Inspiring the next generation of polar scientists: Classroom extensions from teachers with research experiences

• Published in: Polar Record
• Main Authors: Warburton, Janet, Hademenos, George, Eilers-Guttensohn, Alice (Alex), Garay, Lollie, Worssam, Jillian Beth
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2019
• Subjects: General Earth and Planetary Sciences; Ecology; Geography, Planning and Development; Arctic; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*; IPY; Polar Record; PolarTREC - Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating; Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247419000317; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0032247419000317

Abstract PolarTREC-Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating (PolarTREC) has provided the opportunity for over 160 K-12 teachers and informal science educators from the USA to work directly with scientists in the Arctic and the Antarctic. As a Teacher Research Experience (TRE), PolarTREC has engaged teachers with a unique professional development opportunity to increase their teacher content knowledge and learn about the polar regions by partnering with academic polar scientists who are conducting scientific research in the field. Stimulated by the IPY 2007–2008, PolarTREC has sent teachers on field expeditions for over a decade, and during that time has witnessed teachers not only experiencing the polar regions and bringing that experience back into their classrooms but also seeing their students learn more about the polar regions and become more interested in polar science. It is this secondary effect that is truly inspiring. This article profiles the journey to the polar regions of four PolarTREC teachers through their own perspectives and how they translated that experience into educational outreach opportunities.