This project aims to investigate the cognitive processes that support reasoning about complex atmospheric processes, including prediction of extreme weather events. There is currently no theoretical basis for understanding this kind of reasoning nor a complete understanding of how experts transfer their reasoning skills to students. The project is taking an unusual approach that involves embedding researchers in 11-day convective field studies. The field studies create opportunities for students to experience authentic atmospheric processes in a rich learning environment with mentoring by more experienced atmospheric scientists. The merger of expertise within the highly interactive learning environment affords a unique opportunity to observe student and expert practice, ask questions, and conduct interviews. This early-stage research is important for atmospheric science, cognitive science, and education because it seeks to understand how atmospheric scientists reason about authentic atmospheric processes and how they share this expertise with students. By studying how experts convey deep aspects of their thinking to students and how students assimilate expert practice, the project will lay the groundwork for a program of future investigations into complex atmospheric processes that will inform both cognitive and natural sciences and guide evidence -informed atmospheric science education.
This project is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), grant #’s AGS-2413370 and AGS-2413371. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this website are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
The proposed project takes an interdisciplinary perspective; accordingly, we will combine the expertise of Co-PI, Dr. Thomas F. Shipley, a cognitive scientist, and the expertise of Co-PI, Dr. Peggy McNeal, a geoscience education researcher, with the knowledge of Senior Personnel and atmospheric scientists, Dr. Teresa Bals-Elsholz and Dr. Kevin Goebbert.
Because our prior experience with advisory boards has resulted in rich feedback that nudged projects in beneficial directions, we plan to convene and regularly meet with an advisory board composed of experts in the areas we seek to investigate. Three individuals have provided letters indicating their support of our work. Jeffrey Zacks researches how representations in the brain and the world work together, especially how perception and cognition interact to process events. We feel that his knowledge will be of great benefit as we work to analyze and make sense of the data we collect from experts and students. Cindy Shellito is a professor of meteorology who teaches courses in dynamic meteorology and has a robust understanding of students’ expected level of expertise upon graduation with a meteorology degree. She is an ideal position to help steer our work as we strive to understand how students acquire this expertise. Rebecca Haacker is the Director of NCAR Education, Engagement and Early-Career Development and has extensive experience in providing students and early career scientists with relevant skills and training to have successful careers in the atmospheric science. She has a large-scale view of the meteorology training pipeline and because the project is exploratory, she is ideal for advising the project’s overall direction and future course. By including these experts in the project, we are intentionally taking an interdisciplinary and ecological approach (Resnick & Shipley 2013) that emphasizes the importance of making connections between the research and the practical aspects of learning and cognition.
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