Bringing Polar Topics into the Classroom: Teacher Knowledge, Practices, and Needs

Results from a national needs assessment survey advertised through science teacher networks with the title "Polar Education--Teacher Input Needed" showed that the majority (90%) of teachers that responded are teaching about polar topics or polar regions. We received 508 responses from elementary to post-secondary teachers across the United States. The survey assessed in which classes polar topics are being taught (high school environmental science classes had the highest percentages; [greater than or equal to] 83%), which polar topics are being taught in classes and which topics teachers would like to teach more, what kind of polar education resources teachers are aware of (the majority of respondents, 66%, did not list more than 2 resources), and whether teachers had received professional development on polar topics (81% of teachers had not). Additionally, teachers' knowledge of polar topics was compared to the public's, using item blocks from representative public surveys. Results showed that teacher respondents' knowledge of polar topics consistently exceeded public knowledge. Based on the findings from the survey, we recommend that the polar education community continue to develop educational resources, offer professional development and conduct outreach to K-12 teachers. Specifically, we recommend a focus on: curating classroom-ready authentic data sets based on current polar research, multidisciplinary curricular materials that build on real world geopolitical issues and the historical importance of polar exploration, and curriculum for teaching ocean acidification, ocean ecosystems, and polar teleconnections to global climate.