The National Center for Science Education in collaboration with the University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant led a successful four-day workshop on coastal resilience for teachers from across the Southeast. This unique workshop, called My COAST (Climate-Oriented Authentic Science Teaching), brought together elementary, middle, and high school science teachers from Georgia, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, and Virginia to learn about climate change and its impact on coastal ecosystems.
My COAST featured morning field trips where teachers learned firsthand about Georgia’s unique geography and ecosystems from local experts. These trips were followed by afternoon activities in which the teachers had the opportunity to learn about NCSE’s lesson materials and strategies for identifying and resolving misconceptions and misinformation about climate change.
During the field trips, the teachers explored barrier islands such as Wassaw Island and Tybee Island and went trawling on a research vessel to learn about the estuarine animals that live along the coast. Guest speakers Meagan Jones, a Coastal Community Resilience Specialist with the University of Georgia Marine Extension, and J. Marshall Shepherd, an award-winning meteorologist and member of NCSE’s board, also contributed to the teachers’ experience during separate “lunch and learn” sessions. Jones discussed her research relating to coastal resilience, while Shepherd shared his expertise regarding climate change from a meteorological perspective.
NCSE’s Executive Director Amanda L. Townley and Interim Director of Education Blake Touchet helped teachers to bridge the gap between field and classroom by sharing lessons and strategies developed by NCSE. Teachers learned about common tactics of climate change denial, applied NCSE’s new data and media literacy tool DataWISE, and participated in lessons from NCSE’s new Story Shorts Sustainable Climate Solutions and Climate Change in Your Backyard.
NCSE would like to thank all the teachers who attended as well as the University of Georgia Marine Extension, Georgia Sea Grant, J. Marshall Shepherd, and Meagan Jones for making this event such a great, collaborative learning experience. Be on the lookout for our next MyCOAST event in the Spring of 2025 in Florida!
