Teaching ESS
AAG Offers Geography Resources for Teachers
The Association of American Geographers (AAG) offers an array of web resources for K-12 and college-level instruction. Reinforcing this year’s Earth Science Week theme of “Mapping Our World,” these materials support geographic approaches to Earth science education:
The Unknown Moon
The Lunar and Planetary Institute and JHU’s Applied Physics Laboratory will be holding a free week-long institute about the Moon this summer at Laurel, MD, for high school science teachers. An application form are available online at http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/workshops/unknownMoon/.
We do hope many high school teachers are able to apply.
The Coal and Energy Unit
A six-day unit for middle school and high school students, developed by the 2008-2009 TESSE graduate student fellows.
Teaching Pennsylvania Related Geology Topics
The August 2011 NESTA newsletter includes information relevant to educators teaching geology-related topics. The newsletter features the:
Pennsylvania Bureau of Topographic and Geologic Survey website.
This site features information about topics such as Marcellus Shale, groundwater, and the geology of PA.
History of the Oil Industry in PA
The August 2011 NESTA newsletter features resources for teaching the history of oil in Pennsylvania - http://www.nestanet.org/cms/content/publications/enews/issue/2011/8
The Newletter features - the Drake Well Museum, the History of Oil, and Oil at 150.
Controversial Topics in Earth Science Courses
NESTA reports on a survey of teachers who were asked to report on the most and least controversial topics that they teach in their Earth Science classes. Controversy was defined as receiving pressure from students, parents, administrators, or the community.
The most controversial topics included: evolution, the age of the Earth/geologic time, climate change, solar system formation, and planetary formation.
The least controversial topics included: magnetism, electricity, the water cycle, the structure of the Sun, and ocean circulation.
Learning to Learn from Data
from: Earth and Mind: Reflections on Thinking and Learning about the Earth
http://serc.carleton.edu/earthandmind/posts/datalearningpro.html
An interesting article that considers the importance of giving students the opportunity to collect data and how students learn to make sense of data and graphs.
Scientists learn from data. Learning to learn from data is obviously an essential aspect of the education of a future scientist.
Geologic Time
Geologic Time can be a difficult topic to teach. Here is a resource from National Geographic that may be helpful.