Applying Concepts of Adult Education to Improve Weather and Climate Literacy

The increased importance of climate and climate-change issues has fostered a new emphasis on "climate literacy" for the American and global population. However, because the issue's acceptance into mainstream discourse is relatively recent, and knowledge is rapidly changing, many of the climate-literacy learners who will impact future policy decisions are today's adults. Many educational theorists have determined that adults have different educational approaches and needs than traditional ("school-age") learners. This article introduces two major frameworks that inform adult education: andragogy and the diffusion of innovations. Each of these frameworks is made up of their own internal assumptions and concepts. These frameworks have been implemented—both intentionally and unintentionally—into climate literacy programs in Oklahoma. We examine the impact of these frameworks on OK-First, a public-safety outreach program that provides education and decision-support for public safety officials who must make decisions in the face of hazardous weather or weather-impacted hazards. The application of these adult educational tenets has been an integral part of ongoing efforts to improve the effectiveness of the program.