Change Thinking for Global Science: Fostering and Evaluating Inquiry Thinking About the Ecological Impacts of Climate Change

Project Summary

During the lifetimes of our current middle and high school students, it is likely that our planet will undergo more anthropogenic change than it has during all of human history to date. The project is utilizing a learning progression approach for the systematic design of coordinated curriculum, tool, and assessment products focused on climate change biology. This work will provide an empirical and theoretical basis for critical concept development about the impacts of climate change on living systems.

Research Questions

  1. Which scientic content and reasoning skills are essential for 7-10th graders' complex reasoning and modeling of the ecological impacts of climate change? How are these manifested in content and inquiry reasoning progressions?
  2. What dynamic visualization and modeling resources support the development of deep thinking about the ecological impacts of climate change?
  3. What scaolding and instructional activities support the development of deep thinking about the ecological impacts of climate change, including both content (ecological impacts) and complex reasoning components (science practices) of this knowledge, within cohorts of 7-10th graders?