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Icon for: Juliette Rooney-Varga

JULIETTE ROONEY-VARGA

University of Massachusetts Lowell, Climate Interactive, MIT Sloan School

Transforming Mental Models of Climate Change Through Simulations, Games, and ...

NSF Awards: 1245581

2016 (see original presentation & discussion)

Grades 6-8, Grades 9-12, Undergraduate, Graduate, Adult learners, Informal / multi-age

The World Climate simulation brings immersive, experiential learning together with rigorous science in a new approach to climate change education. World Climate puts participants in the roles of delegates to the UN climate negotiations and challenges them to create a global deal that meets international climate goals. Their decisions are entered into our state-of-the-art interactive computer simulation, C-ROADS, enabling them real-time feedback about the climate outcomes expected from their decisions. World Climate has been experienced by >14,000 people in 50 countries around the world and covered by Science magazine and the ABC News.

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Discussion from the NSF 2016 STEM For All Video Showcase (26 posts)
  • Icon for: Jorge Solis

    Jorge Solis

    Facilitator
    Assistant professor
    May 16, 2016 | 05:27 p.m.

    Just in time! Thank you for sharing your project. Can you share more about how you document shifts/learning of mental models of climate change? Do you collect concept maps? Interviews?

  • Icon for: Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Lead Presenter
    Director, Associate Professor
    May 16, 2016 | 06:01 p.m.

    We are using pre and post surveys, open-ended reflections, and focus groups. We’ve also done a pilot longitudinal study. Please keep an eye on our website for more for more information about learning outcomes:
    http://climate-change-initiative.org/ . Please feel free to contact me if you’d like to participate in this research effort!

  • Icon for: Jorge Solis

    Jorge Solis

    Facilitator
    Assistant professor
    May 17, 2016 | 02:01 p.m.

    Thanks Juliette. Again what a great way to guide new thinking and decision-making through collaborative simulations. Im a little curious about how different models and arguments are made across language registers and even varied cultural communities. Given the diversity of your participants, have you noticed or received any comments about how participants communicate their proposals and ideas in more or less convincing ways?

  • Icon for: Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Lead Presenter
    Director, Associate Professor
    May 17, 2016 | 05:18 p.m.

    We are hoping to look into the influence of cultural and educational settings and background on learning outcomes. Unfortunately, doing so was outside the scope of our currently funded proposal.

  • Icon for: Jorge Solis

    Jorge Solis

    Facilitator
    Assistant professor
    May 19, 2016 | 01:27 p.m.

    Thanks again Juliette. I browsed some of the links in your site and see some possibilities for using some of your tools with my bilingual science teacher education course. Do you know if others have used your work in bilingual settings or in other languages?

  • Icon for: Barbara Rogoff

    Barbara Rogoff

    UCSC Foundation Professor of Psychology
    May 16, 2016 | 05:48 p.m.

    What a great use of principles of informal learning! Simulations have such great potential for bringing people into the process of considering issues and learning in a consequential way. Have you used this method for other issues?

  • Icon for: Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Lead Presenter
    Director, Associate Professor
    May 16, 2016 | 08:08 p.m.

    We are also using this approach for energy policy (World Energy). This approach is also used in system dynamics (e.g., the Beer Game, which enables participants to learn about supply chain dynamics; and FishBanks, which is about over-utilization of natural resources in a tragedy of the commons system).

  • Icon for: Michel DeGraff

    Michel DeGraff

    Facilitator
    Professor
    May 17, 2016 | 12:05 a.m.

    Such a timely project. But thinking of states like Florida where officials have banned the use of the term “climate change”, I must ask if you see a way where the “World Climate Stimulation” can actually help usher shifts in mental models among powerful politicians such as those in Florida who have banned the use of very term “climate change”? http://fcir.org/2015/03/08/in-florida-officials...

  • Icon for: Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Lead Presenter
    Director, Associate Professor
    May 17, 2016 | 08:26 a.m.

    Thank you! The computer simulation that frames World Climate (C-ROADS, for Climate Rapid Overview and Decision Support) was actually developed as a decision-support tool for high-level policymakers and we have run World Climate with audiences ranging from middle school students to CEOs, policymakers, university presidents, and climate scientists. We would love to reach as many people as possible and welcome any ideas to do so.

  • Icon for: Michel DeGraff

    Michel DeGraff

    Facilitator
    Professor
    May 17, 2016 | 01:59 p.m.

    Wonderful! Have you been able to document and measure such shifts among policy makers? Such case studies would go a long way toward shifting public policy (or so we must hope…).

  • Icon for: Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Lead Presenter
    Director, Associate Professor
    May 17, 2016 | 05:16 p.m.

    We haven’t given pre/post surveys to policymakers, but we do have anecdotal evidence for shifts in that audience as well.

  • Icon for: Michel DeGraff

    Michel DeGraff

    Facilitator
    Professor
    May 19, 2016 | 11:14 p.m.

    That’s good that you have at least the anecdotal evidence. Will you share some of that with us—-even if the cast of characters remain anonymous? As a Haitian linguist trying to usher a paradigm shift around the (mis-)use of language in Haiti, I am so personally interested in learning how to change ideologically-driven beliefs with the help of evidence from science. Thank you in advance!

