AMS Education Resource Agents - AERAs

AERAs

act as regional points of contact for teachers who are seeking information on atmospheric science and/or oceanography topics;

act as liaison among teachers, schools, teachers' organizations, and the earth system sciences and related professional communities;

represent the Society, as appropriate, at teacher workshops, professional meetings, and educational conferences;

serve, from time to time, on advisory panels for the Society's precollege educational initiatives;

work with Society staff and members to develop and implement instructional resource materials.

AERAs are, or have been, master precollege teachers, and they have been carefully chosen for AERA participation. Selection is based on:

their demonstrated leadership in

• teaching
• curriculum development, and
• in-service training of fellow teachers

their special training and interest in the atmospheric environment.

AERAs are highly professional individuals who are collaborating with the AMS to help promote teaching about or related to the atmospheric or physical oceanographic environment. They cannot enter into arrangements or agreements binding to the AMS. . The AMS national network of resource agents now has representation in most states.

AERA outreach activities

Each AERA presents several general physical oceanography and/or atmospheric science information sessions each year to teacher groups. AERAs also conduct teacher-training sessions on single meteorological or physical oceanographic topics about which they have been specially trained. These sessions often take place at local and state teacher association meetings. Others are held at the school district level on staff development days or included in college courses, with AERAs compensated through local or state funds.

AERAs are generally available for individual consultations to teachers. Many AERAs work as consultants with schools and state education departments on curriculum development.