a legacy of long-term teacher-researcher collaborations, improved teacher content knowledge through experiences in scientific inquiry, and broad public interest and engagement in polar science. The CARE network was established to develop a sustainable learning community through which teachers and researchers will further their work to bring polar research into classrooms. Through CARE, small groups of educators are formed on the basis of grade-level and geographic region; each group also contains a teacher facilitator. Although CARE targets educators with previous polar research experiences, it is also open to those who have not participated in a TRE but who are interested in bringing real-world polar science to the classroom. Researchers are regularly invited to attend the web meetings, and some CARE meetings host specific researchers to talk about their work and their experiences working with teachers in the field. Facilitated group meetings focus on discussions of field experiences, current scientific research, and application of experiences to classrooms and curriculum. CARE is designed to be mindful of participants' needs; the meeting agendas reflect the stated concerns of participating teachers and researchers, such as incorporating real data into everyday curriculum, teaching about the impacts of climate change in a meaningful and educational way, developing polar related lessons and units that include State and National standards, and incorporating scientific tools and instruments into everyday curriculum. In addition to the regularly scheduled CARE group meetings, a series of CARE Seminars will be held in spring 2008 and open to the public. The public CARE Seminars will focus on issues that are of interest to a wider range of educators (e.g. clues from past climates, impacts of climate change on the Arctic, cultural sensitivity and working with indigenous peoples, and women and minorities of polar science. CARE provides a mechanism for teachers and researchers to interact, leveraging their diverse experiences and expertise to form long-term professional relationships that continue beyond the research experience. To learn more about CARE and PolarTREC visit the website at: http://www.polartrec.com or contact info@polartrec.com or 907-474-1600. PolarTREC is funded by the National Science Foundation.