    By the way, the mis-use of language in Haiti (teaching Kreyòl-speaking kids in French, and thus maintaining the power of those who speak French) is one of the long-term consequences of French colonization and slavery in Haiti. So I was moved to see John Sterman referring to the ending of slavery in Europe and the Americas. What’s often not noticed, though, is that mental slavery has continued unabated in many post-colonial contexts such as in Haiti, and often through the education system and the role of language therein.

  • Icon for: Marcelo Worsley

    Marcelo Worsley

    Facilitator
    Assistant Professor
    May 17, 2016 | 12:20 a.m.

    The video primarily talked about using this tool with adults. Have you had any opportunities to use the tool with K-12 students? If so, what was that experience like? What kinds of insights were you able to draw from those that might be useful for others doing similar research?

  • Icon for: Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Lead Presenter
    Director, Associate Professor
    May 17, 2016 | 05:17 p.m.

    Great question. Yes we have run the exercise with participants ranging from middle schoolers to executive MBA students and climate scientists. The simulation is flexible because the scientific rigor is maintained and easy to interact with through the computer program, C-ROADS, while participants end up teaching and learning from each other – i.e., they bring their own level of expertise, knowledge, and interest to the experience.

  • Icon for: David Oonk

    David Oonk

    May 18, 2016 | 03:49 p.m.

    Juliette,

    At the end of the video he mentions that participants come away wth the understanding that personal action matters. Is personal action emphasized throughout? Because it seems to me that mock negotiations between countries/regions could devalue personal responsibility (as they negotiate large-scale climate mitigation action).

  • Icon for: Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Lead Presenter
    Director, Associate Professor
    May 19, 2016 | 08:12 a.m.

    Great question, David. So far, we’ve actually seen statistically significant gains in participants’ motivation to reduce their own carbon footprint and get involved at a broader social level. We also see gains in their motivation to learn more about climate change science and policy. It is important to give participants a chance to reflect on these questions, especially during the debrief.

  • Icon for: Irene Lee

    Irene Lee

    Research Scientist
    May 19, 2016 | 10:41 a.m.

    This is a wonderful integration of role play and simulation. Thanks for sharing. What plans do you have for scaling this model? (or for training others who can facilitate similar workshops)

  • Icon for: Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Lead Presenter
    Director, Associate Professor
    May 20, 2016 | 01:43 p.m.

    Thank you for your kind words. We are offering regular webinars and Climate Interactive has just launched a new project to propagate World Climate across Africa. We would love to do more in the US and are hoping to secure funding to make that possible!

  • Icon for: Teresa Eastburn

    Teresa Eastburn

    Digital Learning & UCAR Connect Lead
    May 20, 2016 | 02:41 a.m.

    Hey, I lead a group in the World Climate game role play just yesterday ( 30 summer undergrad interns at Boulder-area labs this summer! How great to see you here. I’m on my 5th role play offering and every time I’m amazed at the impact of this game on the participants.I will play it with Boulder HS teachers in August and October! I’ve even offered it w/ staffers at NCAR who know a thing or two about climate! I can’t thank you enough for a phenomenal role play simulation on what I feel is one of the critical issues of our time! This game is effective. That’s the best compliment I can give it! It wakes folks out of their slumber on the issue. That can’t be accomplished thru dialogue alone. YOU HAVE MY VOTE. That’s for sure! And thanks for everything online at your site. You make it VERY easy!

  • Icon for: Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Lead Presenter
    Director, Associate Professor
    May 20, 2016 | 01:40 p.m.

    That is so good to hear – thank you Teresa. Please keep on using our surveys and sending us data as well! We have found exciting evidence for learning through the work of you and others and have many more questions we could answer with a larger data set.

  • Diana Walsh

    Guest
    May 21, 2016 | 01:38 p.m.

    Supporting your important work enthusiastically. Keep up the good work! And thanks for it.

  • Icon for: Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Lead Presenter
    Director, Associate Professor
    May 22, 2016 | 09:07 a.m.

    Thank you!

  • Icon for: Colleen Leithren

    Colleen Leithren

    Owner
    May 22, 2016 | 09:11 p.m.

    This is a very interesting simulation. Is the C-Roads computer program and role play simulation available yet to k-12 and higher education instructors yet?

  • Icon for: Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Lead Presenter
    Director, Associate Professor
    May 23, 2016 | 01:39 p.m.

    Yes – C-ROADS is available at no cost to anyone. You can also access C-Learn online. All of the role-playing materials are also available for free and they have been used in settings ranging from middle school to graduate school and beyond. One note is that we would like to develop more scaffolding and materials in simpler language for younger users (beyond the scope of our current funding).

  • Torrey McMillan

    Guest
    May 23, 2016 | 10:13 a.m.

    I’ve run the World Climate simulation a couple of times with high school students. It is very powerful! The supporting materials are excellent. We had about 80 students participate this December while the Paris talks were going on.

  • Icon for: Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Juliette Rooney-Varga

    Lead Presenter
    Director, Associate Professor
    May 23, 2016 | 01:39 p.m.

    Thanks for your work, Torrey!

  • Further posting is closed as the event has ended.