Summary
Studies indicate climate literacy remains low across the U.S. K–12 system. Funded by the Virginia and Maryland Geographic Alliances, the Chesapeake Bay Climate Institute has introduced educators to the issue of climate change since 2019. Using America’s Estuary as a place of learning, the immersive multi-day, professional development experience includes expert lectures constructed around the topic of climate change, highlighting the ways in which communities understand, respond, and address climate change. Institute participants utilize the Geo-Inquiry Process, combing a rapidly eroding barrier island and listening to the narratives of local watermen of Tangier Island. This presentation overviews the institute and highlights learning activities designed by participants. Integration is needed in science education, where standards of learning often compartmentalize topics without consideration for how other course material beyond single disciplines.
Session Focus
All Grade Levels | Literacy | Climate Education, Chesapeake Bay, Experiential Learning
Conference Room
Iowa
Meet the Presenter
Dr. Michael Allen is an Associate Professor of Geography at Towson University. He previously served as a co-coordinator of the Virginia Geographic Alliance and Geography Program Director at Old Dominion University. For more than a decade, Dr. Allen has worked with formal and informal K-16 educators to promote geographic understanding and climate literacy. Since 2019, Michael has coordinated the Chesapeake Bay Climate Institute, a multi-day experiential professional development program that uses the Chesapeake Bay watershed as a place of learning, culminating with a field experience on Tangier Island. In 2023, Allen worked at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar, improving cross-cultural climate literacy. Exploring the Balkans, Allen reflects on his experience and highlights future professional development opportunities to explore both the human and environmental landscapes of the region. His local and international experience integrates cultural competence, geospatial technology, scientific understanding, and critical thinking into pedagogical approaches. A physical scientist, Michael has extensive experience working across academic disciplines to bridge mutual understanding between social and natural sciences.
