Core learning abilities (CLAs) are overarching skills that are emphasized in all courses and programs, student services support and interactions, and co-curricular activities at WCC. CLAs define the skills the College expects its students to develop by the time they graduate (with a certificate or degree).
Teaching Resources for Climate Change (mostly STEM, but some intersections of nonSTEM in Curriculum for the Bioregion AND InTeGrate)
Communication
The ability to accurately identify a purpose or audience and convey information so that it is easily received and understood.
- Visually communicating climate through Art article (NYT Magazine)
- Tempestry: Knitting patterns that capture climate change
Critical thinking
The habit of mind characterized by the comprehensive exploration of issues, ideas, artifacts, and events before accepting or formulating an opinion or conclusion.
- “Global Weirding”: A series of videos about Climate Change in impacting different communities regionally and culturally (YouTube)
Global consciousness
The ability to assess how the world and people’s lives are shaped by natural, social and cultural interactions and processes.
- Climate Ready Podcast: examples of climate impacts around the world
Information literacy
The ability to identify an information need and to locate, evaluate, and use information effectively and ethically.
- Incorporating Information Literacy into Climate Change Teaching: Extensive curricular approach to info literacy in the context of climate change from the National Association of Geoscience Teachers (NAGT).
- The Essential Principles of Climate Literacy: Community-based ideas of what all should know about climate in order to be climate literate. From the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Quantitative literacy
The ability to rely on data and on the mathematical analysis of data to make connections and draw conclusions.
- Climatechange.org: Website that provides a TON of graphics and interactive visuals to better understand impact of climate change in many facets from forest fires to beer and coffee access
- Jill Pelto: Artist who has converted graphs on climate change to art
Resources For COVID-19 and Climate Change Discussion
- Drop in emissions, but no impact on Climate Change (RFI)
- Interactive Map of Global Emissions in age of COVID-19 (earther.gizmodo)
- Climate and Ecology amidst Coronavirus (playerfm- podcast)
- Why the Coronavirus is terrible news for the Climate (MIT Technology Review)
- Links between COVID (and other viruses) and climate change (Global Weirding YouTube)
- The pandemic’s effect on climate change (Global Weirding YouTube)