Ecological Data Literacy

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This working group session will examine the convergence of core LTER goals of sharing long-term ecological data with the wider world and new expectations in science education that emphasize inquiry-based learning. Ecological data literacy is an important part of environmental literacy and strongly connects to the newly adopted Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for K-12 education. The NGSS require that students use their understanding of important science concepts to investigate the natural world through science inquiry, including analyzing and interpreting data and engaging in argument from evidence. The LTER network is poised to provide relevant datasets, professional development for K-12 teachers, and opportunities for authentic science involvement for K-12 teachers and students. This working group session will focus on how LTER sites are contributing to ecological data literacy for K-12 teachers and students. We will review published work on the subject of ecological data literacy and present several successful examples of how LTER sites are engaging students and teachers with LTER data or LTER-related data. We will end with a discussion of how LTER can be a leader for this topic and if there is interest and ideas for a paper on this topic.

Working Group Reports

Final reports: 

Notes-Ecological Data Literacy.docx