Modernizing the AMS K-12 Teacher Professional Development Model for Contemporary Learning Needs

When the late Dr. Ira Geer envisioned the American Meteorological Society’s DataStreme Atmosphere teacher professional development program in the mid-1990s, he aimed to provide current weather data to teachers and inspire them to share the excitement of hands-on data usage and study with students and other educators. A key part of this vision was the newly emerging technology of internet accessibility, which allowed data to be relayed and curated at an accelerated pace. Ira had the foresight to leverage this technology in Geoscience education. Equally important to him was elevating teachers as respected professionals and empowering them to expand their impact on K-12 students and fellow educators through their participation in AMS programs.

DataStreme complemented the Project Atmosphere summer professional development course, which had been in place since 1992. However, DataStreme enabled many more teachers to participate during the fall and spring semesters and fostered local community relationships between educators and scientists. Dr. Geer’s original DataStreme model involved 3-member Local Implementation Teams (LITs), composed of Project Atmosphere alumni, university scientists, and NOAA/National Weather Service forecasters. These teams mentored 8-10 teachers each semester. Dr. Robert Weinbeck, a faculty member at the State University of New York’s College at Brockport, served as the course instructor of record, allowing participants to earn graduate credit. Drs. Geer and Weinbeck collaborated on hands-on course investigations and laid the groundwork for a comprehensive course textbook, later authored by the late Dr. Joseph Moran of the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay. Dr. Edward Hopkins created a Daily Weather Summary, which was shared with teacher participants for additional study of real-time weather patterns. The emerging use of the Internet facilitated the sharing of NWS weather maps formatted for educational purposes.

Over time, Dr. Geer, and later Education Director Dr. James Brey, expanded the program with NSF, NOAA, and NASA-supported courses: DataStreme Water in the Earth System (2001-08), DataStreme Ocean (2006-present), and DataStreme Earth’s Climate System (2009-present), complementing DataStreme Atmosphere and summer workshop-focused course offerings. In 2017, with the retirement of Dr. Weinbeck, then Education Director Wendy Abshire facilitated the transition of AMS courses to Pennsylvania Western University (PennWest), with Professor Dr. Chad Kauffman leading the evolution. This institutional change brought further modernization to the DataStreme mentoring model and introduced the use of a learning management system. The suite of weather, ocean, and climate courses enabled an AMS community of practitioners who could take multiple courses, earn the PennWest/DataStreme post-baccalaureate certificate, and be recognized as a Certified AMS Teacher (CAT).

Fast forward to the present day, Dr. Geer’s vision continues to thrive under a new model that retains the core elements of a highly successful graduate course: personal support for teachers; educators and scientists as course mentors; a university partnership for graduate credit; and a continued emphasis on current data-rich, hands-on learning. In 2023-24, AMS paused its DataStreme courses to implement a major programmatic upgrade led by Director Dr. Aaron Price. This upgrade focuses on creating a more accessible and inclusive course pedagogical model, enhancing course activities, restructuring the mentoring system into focused teams on course content, navigation, and pedagogy, and utilizing modern educational tools such as Padlet and Slack for communication. There is also an increased emphasis on reaching underserved teachers and students, a priority that was central to Dr. Geer’s vision.