Project Learn

Principal Investigators: Carol McLaren, Principal Investigator and Project Director, Sandra Henderson, Co-Director

Funder: National Science Foundation

Short Summary:

Project LEARN: Atmospheric Science Explorers was developed at UCAR and NSF NCAR between 1991 and 2001. Activities and readings from Project LEARN are now within the UCAR Center for Science Education. 

LEARN: Atmospheric Science Explorers (LEARN) began in 1991 with funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to help fill the critical need of science teacher professional development. NSF funded two versions of LEARN. The fundamental goal of both LEARN programs was to increase middle school science teacher knowledge of and interest in the atmospheric sciences. The first project began in 1991 and brought 40 middle school and junior high school teachers from California, Colorado, North Carolina, and Texas to the NSF National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado for three consecutive summers. The second project was funded in 1996 and partnered with 48 teachers from rural schools in Colorado. In addition to the three consecutive summer workshops at NSF NCAR, LEARN staff and scientists from NSF NCAR traveled to the rural Colorado school districts for three additional days of instruction.

Much of the instructional and science content foundation for the LEARN workshops came from the teaching modules developed by LEARN teachers in collaboration with more than 60 NSF NCAR scientists. The three modules included background information, hands-on activities using simple materials, and authentic assessment tools. The modules–Ozone in Our Atmosphere, Atmospheric Dynamics, and Cycles of the Earth and Atmosphere–were not designed to replace existing curricula or textbooks. Rather, they were intended to enhance earth and physical science programs by incorporating atmospheric science concepts. These modules were created by teachers for teachers.