HR: 1340h
AN: ED13E-0753    [Abstracts]
TI: Constructing Artificial Rock Outcrops as Tools for Fostering Earth and Environmental Science Thinking
AU: * Totten, I M
EM: itotten@uno.edu
AF: University of New Orleans, Department of Geology and Geophysics 2000 Lakeshore Dr. GP BLD Room 1065, New Orleans, LA 70148 United States
AU: Hall, F
EM: frhall@nsf.gov
AF: National Science Foundation, Directorate for Education and Human Resources 4201 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22230 United States
AU: Buxton, C
EM: cbuxton@miami.edu
AF: University of Miami, College of Education, Coral Gables, FL 33124 United States
AB: The Earth and Environmental Science Education Group at the University of New Orleans has created an innovative visualization teaching tool. Through funding made available by the National Science Foundation a 12'x10'x5' artificial rock outcrop was fabricated at the University of New Orleans. An accompanying curriculum, which includes a series of artificial rock outcrop labs, was also created for the outcrop. The labs incorporated fundamental concepts from the geosciences and the field of science education. The overarching philosophy behind the unity of the content knowledge and the pedagogy was to develop a more inclusive and deliberate teaching approach that utilized strategies known to enhance student learning in the sciences. The artificial outcrop lab series emphasized the following geoscience topics: relative dating, rock movement, and depositional environments. The series also integrated pedagogical ideas such as inquiry-based learning, conceptual mapping, constructivist teaching, pattern recognition, and contextualized knowledge development. Each component of the curriculum was purposefully designed to address what the body of research in science education reveals as critical to science teaching and learning. After developing the artificial rock outcrop curriculum a pilot study was done with 40 pre-service elementary education undergraduates. In the pilot study students completed the following assessments: three outcrop labs, journal reflections for each lab, pre/post attitude surveys, group video-recordings, and preconception and final interviews. Data from these assessments were analyzed using qualitative and quantitative methodologies. The following conclusions were revealed from the data: student's attitudes towards learning earth science increased after working with the artificial rock outcrop, students conceptual understanding of the concepts were clearer after working with the outcrop, students were able to answer multifaceted, higher order questions as a result of working with the outcrop, and students confidence in their abilities to think scientifically improved after their experience with the outcrop. The artificial rock outcrop has consequently been incorporated into several courses that have large enrollments from the following student populations: pre-service elementary education majors, undergraduate non-science majors, geology majors, and in-service MAST (Masters of Art in Science Teaching) students. Approximately, 1300 college students and 500 students in the 4th-12th grade levels from the local metropolitan school area work with the artificial rock outcrop annually. The artificial rock outcrop curriculum was a much-needed teaching tool in New Orleans considering the absence of natural rock outcrops along the entire coastal plain province.
DE: 0845 Instructional tools
SC: Education and Human Resourcese [ED]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting