HR: 1330h
AN: ED12B-0139    [PDF]
TI: Re-Examining the Way We Teach: The Earth System Science Education Alliance Online Courses
AU: * Botti, J A
EM: jbotti@cet.edu
AF: Center for Educational Technologies, Wheeling Jesuit University 316 Washington Avenue, Wheeling, WV 26003 United States
AU: Myers, R J
EM: bmyers@cet.edu
AF: Center for Educational Technologies, Wheeling Jesuit University 316 Washington Avenue, Wheeling, WV 26003 United States
AB: Science education reform has skyrocketed over the last decade thanks in large part to the technology of the Internet, opening up dynamic new online communities of learners. It has allowed educators worldwide to share thoughts about Earth system science and reexamine the way science is taught. The Earth System Science Education Alliance (ESSEA) is one positive offshoot of this reform effort. This developing partnership among universities, colleges, and science education organizations is led by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies and the Center for Educational Technologies$^{TM}$ at Wheeling Jesuit University. ESSEA's mission is to improve Earth system science education. ESSEA has developed three Earth system science courses for K-12 teachers. These online courses guide teachers into collaborative, student-centered science education experiences. Not only do these courses support teachers' professional development, they also help teachers implement Earth systems science content and age-appropriate pedagogical methods into their classrooms. The ESSEA semester-long courses are open to elementary, middle school, and high school educators. After three weeks of introductory content, teachers develop content and pedagogical and technological knowledge in four three-week learning cycles. The elementary school course focuses on basic Earth system interactions between land, life, air, and water. The middle school course stresses the effects of real-world events-volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, rainforest destruction-on Earth's lithosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere, using "jigsaw" to study the interactions between events, spheres, and positive and negative feedback loops. The high school course uses problem-based learning to examine critical areas of global change, such as coral reef degradation, ozone depletion, and climate change. This ESSEA presentation provides examples of learning environments from each of the three courses.
DE: 6605 Education
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting