The ECLC project develops a community-focused, distance-based, professional development program that can provide a successful framework for refining and developing science educators' views about the practice and purposes of science and science's relationships with society. The specific objectives of this project are: 1. Teachers improve their abilities to think critically and evaluate information about climate change through an enhanced understanding of the process and nature of science; 2. Teachers become engaged information-evaluators and learners who create new understanding from knowledge through the use of integrative Web 2.0 technologies; 3. Create a sustainable, virtual learning community among educators, students and experts called the Teacher-Climatologist Educational Community.

To accomplish the objectives, it brings together a virtual community of educators and scientists with expertise in climate modeling, drought, agriculture, soils, ecology, and brain-based learning. Climate-change issues serve as a context in which educators develop discrete, locally oriented research projects. Educators define a problem, analyze data, and develop conclusions with the potential to impact decision-making in their community. More importantly, participating educators will gain confidence and knowledge that will help them facilitate the development of similar skills in the young citizen-scientists within their classrooms. We will develop four on-line, distance-delivered, scientifically and pedagogically relevant educational modules to achieve the objectives. The modules will provide educators with opportunity to have an authentic experience with the process of science and reflect on the components of the nature of science in the context of the sociopolitical issues related to climate change.

Over the three-year period of the grant, we will provide an online professional development experience for 30 K-12 in-service and 10 pre-service educators, who will, in turn, advance the cause of climate literacy among at least 6000 students. Each educator will be responsible for the development of at least one artifact of their research experience that will be disseminated to educators across country through a variety of mechanisms. The assessment program will document the effectiveness of our online educational model so others can replicate it. Through the development of an infrastructure to support the Climate Change-Focused Extended Inquiry Projects, participants will have an enhanced understanding of the process and nature of science in the sociocultural context of the climate change issue. As a result of conducting and reflecting on their authentic research activity, participants will improve their skills to communicate, collaborate, inquire, integrate information and knowledge across disciplines, and apply knowledge in creative and innovative ways.